I love Alice in Wonderland, and especially love retellings. I probably should have read this before I read Marissa Meyer’s Heartless because this has completely turned my view of Alice’s story end over end.

I began the book knowing that it would be a new take on the traditional Alice story. For starters, her name isn’t spelled Alice, it’s Alyss. Alyss is just a child when The Queen of Hearts storms in and kills Alyss’s mom, and the rest of the palace guards. Alyss is taken to Earth by Hatter Madigan to protect her and her imagination. Alyss then spends her formative years living in England until it is time for her to go back to Wonderland, and claim her throne.

I was a bit apprehensive about the book because the narrator seemed pretty monotone in the beginning. About halfway through the book, things picked up, and I finished the series quickly, but those details are for a different review.

The characters in this book are complete opposites of the traditional characters, especially the carefree Disney versions. The cat is the most different from how he’s always been described. No longer a mischevious fiend, the Cat in this series is a vicious assassin.

The characters are well written, and interesting. They jump off the page and come to life through detailed descriptions and excellent plot.