Alyssa Gardner had always been a bit different. Her mother had been locked into the ward for most of her life. Ever since she was a child and her mother had taken after her with scissors. She didn't really want to hurt her daughter. In fact, she wanted to protect her from the butterfly. So, when the flowers began to talk to Alyssa she ignored it until she couldn't any longer. After-all. She was the descendant of Alice and she too was destined to fall down the rabbit hole. What she finds was more intoxicating and amazing than she could have guessed.
I got this book as a gift from a friend of mine years ago and it has just sat on my shelf as a beautiful trophy. Given, I'd never read the back of it to know that it was Alice and Wonderland themed. Otherwise I would have read it long before I did. Bear in mind I am still ridiculously behind on my reviews. I finished this book August 2nd, 2023. I keep a notebook filled with my read dates just for moments like this. On to the good stuff.
This is and isn't an Alice and Wonderland retelling. We pick up on Alice's family a few generations later. She is living a mostly normal life, even if her mother long ago went off the rocker. She visits her mother frequently, has a crush on her best friend's brother, and has favored hobbies. Normal enough life. But, when the opportunity presents itself to see if Wonderland is real she has to travel there. Even if she accidentally takes her crush with her.
This isn't the wonderland she read about. Chaos rains and it is up to her to set things to rights. Undo the damage done and regain her life. Can she right the wrongs without losing herself to a certain mischievous creature?
This book...gods. There is nothing I want more than to finish this entire series. It is on my list. While the person she ends up with hits all the right feels something is off. I may be reading way too many dark romances but there is just something about that morally grey character that will melt me every time. As I mentioned a bit above when Alyssa gets to wonderland she realizes things aren't the same as in Lewis Carroll's book. Not just that that was romanticized.
Alyssa has to go through wonderland fixing the things Alice unintentionally broke from her sea of tears to waking a slumbering tea party. The goal is setting her family free of it's curse. Along the way she must decide who to trust.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $8.26 by clicking here. Personally I suggest getting a physical copy. It does make such a beautiful shelf trophy.