Author: Christina Henry
Genre: Dystopian-Fantasy
Series:The Chronicles of Alice #2
Trade Paperback, 304 Pages
Publication: July 12, 2016 by Ace
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
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The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. A place where Alice could finally rest, no longer the plaything of the Rabbit, the pawn of Cheshire, or the prey of the Jabberwocky. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash—and hope is nowhere to be found.
Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter, a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen and her goblin or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King.
The pieces are set and the game has already begun. Each move brings Alice closer to her destiny. But, to win, she will need to harness her newfound abilities and ally herself with someone even more powerful—the mysterious and vengeful Red Queen...
What I loved about Alice was the dark and gritty atmosphere and how well I can visualize ‘Alice’ being a somewhat mirrored copy of the original classic, well, a fun-house mirror that is. While it was obvious that this was not the classic tale we've all come to know, it paid a beautiful homage to the original novel and at the same kept its uniqueness. For the most part I enjoyed Red Queen, but it didn’t feel like a continuation of the first book nor an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ re-imagined novel. Of all the new characters we met, no one was quite recognizable except for the Red Queen and her page time was sparse. There also wasn't as much action as the first book. From the moment Alice and Hatcher reached the forest/village, all they heard were horror stories of the White Queen and how she ruled with an iron fist and stole children from their families. However, the confrontation with the White Queen was somewhat anticlimactic and it resolved so quickly I wasn’t sure it happened.
The Red Queen wasn’t what I expected, nor dark or full of action as I hoped but I still found a lot to enjoy about it. Many reviewers didn’t like where Alice and Hatcher’s relationship was going but I didn’t find myself minding at all. I actually thought it was inevitable and expected it when I finished the first book. Alice and Hatcher complement each other. Its the type of relationship you'd call fate/destined because they know and the readers know they belong with each other. My only complaint is that I wished we saw more of them together, since for a little more than half of the time they were a part. As for the revelation at the end of the book, I was completely shocked! I didn’t think the story was going to go there but it did and I liked how everything connected together.
The Red Queen did a great job at tying up all the loose ends from the first book and the main problem at hand solved; but the ending left a door open for potentially more books in the series. Which I hope we get, since there is still so much to discover from the world, Alice and Hatcher. I highly recommend checking out this fresh and original series, this is a re-imagining of Alice that you don’t want to miss!
Thanks to the lovely people at Ace, I have one (1) copy of ALICE, the first book in The Chronicle of Alice series to give away. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below!
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