Liz Braswell’s Unbirthday is a captivating addition to the A Twisted Tale series, offering a fresh and imaginative twist on Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic. In this tenth installment, the story poses a compelling question: what if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late?

Alice is portrayed as a relatable and modern character, an eighteen-year-old with a passion for photography and a yearning for adventure. Her life in Kexford is charming, yet she feels the pressure to conform to societal expectations. As she navigates her world, the sudden appearance of familiar Wonderland faces in her photographs pulls her back into a realm of nonsense she thought she had left behind.

Braswell does a wonderful job of honoring the original story while infusing it with fresh elements that keep readers engaged. The exploration of Alice’s dual identity—both in Kexford and Wonderland—adds depth to her character and her quest to stop the Queen of Hearts’ tyrannical rule. The themes of self-discovery and the fight against oppression resonate strongly throughout the narrative.

However, I found the pacing to be a bit slow at times. While the rich descriptions and character development are appreciated, certain sections felt drawn out, which may test the patience of some readers eager for action. Despite this, the journey through Wonderland is beautifully illustrated with vivid imagery, and the twists along the way are intriguing enough to maintain interest.

Overall, Unbirthday is a delightful homage to the original Alice stories, blending nostalgia with new adventures. It’s a charming read for fans of the series and those looking to revisit Wonderland with fresh eyes. While the pacing could be tighter, the enchanting narrative and creative twists make it well worth the journey.

I listened to this book as an audiobook during my daily walks and between the story and the narration, this was the PERFECT read. It was magical, whimsical, and incredibly nostalgic. Nostalgic in the sense of reminding me of the classic Disney adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland" but also nostalgic of Alice herself and the memories of being a child (even though in this story Alice is on the cusp of adulthood).

This was such a fun read and allowed readers of the classic tale of Alice to have a 'what if', an alternative ending, and a future adventure in Wonderland.

I also LOVED identifying the matching characters between Wonderland and the real world.

This was my first read in the "Twisted Tale" series but I know I will be reading more, along with going out and purchasing my own copy of his book because it's such a memorable and warmhearted read that gave me such a fun reading experience.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

When I started this one, I was so excited because I am a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. I’d heard so many good things about the Twisted Tales books and had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately it fell flat and was very slow. I DNFd this one because I was bored. It didn’t move fast enough to hold my attention. Plus it was extremely long and if I couldn’t get through the first one hundred pages, I wasn’t going to be able to get through the rest. I might try it again on audiobook to see if it can hold my attention better, but for now I’m moving on from this one.

Well told story, Liz Braswell put a great spin on the Queen's story. If love how these what-if stories open up so many more possibilities!

Would recommend for public libraries, lirbaries trying to add to their YA collection, and those who already have other A Twisted Tale titles.

As far as retellings go, this wasn't exactly my favorite. I also wouldn't really call this a retelling. It's more of a sequel/companion to the series because the events take place now that Alice is an adult. I think it was just difficult to get into the story because there seemed to be two very different agendas in place.

Alice is now an adult and her memories of Wonderland feel very far away compared to the issues and politics playing out in her world now. She's of an age where she finds people around her (her sister in particular) constantly trying to pressure her into growing up and settling down. Alice, unfortunately for them, would rather spend her free time indulging her passion for photography. It's while developing some of the films that she discovers glimpses into Wonderland--but it's not as she remembers. Wonderland is in trouble and only Alice can save it.

I was actually hoping that I would enjoy Alice's time in Wonderland but ended up feeling very disconnected from the story overall. When I remembered what was going on in her real world (or when she traveled back), it was always jarring. If the entire story had taken place in Wonderland I think I might have enjoyed it more because the switching back and forth really threw off the flow of the story. I actually ended up enjoying the real-world sections more because they seemed interesting. The Wonderland passages were too nonsensical (I mean... it's Wonderland but when you put them side by side it's just dizzying). They had the whole silly, whimsical feel from the Disney movie but tried to put it alongside the violence and social commentary in the real world, and... it just felt out of place.

I also didn't really feel connected to the characters. They all felt like props rather than people. Alice was probably the most interesting of them all but it's not like she had much competition. So, overall, this was not one of my favorite retellings. It was a quick read but I think as far as the Twisted Tales go you're probably better off skipping this one.

The time spent in Wonderland was just and wacky and wondrous which held the feel of the original while giving it a new twist. Definitely felt this was a fun book and will definitely put any others from this author onto my TBR.

I love Disney’s Alice in Wonderland so I was very excited to read this book! However, I had a hard time getting into this novel. This is mostly because of the jumps between Wonderland and the Victorian world that made the story very confusing. I have enjoyed many of the Twisted Tales, but this was just hard to follow. Still, I recommend this for fans of this series!

The pacing in Unbirthday was painfully slow. I admit I'm not a big Alice in Wonderland fan, but after I heard about the Twisted Tales series and read the synopsis, I decided to give it a try... and it just wasn't for me.

The book had a good plot, it just didn't really hold my attention like I wanted it to. It's a book that's over 500 pages, so I anticipated it being a little slow to get going, but I did not think it would be THAT slow.

I think big fans of Alice in Wonderland and fairy tale retellings will really like the book. It was just a miss for me.

Oh, this was a fun book to read! I've never read the Lewis Carroll books, and if I've seen the Disney movie, it was either forever ago or only snippets, because all I know of the original is more the memes around it, the things that have leaked into the common social knowledge.

Alice is all grown up now, pretty much, with her own interests. I really enjoyed that time that we spent in our world at the beginning, setting up the politics of this town, and who Alice is as a person. It felt very full circle at the end! We did go back and forth between our world and Wonderland, and I enjoyed how they were tied into each other!

It was interesting, that the Queen of Hearts-and the White Rabbit-were the bad guys. I mean, of course the Queen of Hearts, she's the one that wants to decapitate everyone. But the White Rabbit, as far as I can tell, was more of an underling, not a bad guy, so I really enjoyed that twist!

The thing about Alice is that she has a bit of nonsense to not fit into our world, and too much sense to fit into Wonderland. That her place is in part of both worlds. So I really enjoyed that, of Alice finding out who she was!

Loved that ending, both in Wonderland, and in our world. Alice had to be smart and creative, and I really enjoyed how things worked out. I especially loved the epilogue, where it answered our 3 main questions!

I had a great time reading this book, and I can't wait to read the next Twisted Tales book! I've almost caught up, yeah!

This was such a good book. It gave me all the Alice in Wonderland feels. It felt very realistic and true to me. I'll admit it's been a while since I read the original. That being said I had an awesome time reading this book, it just pulled me in. I didn't want to put it down.

This was such a fun one! I loved how the author managed to keep the magical whimsy of Alice in Wonderland while keeping the story grounded. In all honesty, this almost felt like a sequel to Disney's movie adaptation of the story! Liz Braswell managed to keep the essence of the story and the characters while making them her own.

This is probably one of my favorite Twisted Tale books so far!

I love everything Disney, Disney villains, and especially Alice. If this sounds like you, then you might want to check this one (and likely the entire series) out!

This series is just fantastic! I love Alice in Wonderland and this reimagining is just as fun! Wonderful addition to the series!

The twisted tales series has been hit or miss for me. More often a miss. But this one was a hit. This one was better than the original story. Or it was to me, but then I didn't really care for the original story to say the least. And the Disney cartoon scared me as a child because of that stupid cat. But this one was an enjoyable and quick read.

I loved this retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Thank you to Disney Books for allowing me to read this and review. I am so sorry that I am late with my review I just have been busy with stuff.

I love these books, they let me slip back into child-heather so that I can reexperience all of my favorite fairy tales. This book was wonderful! I did end up buying this and read the hardcover and recommend it to my friends whenever I can!

I love anything Wonderland and anything Disney so for me this book is perfection. It is for a younger crowd but still very good. This is one I would buy for my own collection as well as the school library.

Alice went to Wonderland when she was young... and now she's turned 18 - can adults go back to wonderland? Can Alice go back? Alice has taken up photography and she starts to see wonderland images/characters in her developed pictures after she's taken pictures of people in her "world". It seems one is trying to get a message through to Alice. Is Alice the above world version of Mary Ann? And is Wonderland in danger? Are the photographs a sign that wonderland is in danger? Can Alice get back in time to save it? These are questions that permeate this novel. And I love it! I love that there's basically doubles of each person in this world in wonderland. This is a really clever concept.
Alice finds herself in Wonderland right before an execution of some of her old friends by the Queen of Hearts. It seems the queen of hearts has been on a tyrannical rampage of late and actually going through with beheadings. Can Alice save her friends and save the land?
This quote made me laugh and I thought it was a perfect way to sum up this novel: "It was like having tea with a toddler: no guilt or rules" (Braswell).
If you like fractured fairy tales or fairy tale retellings, this is one you'll enjoy!