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hopestar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sarahsbooklife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
At first, I enjoyed this story. Alyssa was an okay main character and I found her more interesting when they were in Wonderland and she kinda took charge of what was happening. But at times she felt like a "pick me girl" which was pretty annoying and I could really feel the 2000s/10s "I'm not like other girls" energy in this story. Her arc did kind of leave some of that behind as the story progressed, and I probably could have even enjoyed this story more because of that. But the thing that annoyed me the most was Jeb.
And the fact this story was drowning in YA tropes.
But first let's talk about Jeb.
Pretty much everything about Jeb annoyed me. I was really hoping that he
He was, I felt, belittling at times. Alyssa's obsession with him put me off him more, especially when they were flirting when he has a girlfriend. (I'm not going to keep going because I could end up ranting forever.)
There were so many things wrong with this book. Like how it talks about mental health and how the MC's mother is treated in a mental health hospital. Which was pretty horrid. The author definitely shoved a lot of misinformation in here, like having the Alyssa's mum in a straight jacket and placed in a padded cell. Something that hasn't been done since the mid-20th century except for in films and TV.
I did like that the author gave a lot of the beings in Wonderland a creepier description, making them seem a little more unsettling. But I felt like she could have taken it a step further. Made it really creepy and maybe a bit more horrifying.
Lastly Morpheus, Alyssa's childhood friend and second love interest, was probably the only reason I finished with this book. He was the only character that I thought was 100% interesting and I think he would've better as the main love interest instead of Jeb.
Honestly, I don't think that this book was worth the hours I spent reading it and I wish I could get them back and I won't be wasting anymore time on this series.
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
_roctopus_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I absolutely love the world and the story
That being said, I hate the love triangle with every fiber of my being. Especially Jeb. I hate him.
minor to medium spoilers detailing why:
He is very controlling of Alyssa always trying to protect her even when she doesn't need to be. This isn't cute in this case because he holds her back from what she is trying to accomplish, sometimes literally. And what's even worse is that she views this as good and romantic, she calls him her knight in shining armor which (ignoring how cringy that is) is disgusting. Alyssa knows more of what to do in this world, but Jeb acts like she is a weak girl in need of protection that only he can provide. The most infuriating part is that SHE LETS HIM and thinks of him as her savior. Her biggest character development is when he is not there and she finally thinks and acts all by herself realizing she can save herself. But even then she is still constantly wishing he was there and I just *screams*. Now I'm not saying Morpheus is a great option and honestly Alyssa should ditch them both, but he is by far the better option because he actually believes she can take care of herself.
I can live with a love triangle (heck my one of my favorite types of books are YA dystopian novels so I'm used to love triangles), but I cannot deal with this Jeb crap. It's honestly so toxic and Morpheus even sometimes points it out and Alyssa still doesn't care. Needless to say, I will not be continuing with the series because I cannot deal with this nonsense even if the adventure and world are amazing.
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Car accident