For once, I have no words. There are a lot of feelings and lot of things to write, I just need to figure out how. This book came as a surprise, a very bloody surprise, but I loved every second of it!
Just, wow! I’m sure that Mr. C. S. Lewis would roll in his grave if he read this novel and I don’t think he could have ever imagined such a Dark Wonderland. It’s fast-paced, brilliantly thought and written and it will make it impossible not to read it in one sitting.
Let’s see if I can describe the plot without revealing too much. If you’ve read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you’ll find that the only thing this story has in come are the characters. The story starts in a dark, miserable place, a hospital for the crazy and the rejected of society located in the Old City, the poorest and the most dangerous of places. Inside one of the many rooms, sits Alice, a shadow of who she once was, with no clear memory of her past and only fragments of horrible events that lead her to that place. Alice has no hope of ever escaping until, one night, a fire breaks out, allowing her to escape her prison. Along with the only friend she’s ever known, they are destined to fight a dark shadow and face their past. In a place that no one and nothing is what it seems, Alice most thread carefully, for an old friend that once lost her, wants her back, no matter the cost.
Absolutely fantastic. I most say congratulations to Ms Christina Henry for the brilliant show of imagination and the beautiful writing. I could feel the emotions of the Old City, the hospital and of the characters in each word, it’s like it really exists. In some way, it does. For me, the Old City is place where all the wrongs of society come together, along with all the people that are forgotten in a society ruled by the people with money and power. Ms Henry doesn’t put any sugar on it, this reality is cruel, colourless, cold with very few people to trust in.
The characters are incredible and their nature is so deep that even if the story is narrated on Alice’s perspective, you get to know the other character very well. Alice has an amazing character and I really liked how she was developed. I could see the loss of the innocence and the cold crude logic and intelligence that she possesses even if she was locked up for years in the hospital. Even so, Alice managed to still have her sweet and compassionate nature for those that suffer. The male protagonist, Hatcher, is a troubled soul and a complex character. The only consistency in behaviour and character I could see was his love and affection for Alice, because his behaviour in general and his actions are very hard to predict.
If you to meet a Dark Wonderland, I highly recommend you read this novel. A brilliant peace that I’m very proud to have in my book collection!
Book Traveller 