In efforts to make this post not be a 76 miles long, I will be posting all of my Alice books in a series of posts. I hope you enjoy them, and welcome to
First we have the book that started my love for Alice, Heartless by Marissa Meyer.
Heartless: Marissa Meyer
Brief Synopsis: Heartless is a brilliant, beautifully written re-telling of Alice. Catherine is the most desired female in Wonderland. She has, unfortunately, captured the eye of the dimwitted King of Hearts, and he seeks to make her his Queen of Hearts. Cath’s only wish in life is to open a bakery and spend her days making the most delightful treats in all of wonderland, but being the daughter of a Marchioness does not allow room for lowly tasks like baking,
Cath is invited to a royal ball at which she will be expected to accept the King’s marriage proposal, but rather she spots Jest, the new court Jester. A jabberwocky attacks and Cath gets away and avoids the King’s proposal, but she cannot out Jest out of mind. It was love at first sight. They pursue a whirlwind relationship all the while under the guise that Cath is courting the King.
Cath meets Haigha (pronounced Hare) and Hatta, Jest’s two closest friends, and then learn that they are not residents of Hearts, but of Chess, and that they had come through the Looking Glass to steal the heart from the Queen of Hearts, Cath’s heart, to end the centuries long war in Chess.
Ultimately Cath chooses Jest, but it is all to their own downfall. Hatta, Haigha, Jest, and Cath all have their lives ruined by one fateful decision to believe they could defy prophecy.
Queen of Hearts: Colleen Oakes
Brief Synopsis: Dinah is the Princess of Wonderland. Her mother is dead. Her brother is mad. Her father is the King, and he is filled with hatred for her. One day, a bastard sister is introduced to the Wonderlanders, and is being groomed as the Duchess of Wonderland. Shortly after, a mysterious note is slipped to Dinah at a dinner. She needs to find Faina Baker in the black towers. But why?
Dinah sneaks into the towers as a prisoner, accompanied by her best friend, Wardley. They discover Faina is mad and that her warnings are all riddles. After this meeting, Faina is murdered on Execution day, Dinah is framed for their murder of her brother, and she escapes into the Twisted Woods where a completely different journey begins.
Review: Oakes is fantastic. She puts a dark twist on Wonderland that has just enough detail from Alice for it to easily be recognized as Wonderland, but this is not your average, happy fairy-tale. There’s murder, torture, suggested sexual violence (not enough for kids to not be able to read this, but enough that you understand what’s going on between guards and female prisoners), dungeons, and much scheming on the part of Cheshire, the kings most trusted adviser. If you’re looking for a dark, but familiar tale. This is the book for you.
Grimm Fairy Tales: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Vol. 1: Raven Gregory
This graphic novel is weird. It provides a very interesting take on the typical character’s involved. Cheshire is now a giant ferocious feline, the Jabberwocky looks like a space worm, and there is now a cannibalistic walrus. The artwork is phenomenal.
The white rabbit is twisted and scheming. The Red Queen is awful, but defeated. The jabberwocky rules Wonderland. But my personal favorite is the spade. Her character is unexpected, kind, yet totally badass.
Here are a few interesting excerpts from the novel to give an idea of more of the artwork!
SunflowerFiction 