Love Zoe Mikuta's writing and voice, as well as her approach to tropes and established structures. Is it confusing? Yes. It is hard to follow at times? Definitely. It's a wild ride of a book which you kind of have to surrender to and enjoy the journey.

This is one of the most unique voices in YA right now! Zoe Hana Mikuta has such a talented way of spinning a classic tale in a new, fresh, and brain chemistry altering way. I also loved the narrator! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new, exciting story to dig into.

I struggled enjoying this one. I love retellings, so I kept hoping I would get hooked. That moment never came. Several plot lines don't get developed and lead more to confusion. If you like filling in story gaps, this could be enjoyable.

Five years ago, lovers Caro Rabbit and Iccadora Alice Sickle were sentenced to the forest of Wonderland for a crime they didn’t commit, and they shattered their love and each other for a chance at freedom. Caro now serves the Red Queen and pretends not to know about the experiments she carries out, but Icca just wants revenge, on Caro, and on the queen. The queen, however, is guarding a secret about volatile magic, more dangerous to the ex-lovers than they are to one another.

I love an Alice retelling, and this Korean-inspired re imagining about two wicked girls was pretty fun. It moved quickly. It’s queer (bonus points always), and there’s lots of intrigue. Plus, the audiobook was very well produced with solid narration.

Welcome to the struggle bus. Honestly, I had a hard time with this story. Labeled as a queer Alice in Wonderland retelling, I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on most of the time. Also, I did not like any of the characters (nor their names--Icca and Tecca really?).

I came to this book as a lover of Gearbreakers, Mikuta's first endeavor. This book, however, doesn't hold a candle to that book. Her debut was really a stellar hit. I don't particularly like scratching my head throughout a book, and like I said, I didn't know what was happening,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Suzie Yeung was a great narrator, but this book just wasn't for me.

I wanted to like this book but it was a little too much Wonderland chaos for me .There were parts of the story that were compelling and the idea behind it is interesting but there were too many holes in the story. The magic didn't ever really make sense to me and there were many moments where the different aspects of the magic and saints in the world didn't make sense together. It truly felt like a Wonderland experience and some readers will love that unease and confusion. I think the target audience being teens, many teens will become frustrated with the confusing nature of the book and others will love it. This book wasn't for me but it I know it will connect with some readers.

This is a wild ride, that's for sure. I don't really know what happened. But I don't especially care; I had fun getting wherever it was we ended up.

A violent Sapphic retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Really it is a whole new story. It is dark and at times gross but in the most delicious ways. I really enjoyed the back and forth.

1.5 Stars
Please don't ask me what happened in this book because I honestly could not tell you. The characters were creatively done (I was so amused by "Cat Pillar" lol) but the world building was so confusing and I found it so hard to keep track of what was going on and I feel like I've gone mad alongside these characters after finishing this lol.

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the ARC!

I think this could be my first Alice and Wonderland retelling? It's been a while since I've read the material, but as I was reading Off With Their Heads it began to come back. At the core of this story is friendship and love, how it can sour and the ways it can change in an instant. There are subtle references at the beginning to allow us to orient ourselves. But then Off With Their Heads takes off. The time jump between when they were in love, to the present, allows us to see the milk soured, the line between love and hate.

And while I appreciated the reimagining and the character dynamics, in the middle Off With Their Heads lulled a bit. There's this sort of build up to revealing what happened between them and what Caro doesn't seem to know about the Queen, but for a while until it drops, there's a feeling of being in a holding pattern. Listening to Off With Their Heads in audiobook form helped hold the middle together with Suzie Yeung's narration. There are also portions of the book which almost breaks the fourth wall and talks to us.

If the intention of this was to make me feel like I was also losing my mind in Wonderland, then congrats, you succeeded. I'm certainly mad now. Mad I didn't DNF this at any point because I did not know what was going on AT any point. Nothing made sense, and if that was also the intent ... well, no thanks ever again.

3/5

I enjoyed that this book had the same whimsical feeling as the original Alice in Wonderland story, however, this book was pretty confusing. I had a hard time understanding the different timelines and connecting to the characters. Overall, I loved the fact that this was a queer retelling of the classic, but I wish the storyline was less confusing.

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Word of caution: this story sometimes does not make any sense and is super confusing (as one would assume with anything Alice in Wonderland adjacent) and this is WAY more bloody and violent than I had anticipated.

I almost DNF'd this novel close to the start because there's a scene with the saint Cater Pillar that was super violent and disturbing. If you are squeamish, this may not be the best novel to read.

The whole "we are all mad here" is taken to a whole other level in this novel. I think a part of me kept hoping for a redemption arch for Caro Rabbit and Iccador Alice Sickle... that they would somehow flip their cruel and vicious natures...

I can't say I 100% understand this novel. I did love how clever some of the names were and how witty some of the remakes of the characters were. I think the remake of Cheshire Cat was the best part.

The breaking of the 4th wall with direct addresses to the reader by the "narrator" made this novel even more jarring and confusing. I also kinda loved it. I liked the inclusion of Korean into the story as well.

Beware... Caro and Icca are violent and engage in violent acts. The crow witch and the darkness are always drawn together, but also seem to be drawn to tear each other apart.

Also - the time skips add to the madness. You really need to pay attention to the dates... and how many saints are left.