Review: After Alice

Title: After Alice
Author: Gregory Maguire
Format: E-book
Pages: 256
Date(s) Read: Jan 7-8, 2016
Rating: 3

Summary: 

Published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's beloved classic Alice in Wonderland we follow Ada, a friend of Alice's briefly mentioned in the original tale, in her own plummet down the rabbit hole.  Ada wishes to see Alice restored back to life in Oxford.  Can she do it? 

Review: 

Alright.  So, I am a HUGE fan of Gregory Maguire's Wicked series.  Hands down some of my favorite books to read and indulge in...because I might have a teensy, tiny obsession with Oz. Tiny.. Yup.  That's an acceptable word.  Said as she hides multiple copies of Wicked, her entire collection of the original classic...

Right. 

Moving on! This is After Alice, not Wicked.  

I honestly went in to this book with quite a few high expectations.  Gregory Maguire did quite well with Wicked, however, this book kinda left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth and I cannot even to this day even consider re-reading it right now...perhaps a year or so in the future, but even six months in the future is not enough.  Which is sad, because I am such a fan of Alice in Wonderland and have more than once quoted various bits of it in short stories and things that I've written.  

There was something I did enjoy about it, and that was the effect of Victorian society on a handful of memorable characters.  I am partial to Maguire's writing style, however, I am not entirely sure that it makes me want to recommend this particular book to others.  Though, I will say this, his style works well with the Victorian England setting.  

The shifting point of views in the chapters made things a bit interesting.  One point of view is young Ada, a ten-year-old girl, who is Alice's best friend.  Who, of course, escapes the house before her governess realizes it and stumbles into the famed rabbit hole that sent Alice into Wonderland.  There, Ada comes into contact with familiar characters: the Queen of Hearts, the Walrus, Humpty Dumpty and even the Cheshire cat.  She is looking for Alice, who has of course disappeared - again.  

The second pov in this story is that of Lydia, Alice's sister.  Lydia had one task - look after her sister.  Which, as we all know, she failed.  Lydia is, in her adventure, joined by a unique cast of characters: Mr. Darwin (the one and only), Mr. Winter - who is a man from America, Siam - a former slave who had been freed by Mr. Winter and manages to fall through the looking-glass in Alice's house, and Miss Armstrong - who is looking for Ada.  These chapters end up being more character study than anything else, but I honestly think that they were some of my more enjoyable interactions of the story. 

I have been slightly put off on Alice in Wonderland retellings at least for the time being.  Perhaps I will reread the original Lewis Carroll story sometime this year and then hunt for another retelling to see if the magic can be recreated.  This is not a whimsical retelling, more so it is a peering into the darker parts of what it means to be human.  At the ending, I wasn't entirely sure how to feel or what to feel...it was a mixed bag of emotions and reactions and I think that is why it took so long for the review to be done. 

BotW: Dorothy Must Die

Okay, so am doing this week's post via my phone, so all the flashy bits will be added when I get back to my computer. I know, the month of May started with a bang and kind of died. I did read quite a bit during the month and I will be working on posts for you lovelies.

Anyway, back to the reason you are here today....this week's Book Of The Week!!!

Rarely do I use the book that I am currently reading, but this book has earned that honor.

As you can tell from the title of this post, this week's book is....

Dorothy Must Die

Have you read it? Thoughts? I am in love with it so far and am completely suckered in for the full series ride on this one.

Review: Strings

Title: Strings
Author: David Estes
Format: Ebook
Pages: 354
Date(s) Read: Feb 9-10, 2016
Rating: 5

Summary: 
Pia, a sixteen-year-old girl, has always lived in a mysterious facility where her existence is controlled by mechanical strings.  Apprenticed to her father, Gio, she soon suspects diabolical human forces behind what she knows as her reality.  Will she be able to reveal the secrets of the Company, or will the risks she takes be too great?

Review: 

I was gifted an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

There is a reason David Estes is by far one of my favorite YA authors.  He has once again crafted a magical world that I want to be a part of.  Sci-fi twists on fairy tales have become some of my favorite things to read...it's the reason I enjoy reading Cinder and books of that particular genre.  Retellings with a spin crafted by the author are absolutely wonderful.  

The gender swap of the traditional Pinnochio, by making Pia female was something that was refreshing.  I love her Papa, Gio!  Fig is absolutely wonderful as well!  I just love it all.  

Pia seeks to break free of her strings, however, in doing such she is forced to take so very many risks.  She must navigate the dangers posed by Mr. Davis who obviously does not want her to gain her freedom and expose the truth of the Company.  

I absolutely love that the book comes with it's own 'moral of the story,' like traditional fairytales usually do. The development of the characters throughout the story, the pacing in general are quite good and nothing less than I would expect from an Estes story!  The plot twists and turns definitely are enough to keep me enthralled.  

I will eventually have to lay claim to this one in audio as well, because I'm looking forward to hearing Kate Rudd read this fantastic story! 

Thank you to David Estes for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book before it was released!  

Strings by David Estes RELEASES TODAY!!!!

"A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down." 
Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND

Strings
Written by David Estes
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Sometimes the strings that tie us down are the same strings that set us free.

Sixteen-year-old Pia has always lived in a mysterious facility where mechanical strings control her existence. She plays apprentice to her father, Gio, in performing nanotech designs for the Company, and she soon suspects there are diabolical human forces behind the manufactured reality of her world.

Though her childhood memories and the origins of the strings remain strangely elusive, she begins to find solace with the introduction of two unlikely friends: daring, irrational Sofia, and calm, tender Marco.

As the truths of the past and present unravel together, Pia must find a way to free herself from her strings and escape the facility before facing the wrath of the unstable head of security, Mr. Davis. But to gain her freedom, she must navigate the dangers posed by Davis and by her suspicious new friends to find the real identity of the puppeteer.

If Pia can succeed in revealing the secrets of the Company, she may very well find the independence she so desperately seeks. But in her controlled world nothing is as it seems, and the closer she gets to the truth, the graver the consequences.

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About the author

David Estes is the author of more than 20 science fiction and fantasy novels that have received hundreds of thousands of downloads worldwide, including The Moon Dwellers, Fire Country, Slip, Brew, and his new SciFi Pinocchio retelling, Strings. He lives in Hawaii with his inspiring Aussie wife, Adele, rambunctious son, Beau, and naughty cat, Bailey. When he's not writing, you'll likely find him at the beach swimming, snorkeling, or reading under an umbrella.

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