I wanted to enjoy this but sadly missed the mark for me, it was slow to start and by time it picked up I found I wasn’t interested, couldn’t keep me involved. The characters didn’t feel fully developed probably due to constantly switching points of view didn’t seem to be long enough to build them up, the characters just seem a weak copy of the original books

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

Ever Alice felt like a sequel to the original Alice in wonderland books. It was interesting to read perspectives of both the Queen of Hearts and Alice which was something I haven’t seen done before. I enjoyed reading about the somewhat bizarre customs of wonderland in Ever Alice and I loved the chaos of the court of the Queen of Hearts. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

I wanted to love this book and was really intrigued by the plot...a more grown-up Alice undergoing crazy procedures at insane asylums and escaping to Wonderland at the final moment. It sounded as if it had so much potential, not to mention a familiar setting with well-beloved characters from one of everybody’s favorite childhoods tales. I’m all for retellings or original spin-offs of fantastical classics, but this one missed the mark for me. I was quite bored through much of it, if I’m going to be honest, and it took too long for the story to pick up.

Things that worked, however, included the alternating chapter POVs between Alice and the Red Queen, the familiarity of the setting and characters, the respect towards the original story, and the whimsical writings that are reminiscent of Lewis Carroll. Perhaps one day I’ll give it another go, but this just didn’t do much for me.

"All ways were her way, and whatever way she wanted, she generally got, even if only in the end."

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Red Rogue Press. Trigger warnings: death, decapitation, violence, surgery, body horror, blood, poison, mental illness. Spoilers will be clearly marked.

When Alice returns from Wonderland, her parents find her stories charming for a while, but as she grows older, they eventually land her in an asylum. Just before undergoing a cutting-edge new procedure, Alice escapes to Wonderland with the White Rabbit, where things are worse than ever. The Queen of Hearts has beheaded the king and anyone else who dares to cross her, and she’s convinced that her entire court is trying to betray her. Alice finds work as one of the queen’s attendants, where she tries to make her new life work, but a group of underground rebels urges her to put an end to the mad queen once and for all.

Alice in Wonderland is my favorite fairytale, so I might be overly critical of its adaptations. I can never pass one up, but Ever Alice isn’t one of its better incarnations. A writer can take all the nonsense words and Wonderland references they want from the original tale, but the best adaptations take ownership of that source material and make it into something new. While Ramsay is clearly well-versed in the original stories, with plenty of nods to Carroll’s writing, there’s very little being added to the Alice mythology here. Combine the original story with the Tim Burton movie, plus some Return to Oz (1985) vibes in the beginning, and you’ll get Ever Alice. There was never a point where I felt fully immersed in the world or characters.

And that’s the second major issue. The chapters alternate between Alice and the queen, Rosamund, but neither feel like fully developed, three-dimensional people. Rosamund’s chapters are almost pure nonsense in a blend of paranoia and self-centeredness (a near-perfect imitation of Burton’s Queen of Hearts, I’ll admit), and Alice doesn’t seem to have any particular qualities. She doesn’t want to go back to the asylum or lose her head, but she doesn’t do a lot to prevent either of those things. Her romance with the vapid prince is fairly silly, as is most of the plot, though the ending in Wonderland is funny in a morbid, slapstick kind of way. I enjoyed the portrayal of the loyal White Rabbit, but other than that, the characters are shallow copies of the source material that never have a chance for real development. I didn’t care for the ending twist (more after the spoilers mark), which was really just a coffin nail. Recommended for diehard Alice fans, but not much else.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. TURN BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

In terms of bad endings, probably the only thing worse than “none of this is real” is “I gave my main character a lobotomy”, and Ever Alice, unfortunately, has both. I’ve never met a story where this strategy worked (Shutter Island? Definitely not. Sucker Punch? Maybe, but only if you’re following the main character’s motivations really closely.). It mostly just made me feel like I’d wasted my time with the rest of this story. Alice in Wonderland often walks the edge of was it real or was it just a dream/hallucination, but more work needs to be done to make that a satisfying conclusion rather than a cheap plot twist.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Let me start this review saying that I REALLY wanted to like this book. I really did. But I just found so many things just missed the mark for me.

It was truly a shame because the premise was so intriguing to me. It started off with a definite struggle to get into the book. Especially when it came to Rosamund's chapters in which we were seeing things from her POV. Following Alice's side of the story kept me engaged, hence my completing this book instead of completely writing it off as the whole aspect of the mental hospital? Super cool and creepy...so gimme that. But I just keep going back to Rosamund's side of the story. It kind of ruined the whole reading experience for me simply because I found myself skipping or skimming her portions of the story due to lack of connection with the character.

As an Alice in wonderland fan I'm always looking for new Alice retellings to read. This had an interesting take on the classic character and had me intrigued from the first page. I don't know why it almost flew under my radar but definitely glad I was able to read this unique gem early.

I was really excited when I heard about this book. I've always loved Alice in Wonderland, for all its nonsensical madness, and was keen to read this 'follow-up' of sorts. It does read curiously similarly to the original and fans of Alice will surely enjoy it.

My only disappointment here was that there was very little in terms of new plot; it's almost a continuation of the original books which simply projects the plot to its conclusion. The plot is very linear and this is quite unusual in a novel of this length. I really liked the parts in the asylum, and simply wanted more of them.

this book was everything. As a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, I was so excited to read this book.

I knew from the reviews a lot of people felt it was redundant but as a lover of the Wonderland story and having seen Tim Burtons movie about Wonderland I found the story to be fun, intriguing and quite fanciful. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

I loved seeing the story told from Alice's and the Queen of Hearts point of view and of course loved returning to Wonderland. I also enjoyed reconnecting with characters I have loved for years.

Overall this book was a total win for me. It was creative, fun and was full of everything you would want about a world where nothing is as it seems.

Loved this book, it was my first encounter with an Alice in Wonderland retelling and oh boy was it dark and twisted!

If you don’t know me, a fair warning going into this review: I’m an Alice in Wonderland junkie! In fact, so far, 5 of my 2019 reads have been Alice in Wonderland re-tellings. So going into Ever Alice, I knew there was a pretty good chance I was going to enjoy the book.

Ever Alice begins with a 15 year old Alice, having been admitted to an asylum after years of regaling her family and doctors with tales of her adventures in Wonderland. Upon being transferred to a new asylum with questionable procedures, the White Rabbit comes to Alice, pleading with her to return to Wonderland to kill the evil Queen of Hearts.

Has it been done before? Yes.
Will it be done again? Probably.
Will I read each and every version written? Oh, yeah!

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ever Alice, was that it was written as a sort of sequel to the original stories. That meant that instead of having characters that vaguely resemble your favorites, they were actually the same characters you loved, or loved to hate. Many different events from the original stories were referenced as past events, so it added a huge sense of, “I remember that!” Because of this, Ever Alice really felt like a continuation of the originals.

I read a few reviews in preparation to begin my own, and a lot of them seemed to think the story was boring. I didn’t find Ever Alice to be boring at all. I found it entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into the Queen of Hearts and her Queendom, and only regret that I wasn’t able to learn a little more about the politics of the the other Kingdoms and about Rosamund’s relationships with her family and lovers.

Though I did enjoy the story, it wasn’t without its issues. There were a couple aspects that weren’t ever fully explained. Mainly the disembodied heads. What the heck happened with those guys? And why did they come to the Queen yelling about revenge, and then try to help her find the plotters?? Seems like sort of an unnecessary and unfinished side-plot. The ending sort of felt a little rushed and not quite as planned out as the rest of the story.

On the other hand, Ever Alice’s ending shook me! I loved it! It was twisted, absolutely unexpected, equally awesome and totally worth the read!

All in all, If you are a fan of the original series, or Alice re-imaginings in general, I would thoroughly recommend Ever Alice. It’s an entertaining read that gives you a little bit of politics, a little romance, some nostalgia and a great big heaping pile of nonsense!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the Ever Alice ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I keep trying to read reimaginings/"continuations" of the Alice in Wonderland stories. I'm inexplicably drawn to them, most likely because I so adore the originals, but am inevitably disappointed, and this was yet another case in point... I enjoyed it in the beginning. Asylum Alice is a popular choice in these types of stories, and I think the idea is an intriguing one - the original Wonderland experiences and their retellings would, in that era, have earned a child (especially a girl) a place in a madhouse. Ramsay did a commendable job with the setup here, with just enough malice surrounding Alice to keep things interesting. But then there was the Queen. sigh. She felt WAY over the top and overdone and the repetition of her madness made me want to shut the book. Which I ultimately did. Apparently before meeting Marilyn Monroe (I was ALMOST intrigued enough by other reviewers' comments about the oblique and confusing presence of this character to keep reading - but only almost). Regardless of my curiosity about bits of the story line - and there were things I found compelling, including the intra-kingdom politics and Alice's *real* experiences in the aslyum and with her family and how they might all play out - I just couldn't find my way through this one. A rabbit hole is one thing; a black hole is quite another - and that's how I felt. Like I'd wandered into a morass that didn't have an exit. This one was just not for me...

I have read a lot of Alice Adaptations, this is so far one that is humorous yet sad at the same time. While the author tries to stay away from the darker themes that most Alice adaptations have, I respect that this version actually touches a lot of mental health issues.
If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you might feel welcome with the return of age old characters and some new ones. A mixture of adventure and thriller, definitely does not disappoint.

What a fantastic concept for a novel! Part fairytale, part psychological thriller, imbedded with characters and language that made Alice in Wonderland a childhood favourite, Ever Alice is a fantastic homage to the original tale by Lewis Carroll.

Firstly, let’s address that cover. I love the simplicity of it, the bright orange with the black and white, the silhouette of Alice. I hope it remains like this through publication because I think it’s eye catching and beautiful.

Secondly, the plot. It is such a brilliant idea. Alice, now 15, has been sent to an asylum due to her belief in Wonderland. Her parents have tried all kinds of doctors and finally, this is the last resort. The thing about this is, if Alice in Wonderland were real life, that is probably exactly what would have happened to her, particularly in the 19th century when this is set. However, the asylum doesn’t appear to be working, and she is sent abroad for more drastic measures. Just as life-altering surgery is about to take place, Alice is rescued by the White Rabbit, whose actual name is Ralph. She is swept back into Wonderland but this time she has a mission. She must kill the Queen of Hearts.

It is also very refreshing that the story is told in alternating chapters, by Alice and by Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts. Having the two perspectives somehow rounds out the story nicely, giving us different threads of information to piece together. The characters are wonderful, and old favourites such as Chester the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter are key members. There’s also Marco Polo, cousin to the late Humpty Dumpty, and a Princess frog who wants to marry the Prince of Hearts.

With lots of crazy action, hints of love, hilariously obscure dialogue, bizarre happenings, and an epic plot planned, you can’t not love Ever Alice. So come leap down the rabbit holes, through the twists and turns and shrinking doors, and fall in love all over again with Wonderland.

Love this book! Quite a different spin on Alice in Wonderland. Characters are relatable and storyline well thought-out! Definitely a keeper.

An Alice adventure is always intriguing to me. Such great potential. The Wonderland story was good, not great. I had hoped for more tie in to Alice and her mental health in the real world. I felt it was a great opportunity missed.

(I give Ever Alice 3.5 stars)

'Ever Alice' is a retelling of 'Alice of Wonderland'. It takes place a few years after the classic story, and it finds Alice in a mental asylum. She manages to flee, returning to Wonderland, and finds herself embroiled in a plot to kill the vicious Queen of Hearts. This story features many characters from the classic Lewis Caroll tale, as well as some new figures.

Although I felt like this story has a predictable ending, I appreciate that it takes a slightly darker turn from the regular 'Alice in Wonderland' story, and it kept me interested until the very end.

This was an amazing twist on Alice and Wonderland. I absolutely loved this book. As a huge fan of everything Alice in wonderland this book was no exception. It had everything magical about it. Thanks for the opportunity to review this book I enjoyed it so much. This was so awesome.

This was so jumbled and confusing that I couldn't stand it any longer. They made Alice seem like a doddering fool and the Queen of Hearts was a total doofus.

3/5

Genre: Retelling
First Published: 2019
Pages: 347

Thank you Red Rogue Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alice came back from Wonderland but she isn’t fully back in the real world afterwards. She continues to talk of her adventures, the characters she met and how different the world beyond the rabbit hole is. Years pass and Alice is still talking about Wonderland and no matter how many doctors her parents take her to, she sticks to her story.

This is how Alice ends up in Asylum, locked away and medicated, left behind by her well-meaning family.

When the White Rabbit suddenly turns up and urges Alice to come back to Wonderland, she is glad to be proven right that she didn’t imagine him after all.
The Red Queen has gone absolutely mad and is beheading so called traitors left and right and someone has to stop her. Ralph, as the White Rabbit is called, is convinced that only Alice is up to the task of killing the queen and so she finds herself in the middle of a secret mission, unsure how to be an assassin.

I read the title, saw the book cover, read the word asylum and I just had to pick up Ever Alice. I wanted to love it so much but in the end it was more of an ok read. It isn’t bad and I think it picks up Lewis Carroll’s world well, but it just wasn’t for me.

I was hoping for something darker and there to be more of a focus on Alice in the asylum but about 80% of the story took place in Wonderland. I’m not the biggest fan of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass because I find Wonderland to be too much. It’s so ridiculous that it’s a pain to read about. I think that’s what I liked the most of H.J. Ramsay’s sequel. Wonderland still is crazy and over the top but he tones it down so that the plot doesn’t get lost in it. I found the Red Queen intriguing and even though she wasn’t likeable her thought process was a lot of fun to read. In the end I could have done without Alice’s point of view as she was an angsty teen in Wonderland and didn’t bring much to the story.

I am very conflicted about what to say about Ever Alice. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I was glad when it was over but I didn’t skim pages to get to the end. I think in the end it’s an average read and might be better suited for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland fans or people that actually read the entire blurb and are more aware that it’s a Alice in Wonderland Again story and not a coming of age drama.

Thanks to Red Rogue Press for the ARC!

In this book, Alice is 15 and returns to Wonderland.

At the beginning of the story, she's living in an asylum, since her family believes she's mad. She hates being called "mad". She insists that everything she lived in Wonderland was real, but no one believes her. She's hopeless, but then the White Rabbit shows up and she realizes that it's time to go back to Wonderland to help her friends, who are still suffering under the Queen's command.

"Ever Alice" is like a sequel to the original story, preserving the main elements and bringing new ones too. I like the fact that it was told from Alice's and the queen's points of view, because we were able to get to know the thoughts and feelings of them both, and sometimes that's the only way to fully understand the villain.

It was a good read. I think everyone who loves the Wonderland universe will enjoy it too.

The only reason I'm not giving more stars is because it wasn't the kind of book that I wanted to finish in a day.