Blood & Snow 10.2: Alice in DemonLand: An Alice in Wonderland Reimagining (Alice in DemonLand #2) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Blood &Snow 10.2: Alice in DemonLand: An Alice in Wonderland Reimagining (Alice in DemonLand #2)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: February 29th, 2016

My The Dark Moth Society: Alice (#1) Review

Synopsis: “There’s more to life than training. There’s love, Alice Blackburn. And you are in desperate need of it...”

In the last millennia a deadly game has raged between demons and their half-human creations, called Moths. A century ago select Moths were born with distinctive marks on the backs of their hands. It was soon discovered that those with the marks possessed the same powers as their demon parent. Over the years an elite group of warriors formed The Dark Moth Society.

Alice Blackburn is a Dark Moth trainee. Some of her classmates call her the Queen of Hearts, but only because she doesn’t share hers. There isn’t time. Not for fun and especially not for Kade Everett, the injured warrior she is required to help. In just a few days, her creator, the foul demon that killed her mom will come to kill her. That’s part of the game after all. And when he does, she will end him.

Episode 2: In this volume Alice must face the Trial of Three, a self-inflicted test designed to provide her with answers. But when she finds the answers, her loyalty to the Dark Moth society is tested as well as her belief in herself.

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Review: I feel like I've been waiting for this continuation of Alice's story forever! With the way The Dark Moth Society ended, I know that I would have to read the second installment ASAP. Alice in DemonLand picks up pretty much where the first book left off, and we get to learn more about Alice and what's going on with her life and her parentage. 


There's not really too much that furthers the plot in this book, but it does answer several questions I had. We get to learn who Alice's demon father is, and it's definitely a game changer! I kind of saw it coming, but it was still great to have my suspicions confirmed. I'm excited to see what this means for Alice and to find out what her true destiny is. 

I'm also very suspicious of Kade. He's obviously not a Moth, and he's not a demon, but I still have so many questions about who and what he is. Why did he show up out of nowhere? How does he know so much about Alice? Why is he sworn to secrecy? And most importantly, why is there such a strong connection between him and Alice? There's definitely a romance brewing there, but there wasn't really enough time for it to take off and become something more than just physical attraction. 

This chapter introduces the Trial of  Three, and we only get to see Alice start the first one. There's still so much more she has to do just to complete the first trial, and I kind of wish we had seen her at least do that. This is a very quick read, and felt more like an introduction to what's to come than any real plot advancement. I mean, I guess we learn more about Alice, but I just felt like there was something missing and that this book would have benefited from being just a little bit longer. That being said, I will be waiting very impatiently for the next chapter so that I can find out what happens next! I have so many questions! 3/5.




--Ashley

The Dark Moth Society: Alice (Blood & Snow #10.1) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: The Dark Moth Society: Alice (Blood & Snow #10.1)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Genre: NA Reimagining of Alice In Wonderland

My Reviews: Blood & Snow Vol. 1 | Vampire Lies | Vampire Secrets | A Beauty So Beastly | Asha's Kisses | Asha's Curse | Asha's Magic

Synopsis: This book will be released as part of the Daring Hearts Boxed Set COMING August 18th, 2015. 

From the Blood and Snow world comes a new series! Alice In Wonderland reimagined like never before. 

“There’s more to life than training. There’s love, Alice Blackburn. And you are in desperate need of it...” 

In the last millennia a deadly game has raged between demons and their half-human creations, called Moths. A century ago select Moths were born with distinctive marks on the backs of their hands. It was soon discovered that those with the marks possessed the same powers as their demon parent. Over the years an elite group of warriors formed The Dark Moth Society. 

Alice Blackburn is a Dark Moth trainee. Some of her classmates call her the Queen of Hearts, but only because she doesn’t share hers. There isn’t time. Not for fun and especially not for Kade Everett, the injured warrior she is required to help. In just a few days, her creator, the foul demon that killed her mom will come to kill her. That’s part of the game after all. And when he does, she will end him.

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Review: RaShelle Workman's Blood and Snow world is probably one of my favorite fairy tale reimaginings I've read. The whole world and all of the characters are so unique, and I love how all of the stories can either stand on their own or can be read all together. In previous volumes, we've met witches, dragons, vampires, and all kinds of of other creatures. Now, in this Alice in Wonderland reimagining, we get to meet Moths. 

The Moths are a really interesting creature. Sure, half demon/half human creatures have been done before. But I've never seen them like this! In The Dark Moth Society, the powerful Moths have been trained to fight their demon parents, who come for them on their 18th birthdays. It's a horrible game the demons play, and I can't imagine living my life knowing that a demon is coming to kill me. I also found it really interesting that only the demons of the seven deadly sins play this game - the Moths all have a certain vice depending on who their demon parent was.

Except for Alice. The moth on the back of her hand has never changed colors, so she doesn't even know which demon is coming for her. I have so many questions about Alice, her parentage, and her special abilities, and I can't wait for the next installment to find out more. I'm also really looking forward to seeing how the rest of the Blood & Snow world will play in to Alice's story! This was a really great introduction to this part of the extensive world that's already established.

If you're a fan of fairy tale reimaginings, especially Alice in Wonderland ones, you definitely need this book! Even if you haven't read any of the other books in the Blood and Snow series, this one stands exceptionally well on its own. If you've read any of the Blood and Snow  books, you'll also want to read this one and meet Alice and her fellow Moths! 4/5. 


--Ashley

Wonderland: Asylum by Raven Gregory & Patrick Shand - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors/Zenescope Entertainment on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Wonderland: Asylum
Author: Raven Gregory & Patrick Shand
Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Synopsis: Exiled in the realm of Wonderland, the legacy of the Mad Hatter claimed Johnny Liddle's soul creating one of the greatest villains the world has ever known. But the true horror of what Wonderland is has never been revealed...until now! 

They thought the realm of madness was trapped in Wonderland. They were wrong!

From the creators of the original Wonderland trilogy and Pat Shand (Robin Hood, Unleashed) comes the madness as you have never seen before!

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Review: I should really know better when I get comics on NetGalley to make sure that I've actually read the previous volumes. It really makes things make so much more sense. Luckily though, this one wasn't too bad even though I had no prior knowledge, so I was pleasantly surprised! 

Most Alice in Wonderland re-imaginings still deal directly with Alice. Or have characters whose names are very close to "Alice." This comic, on the other hand, introduces Alice's granddaughter, Violet. It was really interesting to see how Wonderland has changed from Alice's adventures there (even though we only get a brief glimpse of them in this volume). Mostly we get to learn about the background of the Mad Hatter and what the character has become over the years. It's actually really different and interesting! 

The cause of the Liddle's pain is The Void. Who, hilariously, decides to take the form of James Franco. I honestly could not take him seriously because all I saw was James Franco and every time he cursed Wonderland I just heard it in James Franco's voice and couldn't help but laugh. He's a really interesting character though, and I'm pretty sure this comic wouldn't have been half as good if he was absent. I like the explanation for how Wonderland came to be and how The Void is worked into the present-day asylum. I was not expecting that, but it was pretty neat. 

Speaking of the Asylum, I thought it was a really interesting and creepy twist on the classic Wonderland characters. It's hard to tell who the characters will become at first, but after they transform I didn't even need to be told who they were. It's pretty obvious, even though they all look completely different from the classic incarnations. My favorite was probably the Cheshire Cat - he's not in the asylum, but he's big and scary and mean and probably what the Cheshire Cat should have looked like all along. 

Even having missed the original Wonderland trilogy that preceded this volume, there's enough information to know most of what's going on. I definitely missed something about Lory Liddle and the Jabberwocky, but I think going back and reading the original trilogy would just lend a deeper understanding to this comic. I would recommend this to fans of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland who are looking for a darker, grittier, sexier retelling. Because, like the other fairy tales this group has done, the girls wear what's basically lingerie the entire time and that's about it. Definitely 18+. Overall not a bad comic, but I wish I understood more of the subtle references. 3/5.


--Ashley 

The Moth in the Mirror (Splintered #1.5) by A.G. Howard - Ashley's Review

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Title: The Moth in the Mirror (Splintered #1.5)
Author: A.G. Howard
Year Published: 2013

My Splintered Review
My Splintered Pre-Reading

Synopsis: An original ebook-only novella in the Splintered series, told from the points of view of both Jeb and Morpheus. Morpheus wants to know more about his rival for Alyssa's affections, so he digs into Jeb's memories of his time in Wonderland. But he may be surprised by what he finds. 

This brand-new story and perspective from A.G. Howard's dark, magical world stands alone, but also provides a tantalizing glimpse of what's to come in Unhinged, the sequel to Splintered.

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Review: Splintered was absolutely phenomenal, and The Moth in the Mirror was the perfect novella to tide me over until I can get my hands on Unhinged. It's just as dark, mesmerizing, and wonderful as Splintered was! 

It was really neat being able to see a little bit more into Jeb and Morpheus' minds. Most of this novella is told from Jeb's perspective. We're given several of his memories, and we get to see his thoughts and feelings while Alyssa is off doing something else. We learn why he does certain things (think the Jabberlock box), and just how much he actually loves Alyssa. She's the only girl for him, and he's willing to do so much to keep her safe.

Morpheus is viewing Jeb's memories, so we see his thoughts before and after the memories. He even starts to feel things that Jeb feels, and even though he doesn't want to keep most of the emotions (since they came from a weak human), I enjoyed seeing how he will use Jeb's forgotten memories to possibly get closer to Alyssa and try to win her heart. He's also ridiculously in love with Alyssa, although for different reasons. 

This story left me wanting so much more (in a good way!) and I can't wait to read Unhinged and Ensnared. I also am even more conflicted over which boy to pick! If you've read Splintered, you'll definitely want to read this novella. It's a great refresher of the important points and a fun glimpse into the boys' minds. I do wish it was longer though! A 4/5. 


--Ashley

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard - Ashley's Review

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Title: Splintered (Splintered #1)
Author: A.G. Howard
Year Published: 2013

My Pre-Reading

Synopsis: This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

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Review: HOLY WOW. This book, you guys, is probably the best Alice in Wonderland reimagining I have ever read. And I've read quite a few. It has everything that you would expect from the original novel, but with a totally different spin on it. The Mad Hatter, the Door Mouse, the Caterpillar, the Red & White queens, the card soldiers, the White Rabbit, the talking flowers.... even the walrus and the carpenter! But nothing is as it seems, and I think that's what made this book so exceptional and put it so far about every other Alice retelling.

Apart from all of the wonderful references and plays on the original characters and places, A.G.'s writing is absolutely gorgeous. I felt Alyssa's pain when she thinks about her mother and her other relatives going mad, and I could picture Wonderland as Alyssa discovers it for herself. Things are shown instead of told, and it makes such a huge difference in a world where the visual aspect is hugely important. The world building, in addition to and probably because of the beautiful writing, is absolutely stunning. Wonderland is fascinating and terrifying and everything I would imagine it to be. It kind of reminded me of Tim Burton's rendition, but was still entirely its own creature.

There is definitely romance in this book, and I found that I just could not pick a team when it came to the boys. Jeb is, quite literally, the boy next door. He's grown up with Alyssa and is basically perfect for her. He's chivalrous and caring and he loves her despite her flaws and only wants what's best for her. Morpheus, on the other hand, is definitely the bad boy every girl's parents warn her about. He's manipulative and sneaky and only helps other people when it coincides with what he wants or what will benefit him. But he's mysterious and he obviously cares a great deal for Alyssa and I really want to learn more about him. 

This book wraps up really nicely, with a lot of the plot wrapping up and ending in a pretty satisfactory way. If I had read this book when it first came out, I probably would have thought it was a standalone even though there are still quite a few questions I have. But luckily there are more books and I can't wait to get my hands on them to visit Wonderland again! And to see if I can finally choose Team Morpheus or Team Jeb (probably not), and to find out how the major reveal plays in to the rest of Alyssa's life. 

Splintered is a spectacular book that should be read by any and all fans of Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's the right combination of new and old, and takes on a life of its own even when things seem very familiar. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA fantasy, and to anyone who enjoys classic retellings. A 5/5, although I wish I could give it more! I can't believe I waited so long to read it and will not be making that same mistake with Unhinged and Ensnared!


--Ashley

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard - Ashley's Pre-Reading

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Title: Splintered (Splintered #1)
Author: A.G. Howard
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Why?: I love retellings, I love Alice in Wonderland, and I especially love Alice in Wonderland retellings. I've been wanting to read this book for a while now, and when I finally got the chance I totally jumped on it. I really like that Wonderland in this book is supposed to be pretty dark. And I also like that there are two gorgeous guys!

Expectations: I've heard such good things about this book that my expectations are probably unreasonably high. I've never even read anything by A.G. and I really want this book to be everything that I've heard it is. I expect things to be colorful, dangerous, exciting, mysterious, and all of that jazz.

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is absolutely gorgeous. I love the colors, I love the title, I just really love everything about it. I would 100% pick this book up if I saw it on a shelf in a bookstore or library, and I really want to own a physical copy so that it can be pretty on my shelves too.


--Ashley

Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness #1) by Kellie Sheridan - Paul's REVIEW

***I received this novella as an eARC from Patchwork Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

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Title: Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness #1)
Author: Kellie Sheridan
Year Published: 2013

Ashley's REVIEW

Synopsis: For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.

For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.

Review: I always love Alice in Wonderland retellings. There are so many ways the story has been told. Many times new characters take the place of the traditional ones. In this instance, the characters know they will represent the classic characters. I like that these characters are self aware of the original story. I think it leads for a better story. Often times, the characters in a retelling don't know anything about the source material. It is just the same story in a different time and/or place. This story leads to an even more meta feeling. 

I liked the shortness of this novella. It was only the beginning of the story, but I look forward to reading the next novellas. It was a nice introduction to the characters. I have some ideas of who they will represent, but I think they will end up as unexpected characters. There are a lot of different POVs in this novella. At first, I was unsure what was happening, but I got sucked into Wonderland pretty fast. I always liked the side characters more than Alice anyway so I liked that Alice had a small part in this novella. 

This was a great start to an interesting retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I look forward to the next novella in this series. I give this novella a 4/5.


-PAUL

Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness #1) by Kellie Sheridan - Ashley's Review

*I received this novella as an eARC from Patchwork Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Title:  Follow the White Rabbit
Author: Kellie Sheridan
Year Published: 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis: For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.

For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.

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Review: I've always loved Wonderland. and how it's so versatile that it can be taken to be so many different things by so many different authors. It's interesting how people pick and choose what parts they want to show, and how they take different things to be literal or figurative. The white rabbit is not always a rabbit, the mad hatter has a variety of different backstories, the card soldiers may not always be literal cards, and so on.  This story presents a unique version of  Alice's impact on Wonderland, and what Wonderland is really about.  Madness used to abound, but now it's become like any other world, and the only way to return it to its former glory is by controlling the new Alice.

I love the new characters that are introduced in this story, especially after I figured out who they were supposed to be in the traditional Alice story. All of our favorite classic characters are there, it just might take a while to figure out who they are. Gwen and Lucky were my favorites, and I can't wait to learn more about them in the next novella. It also amazes me how much world-building there really is. I mean, we all know the basics of Wonderland, but Sheridan takes them and warps them to make her own, new Wonderland.

The timeline is a little different than I was expecting, but I think it works well. We start near the end, and then are thrown into the past and work our way up to the present. But I don't think this story would have worked any other way, and it's pretty neat to see the characters become who they need to be to make the Alice prophecy come true. There are still a few characters that I'm unsure about, and I can't wait to find out who they are as the story progresses. Although I think this could have been a full novel, I'm actually kind of excited that it's going to be released as smaller novellas. I just feel like it's more effective as novellas. 

Overall, I think this was a nice little story set in a new and exciting Wonderland. The characters are well done, and the story is even better. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read that gives a new take on a classic. I can't wait to continue the series, and I hope the next novella comes out soon! This short story gets a 4/5 from me. 


--Ashley