The Alice Curse is a clever reimagining of the classic Alice in Wonderland tale. It’s whimsical, yet dark and rife with compelling worldbuilding, romance, and political intrigue.

This book is told from two points of view. First, we get Eliza Carroll, a woman whose grandmother has just passed away, and she’s inherited her house. There, she meets Finn, our other protagonist, a white rabbit shifter who abducts Eliza and whisks her away to Wonderland. Her grandmother has passed on to her the title of “Alice”, and it’s her duty to choose who will reign over Wonderland–the red court or the white court. Both courts are vastly different, and both are extremely dangerous…


This is such an intriguing reimagining. At first, the book did feel like there was a tad too much worldbuilding, and the author seemed to be relying on the readers being such Alice in Wonderland fans that they would lap up all the nods to the original, including her original interpretations of the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, etc. While I enjoyed the original, I wanted a book that would stand on its own. If you don’t care for the original (Why are you reading this book?) you might have some difficulty getting through the first third of the story. After the initial slowness, the pacing picks up, and the plot gets more intriguing and has merit as its own work of fiction.

Eliza is a compelling protagonist. In her world, she’s a scholar, and I loved her perspective of exploring this new world. Finn is a sweet and mischievous love interest. The book gets surprisingly spicy later on–given the writing style and the subject matter I had definitely not expected that! So, this novel will appeal to those who refuse to read a romance that doesn’t have at least one hot chili pepper in its spice rating.

There are quite a few plot twists that take the book in interesting directions, and I absolutely loved how cleverly thought out the ending to the book was!

*While The Alice Curse is technically the third in a series, it truly stands on its own, and aside from a casual mention of Neverland, there were no obvious signs that I might have missed out by starting this series with the third book.

This is an engaging, easy-to-read romantic retelling that has fabulous worldbuilding, lovable characters, and some spicy bits thrown into the mix.

Bookreview of ”The Alice curse” by Megan Van Dyke. The third book in ”the reimagined fairytales series”. All can be read as stand alones. I was provided an ARC via Netgalley of this book 🫶🏼

If you love fairytales, but want them more spicy, action-packed, full of political intrigue but still all the amazing references to your childhood favourites? Then read this book.

I love Alice in wonderland so much, watched the original disney cartoon and the live-action ones so many times I’ve lost count. It’s so fantastical, weird and magical. The author truly does the original story justice, and has twisted it in such fun an unexpected ways.

Finn is my new favourite book boyfriend, who doesn’t want a sarcastic man with ”touch her and die” vibes, that can transform to a cuddly bunny? Sign me up.

The worldbuilding was amazing, which is truly necessary to be able to bring forth a book to pay tribute to wonderland. A feat I imagine is not easy, but was done wonderfully and whimsically.

Loved the ending, such a true fairytale ending. This was my first book by Megan Van Dyke, need to read the first two right away ”Second star to the left” and ”The ugly stepsister”!

I just adore Megan Van Dyke's Re-imagined Fairy Tales and The Alice Curse lived up to my expectations! The way she draws inspiration from the characters we know and love and makes them into something both new and different as well as familiar makes reading this book a treat! From characters inspired by the white rabbit, to the Cheshire cat, a mean queen, and an "Alice" that is a smart, strong, and lovable character, this story takes inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, without it being a too close to the original story. (But there is a tea party of course!!) I can't wait to see how she shakes up another fairy tale in the future!!

"The Alice Curse" by Megan Van Dyke is a delightful read that throws its readers into a world of magic and adventure. The book is a fun and exciting retelling of Alice in Wonderland. The story follows Eliza Carroll, who, after unexpectedly being made the sole heir to her grandmother's estate, is pulled into Wonderland by Finn, or, the White Rabbit, who informs her that she is to be the next Alice, and that it is her duty as the next Alice to choose the next Ruler. Together, they navigate the red and white kingdoms, both of whom seek power, and bot of whom both rule by fear. The pair realize their feelings for each other along the way, and work together to break the Alice curse. The book was a fun read, and the author did an amazing job building the world and developing the main characters. While this retelling is very different from its predecessor, it maintains its heart and sense of adventure. A great read for anyone who enjoys romance and fantasy!

This was a cute and very imaginative retelling of Alice in Wonderland. We meet Eliza, who has some very controlling parents, running from her Grandmama’s celebration of life. Enter Finn, who has come to take the quiet, yet strong willed, girl to Wonderland. We meet the characters we all know and love, with just a little twist in them. Once Eliza has arrived at the Red Court, we learn what she has to do in order to return to her home. Will Eliza see it through? Will she make it home with her heart intact? Sit back and enjoy this adult version of Alice in Wonderland.

Megan Van Dyke's The Alice Curse is a retelling of Lewis Carroll's classic story, Alice in Wonderland. It weaves together a world of danger and adventure, court intrigue and magic—a world of wonder—with the emotional depth and delicacy that made the original so compelling.

Eliza Carroll is thrust into this new world as her grandmother passes away, leaving her to take up the mantle of Wonderland's new Alice. But there are threats to her safety from all sides: Red Court and White Court each want to claim her as their own; even Chesa, the mysterious woman tasked with protecting Eliza on her journey to become the new Alice, has secrets she won't share.

When Eliza meets Finn, the White Rabbit tasked with bringing her safely to Wonderland, where she must decide which court shall reign, she is initially hesitant to trust him, but as she comes to understand him better it seems like everything might finally be alright... until she discovers The Alice Curse: a curse that promises bloodshed and binds future Carroll women to Wonderland. Determined to help her new friends and break the curse, she enlists the help of her enigmatic guardian Chesa and her beloved White Rabbit, Finn.

I loved this book! It's a romantic and unique spin on a classic tale that held my interest from start to finish. Megan Van Dyke has done a fantastic job with this retelling. I adored the notable characters and vibrant world she created. A world you can easily get lost in.

I have to admit I’m disappointed with this book. I couldn’t finish it. I made it to page 110. I’ve not read the author’s previous books. I’m not a “romance” book enthusiast but maybe I’m just out of touch for todays romance books. When Finn talked about his “cock” I couldn’t get past him as the White Rabbit first and human second thinking about Eliza like that. The first third of the book is Finn and Eliza still trying to get to the Red Court and I found the pacing too slow. This is 330 pages and it probably could’ve been cut down. Maybe it’s because I think of Alice in Wonderland as a child’s story and couldn’t get past that to enjoying an adult version but I don’t think I can recommend this to everyone.

I loved this take on Alice in wonderland, I loved the white rabbit and wished for the death of the red queen. I definitely enjoyed the shifter aspect of it, it gave it a very nice twist.

**Thank you to the Author & Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.**

I was so grateful to get my hands on another one of Megan Van Dyke's books, as every single one of them that I have read, I've enjoyed. This one did not disappoint either.

The Alice Curse is the third book in the Reimagined Fairy Tales Collection by Van Dyke, and this one follows Alice in Wonderland.
I can't say that this fairytale was ever my favorite, even though it has some memorable quotes and characters, I was eager to see what she would do with this world, and how she would twist and change things.

This story follows Eliza Carroll, who tries to escape her parent's political ambitions (including her), only to fall into Wonderland and meet with a man named Finn, nicknamed - The White Rabbit (he can shapeshift into one). From there he was sent to find the new Alice and bring her to court, for only she can declare whether Red or White reigns. Not to mention he’ll lose his head if he fails.

For Eliza to get home and Finn not to lose his life, they must work together to figure out the curse that befalls the Carroll women and survive Wonderland while fighting the undeniable chemistry and attraction they have towards one another.

I enjoyed this story immensely, all the twist and turns and how the magic is portrayed in this world was delightful. The side characters also helped move the story along, it didn't hurt that they were quirky and lovable within themselves too.

I love how Van Dyke takes the original stories and puts her own spin on them, making them more accessible to adults who like a bit of spice and romance with their whimsical, magical fantasy stories.

I'm beyond excited for the next installment in this series.

Thank you to @CityOwlPress for the ARC. I love anything Alice in Wonderland and this retelling was no exception. Eliza who becomes the new Alice is fiesty and knows what she wants. Finn is kind and strong and sparks fly for the two of them. Must read for Alice fans.

I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. It feels new and familiar all at once and is full of romance and twists and turns and I never really knew what was going to happen next.
This book is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland and it delivers. It is one we all know, a young girl falls down a rabbit hole and ends up in a magical mysterious world very different from our own. However when Eliza arrives in Wonderland she is faced with a dark world twisted by a curse and is presented with a choice that will decide the fate of everyone who lives there.
I love fairy tale retelling and I really like when they are reworked to add more depth to the story. This book does exactly that, the characters, while all very recognizable from the original tale all have new and intricate backstories. The White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Red Queen, White Queen all have backstories that connect and add depth to the characters that really makes you feel for them and become invested in the outcome of the story.
Overall a really fun read with lots of romance and exciting twists and turns and I'm definitely going to go and read her other books in this series.

An interesting twist on the classic, Alice in Wonderland. To be honest, I've never read Alice in its entirety, I only know details absorbed through cultural osmosis. But reading The Alice Curse dredged up those small details and made me truly believe as though I was reading the beloved classic. It had all the elements...strange magic, otherworldly creatures and people, mad characters, intrigue, danger and ofcourse no fairytale would be complete without a curse to overcome.

Eliza is a typical human girl, struggling to overcome society's expectations of what a woman should be, when she is abruptly thrown in (more like pulled in by Finn) to Wonderland. The chemistry between the two takes off right at the bat, but sadly the world they are now in doesn't not want them to be together.

My thoughts...I liked seeing how they worked together to break the curse. The only thing that bothered me is some repetitiveness in the way Eliza regrets not spending time with her grandmother (the previous Alice), but that could be attributed to the typical guilt and regrets that hits a person once the person they loved is gone. Overall still a twist on a classic, but probably close enough to the original to lure fans of the beloved original Alice.

Special thanks to City Owl Press and Netgalley for proving an advance review copy for me to read & provide an honest review.

<Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.>

I never thought I would find myself reading a spicy Alice in Wonderland book, but here I am.

So there's a curse, right? Well, Wonderland always has to have an Alice otherwise the two courts devolve into endless wars until she picks which one will reign. It sounded interesting, and that is what pulled me into the story at first. Especially since in Wonderland stories, it's typically the white court that are the "good guys" and the red court is "bad" but.....they are a bit different in this book.

The White Court consists of rigid people that value monogamy and follow their rules. People will be exiled for not honoring their marriage, and the people in the Red Court to find them to be vile. And the Red Court? Well.....they have orgies in the ballroom in the middle of the ball and the Red Queen literally decapitates people that refuse to sleep with her. Uh, yikes. Sounds a little rapey to me.

So....yeah, the courts system is a little weird. I did not think it would be such a sexual book going into it, and if I knew that I probably would not have read this book.

But what really got me was that this book seemed like a typical new adult story in the beginning, but when Finn grabs Eliza there are some weird sexual tension scenes before stuff really heats up. And they were small things too, where I was like 'is this actually happening or am I reading too much into it.' But nope, it turns spicy and there are multiple on page sex scenes. The first one was more drawn out, with quite the attention played to foreplay before Finn turned into a two pump chump. The second one had little to no foreplay with a quick session again.

And something that really bothered me was how this book almost crossed the line into beastiality. At one point, Finn was at risk of being seen, so he shifted into rabbit form and Alice put her dress over him to hide. Innocent, for sure. But it really gets going when she mentioned feeling him move under her dress, and NUZZLE HER UNDERTHINGS. AS A RABBIT. So, yeah, that was kind of the start of the end of 'wtf am I reading.'

The story itself? I guess I can talk about that too. It was fine. I didn't hate it, but I kind of found myself indifferent about it. There's mention of "breaking" the Alice Curse, but that really fell to the wayside until the end of the story. I liked the intro when Eliza was first traveling through Wonderland, and the last couple of chapters have a good amount of action too. Otherwise the story consists of her being around an overtly sexualized Court, having sexual thoughts about a man that shifts into a rabbit, or going to the "bad" Court and spending very little time with them.

Overall, this was a wild story and definitely felt like a rollercoaster at times. I am not someone who knowingly picks up spicy reads, and if I knew this book had that I probably would not have read it. But, I am a slave to storytelling and have to know how stuff ends, so I read through it all. I wanted Eliza to spend more time looking for a way to end the curse, and I wish she was able to spend more time with the White Court. It was definitely an imaginative retelling of the story, it just wasn't the right retelling for me.
Content warnings: body shaming, loss of a loved one, violence, war themes, sexual content (on page), domestic abuse

I'm not a huge Alice in Wonderland, but I have loved this author and series so I gave it a go anyways. And I am so glad I did. This is a great addition to the Reimagined Fairy Tales series and as always the author takes the tale in new and compelling directions. The creativity is the perfectly balance to faithfulness to the story with the new world flawlessly blended in with the original Carrol story (and enough nods to the original to satisfy almost all levels of fans of the the original). The characters too all have those familiar notes, but feel new and compelling. As I'm sure will be the case, Chesa (the Cheshire Cat) shines in this Alice retelling, but all the characters, plotlines, and setting feel fun and fully developed.

Although technically part of a series this book can stand alone easily - new readers won't be lost in this world (well, no more than Alice is). I can't wait to see what tale will be next in this series, but I know I will devour it just as quickly as the previous.

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 2/5

When I saw this book available as an ARC, I knew I had to read it. Fairytale retellings are some of my FAVORITES, especially when they’re Wonderland inspired. Megan Van Dyke did a BRILLIANT job in retelling this story with its own little twist. Eliza may have been the next Alice and Fin the white rabbit who is at the Red Queen’s mercy, but as you find out, there is a lot more that meets the eye to them, the White and Red Courts, and the story of Alice of Wonderland.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If you’re a Wonderland lover like me, I definitely suggest you read it! Thank you so much Megan Van Dyke and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this ARC!

Join Eliza Carroll...well, Alice...as she follows Finn into his rabbit hole to choose who shall rule Wonderland now. The Red Court or The White Court.

A warring country, a pampered prisoner, an unsuspecting love found in the throes of chaos.

Finn is swoon-worthy and Eliza is the FMC every girl needs. The spice level is just enough to keep the character devlopement going while Van Dyke builds the world of Wonderland around us.

This series as a whole was amazing to read and I look forward to devouring everything Megan Van Dyke has to offer.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books and getting the chance to read Megan's version of this retelling was amazing. I loved how she stuck to the story we all know but changed parts of it and made it something new. The world building was done so well. I loved the attention to details, to see wonderland in a new way with all its beauty and darkness. It felt like a whole new story but at the same time something familiar to it as well and I loved getting to play what court is the bad guys.

I thought the characters were well developed. Eliza, being strong, determined, makes decisions by thinking of all the ways that it could go wrong and right. She is also very caring and puts her faith in people who have earned her trust rather than just going in blindly. Finn is one handsome, charming male, well half male/half white rabbit. He also has a darker side to him but only when the ones that he cares for are in danger. His character growth through the book was done beautifully and I enjoyed watching him handle his feelings for Eliza and what it means for her to become the new Alice. The chemistry between those two is something else, I really liked the banter. I enjoyed that the characters had time to become friends that of course bloom into something more and with that you do get some spicy scenes.

The plot with the red court being fun and a little saucy, of course you will still see the royal pain in the butt red queen with all her “Off with their heads” and with the white court being all stuck up and no fun at all. I really enjoyed the curse of the Alice’s and seeing how that curse became and what the new “Alice” must do for it to be broken.

I would like to say more but really if you have not read any of Megan Van Dyke books, yet you really should. Who doesn’t love a great retelling with politics, action, magic, curses, and romance.

Oh yeah, I think my favorite character would be Finn or Chesa (Chesire cat), I would say why but I don’t want to give anything away.

I want to thank NetGalley and City Owl Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Eliza is attending the funeral of her grandmother, when a shape shifter rabbit named Finn beckons her into a rabbit hole that leads to Wonderland. When she wakes, she learns that there always must be an 'Alice' for the land, and that as the next Alice, she will need to decide which faction rules Wonderland: the white kingdom with thier love for order and rules, or the red kingdom who engage in folly and pleasure. Finn has orders from the red kingdom to bring her to the queen and king, so that she will choose them, but they are constantly pursued by the knights of the white who want to steal her away to their kingdom.

This was such an amazing re-telling of the Alice in Wonderland story, with so much political intrigue between the two kingdoms, with a romance between Finn and Eliza, and with twists and turns galore as we learn how the kingdom was cursed to need an Alice in the first place. I couldn't put this book down, as it was intensely engaging with a beautiful and chemistry filled love story. Megan Van Dyke is quickly becoming the queen of fairy tale re-imaginings for me, and I look forward to reading the rest of her fairy tale collection!

Thank you to Owl City Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Alice in Wonderland was one of my favorite stories growning up and Megan really brought it to life in this reimagined tale. This is a story about Eliza whose family was cursed and tied to Wonderland forced to make a decision between ruling courts or be responsible for chaos and suffering.

Eliza returns to Wonderland with Finn, aka the White Rabbit, who has secrets of his own. Together they have to face some pretty tough challenges.

What I loved about this book were the spin on the original characters as people but also magical beings. This story is a refreshing twist on this classic tale with a little bit of spice mixed in.

I loved the relationship between Eliza and Finn, there were so many heart melting moments.

I do wish the end was a little bit different, maybe standing up to her parents a bit more and not meeting them at their level with societal titles. Otherwise I really enjoyed this story!

There are some darker theme within this book, as always check out the warnings and author before reading!

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I was provided an ARC of this book by @netgalley for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Megan Van Dyke, and City Owl Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Alice Curse.

I love retellings of classic fairytales and Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite stories. In this version, we find out that Wonderland must always have an Alice and Alice must make a decision between the Red Court and the White Court. A man named Finn can turn himself into the white rabbit. He brings Eliza to Wonderland to become that new Alice after her grandmother dies, who was the previous Alice. Finn and Eliza start to have feelings for each other pretty early on.

It was a fun and exciting story. The only thing I didn't feel was needed was the explicit details of love making that happened a couple of times throughout the book. It took me out of the Wonderland fantasy a bit. But I understand some people do enjoy those moments in books.