Slow build up, but then it hits like a freight train to which i had to stay way past my bed time to finish it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a thrilling book, with some gruesome parts, but it kept me interested! The publisher put a lot of pressure on the book by equating it with Shirley Jackson and The Shining and it didn't quite get there.

This is a review that I have kind of agonized over, mostly because it seems like the vast majority of readers have been a bit timid toward its quality and I ultimately felt the same way when all was said and done. I will try my best to explain the reasons why I thought it was a good book, but also the reasons why it just didn't connect with me in the same way that it didn't for many others. I had very mixed feelings with regard to WONDERLAND. When I started reading this book I was really excited, naturally that caused me to have pretty lofty expectations indeed.

I found the overall plot to be just okay. It does have solidity that brings our characters together and gives valid and easy to recognize reasons for them to do what they do. The author does a great job at the start of the novel building up a sense of fear.

I wish this book had been just a tad longer. I think it would have addressed many of the issues, including building the setting and the characters up to be more sympathetic and interesting. On the whole, I also think the author made a few faulty judgment calls, being too concerned with being edgy when her focus should have bene on developing more pertinent aspects of the story.

While I loved the plot, I unfortunately found the execution and writing to be underwhelming and lackluster.

Following the explosive release of BABY TEETH, Zoje Stage returns with WONDERLAND, a Shirley Jackson-esque horror novel set in the wilderness of the Adirondacks where the forest has come to life.

Orla and Shaw Bennett are finally doing what all New Yorkers claim they will do “someday”: they are leaving New York City for upstate New York, a place where they believe that Shaw, who has always been a bit aimless, can finally pursue his passion. They have been together for two decades and have two children: quiet, stoic Eleanor Queen, age nine, and joy-filled Tycho, a baby at only four. For years, Orla has supported the family as a performing ballerina, but now, at 41, it is time for her to retire and stay at home with the children while her husband focuses on his dream of painting. For weeks they have been preparing their new home --- a slightly rundown old farmhouse --- for their arrival, but no one is quite as excited as Shaw, who has become enamored of a 500-year-old tree on the property that he claims is his muse.

Let’s face it, even the most beautiful farmhouse is still creepy, and the Bennetts’ new place definitely lives up to the lore surrounding old, remote houses. But as Orla unpacks and Shaw retreats to his new studio, they begin to sense that they are not quite as alone as they once thought. There is something in the woods, calling to them, teasing them, surrounding them and toying with them. But as It begins to close in, they realize that they will not be able to leave their new home easily, no matter what happens to them.

The unnatural occurrences are slow at first, like a sudden snowstorm that easily can be explained as a squall (or can it?), and a series of minor hallucinations that the Bennetts hope can be attributed to toxic well water. But as the forest lays claim to Orla and Shaw’s minds, they each begin to withdraw and push one another away --- afraid of revealing that something is not right, but just as fearful of being called insane. Finally, on a night when the Aurora Borealis appears only on their property, miles and miles away from the lowest point it can scientifically occur, they begin to work together and share the strange happenings that have been plaguing them. Just as they start to feel in control again, It takes hold of Shaw’s mind --- and their daughter’s. With the forest trapping her in their home, it is up to Orla to defend her children, discover what the forest wants from them and get them all to safety.

Stage knows how to set a scene, ramp up the suspense and make you feel so trapped in it that the horror becomes palpable. This is a downright creepy and eerie book, and I often found myself jumping at even the slightest sound or shift of the light as I read. That said, as someone who devoured BABY TEETH, I have to say that WONDERLAND fell a bit flat for me. Early on, I struggled to connect with the characters, even Orla, with whom we spend the most time. Their fears felt real most of the time, but their everyday personalities did not. And although Stage is thoroughly talented and adept at writing horror, without the characters providing the necessary support, even the terror felt empty at times.

One highlight of the book is Stage’s exploration of the Bennetts’ marriage and the ways that they are desperate to remain lovable and respectable to one another. The emotional stress and agony sometimes felt more crushing than the actual horror, and it was these moments, ultimately, that kept me reading. In one poignant example, Orla offers up what she feels is a good, solid, scientific explanation for what is happening. Although she believes that Shaw has missed or ignored the strange occurrences, the instant relief on his face reveals that he, too, has been suffering --- not just from fear, but from his unwillingness to confide in his wife. This, for me, was one of those “wow” moments, when you realize just how astute a writer has to be to make relationships feel real, complicated and layered.

Although WONDERLAND ambles a bit at times, it is still undeniably creepy, and I was intrigued by the way Stage created her “monster.” This is a book about wish fulfillment, fear and faith, and I appreciated the Wonderland-esque ways that the setting responded to the characters’ thoughts and fears. This is an atmospheric read, and even if you don’t end up reading this book in the middle of a New England farmhouse like I did (too real!), you won’t be able to deny the way Stage sets the scene, almost like a set builder building it around you while you sleep.

The novel feels incredibly cinematic, and I often found myself envisioning scenes from A Quiet Place or Bird Box as I read. I have no doubt that WONDERLAND would make a tremendous film. Those who enjoyed THE GRIP OF IT or THE CABIN IN THE WOODS will find plenty to appreciate here, but I just wish that Stage had spent a little more time with her characters to make them feel as layered and nuanced as her masterful horror.

Wonderland is about a family that moves from NYC to a cabin in the woods (before you ask, they are indeed 🥛) so the father can fulfill his dream of doing some pretty creepy landscape paintings. They found out they weren't as prepared to rough it as they assumed, and that's BEFORE the trees start trying to kill them. Before they start trying to kill each other.

If you've read my post on Baby Teeth, you'll know I thought the way the child spoke was a bit...much. It's the same with Wonderland, but easier to take because there's a reason for the child to speak like an adult, and because I didn't have to listen to her narrate. The book's a bit slow, but there's a sense of confusion and dread that really works. The ending left me extremely anxious, which I have no objections to in horror. Overall, the book was decent, and you'll like it if you liked Baby Teeth. I'll probably skip Stage's next one. Her voice just isn't for me.

Thanks to @netgalley and Mulholland Books for the ARC.

I kept trying to get into it, but I can't. It's slow. And it DOES remind me of The Shining, which I also did not like. LOVED Baby Teeth, this one I just couldn't get in to. I look forward to book three from Zoje Stage tho.

Thank you Muholland Books for a copy of Wonderland by Zoje Stage for review,

I adored Baby Teeth so I was very excited to dive into Wonderland, unfortunately for me, it was a bit too on the paranormal side of creepy for me. When the Bennett family moves to a remote new home so the father can work on his art, strange things start happening, especially to her husband and her daughter. When it becomes clear that there is something wrong, it's too late for them to escape.

I did love the creepy vibe, especially around Halloween, but I can just never find myself enjoying paranormal type activity and there was enough of that in here to make it feel hard for me to push through. The writing and characters were great though so if that's your thing, I think this would make a great choice for you!

2.5 stars. This book has a really interesting concept, I just didn't love the execution. It felt very slow, and pretty anticlimactic-- even the main character says the ending is anticlimactic! I wanted it to be much more of a spooky thriller, but none of the things that were happening to the family in the house or on the land were all that scary, just super weird. I also found all the characters to be really annoying... even the children! I so wanted to love this because I LOVED Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, but this one was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley & Mullholland Books for an advanced copy of this book.

I tried. And then I tried and I tried but Wonderland simply could not draw me in. A shame because I love the premise of it so much and was really looking forward to some spookiness.
However this book is slow and drawn out and I found myself not paying attention and worse yet not caring.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved Baby Teeth and was eager to read Wonderland. I loved the description of the setting and atmospheric vibe especially at the beginning. I was wary of the house and especially the weather changes and all the creepy things that were happening. However, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. The ending and reveal in particular left me feeling underwhelmed. I am all in support of suspending disbelief but the explanation in this one just didn’t work for me. Another minor issue that bothered me was the children’s names. Elanor Queen and Tycho are such odd names that they were a bit distracting. Fans of horror and paranormal stories may enjoy this one more.

Finally retiring from life as a Manhattan ballerina, Orla and her family move to a home in a secluded area upstate so her husband can fulfill his dream of becoming an artist. Deep in winter, Orla is unsure of how she feels making this move, and when the trees and the snow begin loom ominously she wonders just how she will keep her family safe and alive.

Creepy read, very horror sci-fi with a nature/pagan twist; kind of predictable but still enjoyable.

Also the name Eleanor Queen is hands down the dumbest character name I have ever encountered in fiction (even worse than Renesmee).

This novel gets off to a great start, but loses steam when the first big event occurs. The story kind of goes off the rails from there. The author is a great storyteller, as evidenced by her debut, Baby Teeth. Unfortunately, Wonderland never quite makes it to the same level of creepy, and the resolution feels rather abrupt.

Many thanks to the publisher for my free advance copy of this book.

The crux of my issues with this book stems from what I feel was poor marketing. Firstly, calling this book Shirley Jackson's version of The Shining is wholly inaccurate. Wonderland also just didn't read like a horror novel to me. It had many of the elements that saturate the genre: creepy children, isolated characters, unknown entity, etc. and yet I never felt the atmosphere of horror, not to mention not once in this story did I feel anything close to fear or anticipation.

In an objective sense, the story is well written. However, there was something essential missing from it, and it failed to ever make an impression on me. I finished it purely so that I could rate and review.

I would watch the movie adaptation of this book, but I wouldn't be super wowed by it. At least assuming there weren't big plot changes or overemphasizing points in the book that underemphasized.

I went into this book expecting a little more horror - and maybe that is my own fault - but what I received was definitely more of a literary science fiction read than anything resembling horror. The writing is extremely well done, but this book is just not what I expected it to be based on the synopsis. The pacing was slightly off as well - and since it was already a book I had not planned on reading, this made it a little harder to get into. I kept stumbling over the characters' names which further impeded my own pacing with this book. The blurb says this is a mixture of The Shining and Shirley Jackson and I see no resemblance to either. Like the plot, I feel the blurb/endorsement is misleading. This comparison is one of the reasons I picked up the book and feel further let down because of the inaccuracy.

I really enjoyed Baby Teeth and thought I would have similar thoughts on this book. But between the misleading of the plot/review blurbs and the slow pacing mixed with a literary science fiction novel (not my cup of tea) I just could not get into the book.

After reading and loving Baby Teeth I was thrilled when I found out about this novel. Although I did enjoy parts of this book and the fantasy/dark aspect of the storyline I found it difficult to keep focused on the book and connect with it. There were many creepy, eerie things happening in this novel and I loved reading about them and trying to figure out just what exactly was going on and happening here. What was making all those strange and impossible things happen? Were there dark, sinister forces at work? I loved how it keeps you guessing and wanting to know exactly what's going on.

I think the problem for me was that going into it I expected the book to be more of a horror story, with more scary parts than what actually were in the novel. Overall though it is an interesting read that had an ending that I didn't see coming and quite liked. I often felt bad for the mother in the novel and all the things she had to face both inside and out of thge home, and all the decisions (not all easy ones) she had to make to protect herself and her family. The characters were very likable as well.

This is Stage’s second book and while I loved her debut novel, Baby Teeth, I can’t say the same about this one. I had such mixed feelings about Wonderland. A family from New York City decides to upend their city life and move to the country, and as they settle into their new home, strange events begin to happen. And then it gets REALLY strange! It was well-written and the beginning half of it intrigued me enough to keep reading, although it was definitely a slow build. Then the second half was just ridiculous, with a totally unbelievable fantasy element. But I did like the ending...

Zoje Stage made her horror debut with BABY TEETH, she's back with claws beared with WONDERLAND. This chilling tale of a family cut off from society and the battles they ensure as they struggle to keep grips on reality.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

This was decent, but overall not for me. I LOVED Baby Teeth and expected to love this one as well. Sadly, I did not. While the writing was great and the setting was chilling and spooky, the story was slow-moving and not as scary as I wanted it to be. The conclusion was also just strange and anticlimactic. 3 stars.