4 Stars!

I freely admit that I am not a bit Alice in Wonderland fan, so I generally pass on stories that draw upon the movie or the original books. When I saw The Hatter's Daughter by W.A Simpson, I almost gave it a pass as well. Since it was a Flame Tree Press release, I decided that I would give it a read. I am happy that I did.

Faith never knew her true family. On the night she was born, her mother died, and she was taken in and raised by The Mad Hatter after her found her in the Underneath where her mother had sent her for sanctuary. Along with the Cheshire Cat, The Mad Hatter ruled the Riven Islands and kept it a wonderland in its own rights. It was an idyllic place until the Rot began to set in. The Rot threatened to destroy her home and it seemed as if nothing could stop it. Faith was determined to make sure her adopted land was safe.

In order to save her world, Faith must travel from the Underneath to the Overland and search for the Legendary Heroine, Alice. Accompanied by Prince Rowan, a lifelong friend, Faith sets out on the dangerous journey to find the one person she believes can defeat the Rot. The Rot knows of Faith's journey, however, and is not going to wait for her to return before destroying her and all that she loves.

Even for someone who has never been drawn to the Alice mythos, The Hatter's Daughter drew me into the story quickly. The characters are familiar, but Simpson gives them an original spin that makes them come to life in a new light. I was immediately intrigued by the characters both old and new (or at least new to me but maybe not to those who have read more from Wonderland) and the procession of characters did not slow the story down as I feel it does in some of these stories. Simpson kept things feeling fresh throughout and the story stood out as an original fantasy novel and not just a rehash of something that was done before. Instead of retelling a tale or simply expanding on past work, Simpson uses the characters as a base to draw upon but then creates an entire world of her own.

The Hatter's Daughter is a work of fantasy and is sure to satisfy fans of that genre, but it is also a very strong coming-of-age story that could have appeal outside of the genre. Faith is in a difficult spot as the daughter of a ruler and had spent her childhood growing up to be what she was "supposed" to be. Now with her land in peril, Faith sets out to find a hero only to discover, as we all do, that our heroes are not often what we think they are. Faith grows a lot throughout the course of the novel and that is what made the story so good for me. I am sure that fans of the Alice mythos may enjoy this novel even more than I did, but you really do not need to have more than a passing familiarity with that work in order to enjoy this novel. It really is just a very strong fantasy novel that stands on its own.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. The Hatter's Daughter is available now.

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed learning more about the lore of Wonderland. It was interesting to see familiar characters mixed with new characters. The action starts right away, with a new, dark threat to the kingdom. Faith, the Hatter's daughter, and Rowan, the Queen of Hearts son, work together to defeat this new enemy. This book felt like it was written towards a YA audience. There is some romantic tension between the two of them. I didn't like the constant misunderstandings between them, but eventually they overcome their immaturity and learn to work together.