Re-inventing a classic is a hard thing to do, especially a story so beloved as Alice In Wonderland, however Christina Henry has penned a perfectly crafted Re-Imagining so original and raw it is on the cusp of surpassing the original tale.
Alice is a dark, gritty and, at times, uncomfortable tale of Alice, a young girl who is being held in a mental hospital after being taken and almost killed by a man who also looks like a rabbit. The rabbit that haunts her dreams every single night. In the cell next to her is Hatch, a man who knows little of his own past. A master of the Axe and a man with a kind heart. After the mythical Jabberwocky escapes from under the hospital (freeing Alice and Hatch) the two friends are thrown into the middle of a twisted journey through the dark streets of the city to find a kill the Jabberwocky, while facing the most evil men to every walk the earth along the way.
This is not your childhood Alice, and this isn't a wonderland you want to be lost in. Alice is very dark, you think the children's book was messed up! The things Alice witnesses are beyond evil and this is demonstrated with some well crafted foes for Alice and Hatch. The Walrus is horrid, Cheshire is twisted in a devious way and The Caterpillar is pure evil. This is one of the best fantasy novels I have read in years, a true dark classic to be. I have nothing bad to say about this book, it has the right thrills, the right scares and perfect storytelling. I can't wait to read Red Queen.