I really enjoyed EVER ALICE. It kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime. H.J. Ramsay's use of alternating POVs in successive chapters added a lot to the characterization of the two main characters (Alice and the Queen of Hearts), and was an effective vehicle for maintaining and heightening suspense. I thought that the author's integration of the imaginative, nonsensical world of Wonderland and Alice's poignant real-life dilemma was a clever spin on the Lewis Carrol classic.

"more than you can ever possibly count, times double, divided by half."

The premise of this book grabbed me, and the story did not disappoint.
So often I get excited for a book, build it up in my mind before I read it, dive in and am left disappointing and almost let down by the book, like I wanted better for it.
This book delivered!

Alice is home after her adventures in Wonderland. Unfortunately all this talk about the Queen of Hearts and the white rabbit has landed her in an asylum.
Saved by the white rabbit, Alice is transported back to Wonderland where she finds herself on a dark adventure to save her head.

It is difficult to build on or mimic such a famous story, to step into the massive shoes of Lewis Carroll, but I felt Ramsay did an excellent job.

This book was really fun and it was entertaining to go back to Wonderland and see it a little bit differently this time. I love that everything really does come full circle and although I still have a few questions I can say I was completely satisfied by the end of the book

It's like a combination of the Tim Burton films and Alice Madness Returns video game. I enjoyed it but also....nothing new. Yes, its a retelling but I didn't get any kind of 'new twist' or originality from it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Red Rogue Press for a review copy of this book.

Ever Alice is pretty much a sequel to the Alice books taking place when Alice is fifteen. Alice has never ceased to believe in Wonderland and those she met there, but in the “real” world, this has meant that people, her parents and sister included, do not think her “normal” but “mad”. As a consequence, she is now undergoing treatment in a mental facility, dreaming of returning to her family one day. On the other side, we see the Queen of Hearts, here Rosamund, who is turning more and more ruthless as time passes, and beheading whoever irks her in one way or other, their innocence being of no consequence. The White Rabbit (here Ralph) comes to Alice and seeks her help in doing away with Rosamund. Alice does not wish to kill anyone but does want to escape, even more now that she is going to be subjected to new treatments to “cure” her at a different facility. Once in Wonderland, Alice finds herself placed as one of the Queen’s ladies alongside Bess (the Duchess with the pig baby), who hates her, and Sabrina who wants to be her friend. She also finds herself falling in love with the Prince of Hearts, Thomas. But plots to do away with the Queen are very much underway, and Alice is a part of them whether or not she wants to do any actual killing, while the Queen on her side is trying to secure her throne by getting rid of Constance, the Queen of Spades, and anyone else that she is in a mind to. How does Alice fare amongst these plots and counter plots?

I loved that so many of the characters that we are familiar with from the Alice books (this is probably the first sequel/retelling that I’m reading) are there in the book with “new” names—Ralph the white rabbit, Sir William (the Hatter), and Charles (the Dodo) besides the Duchess with the pig baby (Bess) and others (With the new names, it took some time to get my head around how was who). There are also other characters that are new but springing from the books as well as those familiar from outside, such as Humpty Dumpty’s cousin (Marco Polo), Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum’s children, Lady Godiva, the Frog Princess, and Marilyn Montagu, the actress! The story for the most part switches between Alice’s viewpoint and Rosamund’s (though in third person) and so we see the other characters through their stories.

This was a fun sequel to Alice which for the most part keeps the humour and whimsical tone that one would associate with Alice (though it didn’t have perhaps what I would call Alice-y lines). I loved how the author created a skittles game (with armadillos and penguins) on the same lines as the original croquet, but very imaginative and fun all the same; and there is also another trial that Alice has to face. The plot was fairly interesting (though the Alice being brought back to kill the Queen bit is, may be, similar to the recent Alice films), and I liked how it played out with a fair number of twists and surprises along the way. (Even with characters who we “know”, things don’t turn out as we expect). For me though, after the first few pages, it somewhat began to drag for a bit (in the sense that I was enjoying it but not to the point that I couldn’t put it down or wait to get back to it), but then a little after the half way point, it once again picked up pace and I wanted to read on to see how things turn out for all the characters. The book has both light and dark moments—one point/aspect at the end was a little too dark for me, but it was definitely something that I didn’t see coming, and kind of left me with an eerie feeling.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, but not as much I expected to, so this was about a 3.5 stars for me.

Love retellings so I immediately wanted to read this one! Thanks netgalley!
I loved it, fast paced and felt a lot like the original to me (which I love)

If you have seen my reviews before then you know I am a total sucker for fairy tale retellings. I automatically put them on the TBR island. I love seeing how creative people can get when they are taking the classic tale and putting their own spin on things.

This book was very slow starting for me. I actually put this down multiple times and I was sure I would not finish it. But stubborn me decided that I was going to push through this in hopes that it would pick up along the way. Which it did towards the very end of the book.

It was a unique spin on things because it did not have so much as a wonderland feel as it did an OZ type of feel that it was all a dream not that you were actually there.

Ever Alice picks up the story of Alice in Wonderland about fifteen years after Alice returns home. Her stories of Wonderland have brought Alice into an asylum and she is plotting getting out. Meanwhile, the Queen of Hearts is still trying to decapitate everyone who annoys her.

Trying to be cured of her problem, Alice finds herself once again in Wonderland. The White Rabbit has tasked Alice with the assassination of the Queen.

The story is written in a very Lewis-esque way. Still, it did not pull me in as much as the original story.

This is just as fun and quirky as the original story of Alice in wonderland. I loved the pace of the plot and felt engraved with the story the entire time.

After returning from Wonderland, Alice's persistence about its existence results in her parents admitting her to an asylum where she can be helped. Alice, now 15 years old, is taken to a facility where a new procedure promises to cure her for good. Before her procedure can be performed, the White Rabbit appears and takes Alice back to Wonderland where she is asked to help kill the Queen of Hearts...if she doesn't lose her head first.

After Alice, is written in a similar style to the classic tale by Lewis Carroll. Many of the original characters from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland appear as well as a few new ones. I am typically drawn to retellings and while this isn't really a retelling but rather a continuation of Alice's story, I was very excited to read this novel. I love the cover art and thought the plot sounded very intriguing. Although Alice is the primary character, the Red Queen tends to be the main focus of the story. Most of the chapters are from Rose's POV and her interpretation of the events occurring in her court. Although I enjoyed the novel, the writing style, especially the "off with their head", got a bit tedious to get through after a while. The primary storyline involves Alice infiltrating the court as one of the Queens maids in order to help the aboveground organization murder the Queen. There is romance, violence, and mystery and the story ends with a clever little twist. If you love the writing style of the original story and enjoy retelling/continuation tales then you will find this novel very entertaining.

*Wipes away tears. Sniffs.*
That ending, though. It was so depressing! I like that it was different and that it wasn’t your standard fluffy ending, but, man, it was heartbreaking.
Despite this, I really did enjoy this book. It was fun, but also beautiful and captivating. The whole atmosphere of Wonderland was magical and strange. Ramsay did a wonderful job with capturing that characteristic from the original Alice in Wonderland. Also, Ramsay came up with delightfully creative phrases such as:
“More than you can ever possibly count, times double, divided by half.”
Alice was a sweetheart and I very much sympathized with her. She didn’t at all get the kind of love that she deserved. Even her friends (can you call them friends) in Wonderland were not always caring. As for Rosamund. “Off with her head!” Yes, yes. The lovely Queen of Hearts. It was super interesting to get the story from her point of view. And honestly, I even ended up feeling kind of sorry for her. Really, she needed someone who would take care of her. Perhaps she would change if she was removed from her position of power and treated kindly?
As for the plot… Well, I already mentioned that ending (I still don’t know what to think of it). Things started out at a good pace, moving from Alice in the asylum to Wonderland. However, about halfway through, things began to drag a bit. I felt that something important was going to happen, but I just kept waiting and waiting. And when it did happen, it was kind of a big deal, but I’m not sure it was emphasized as much as it could have been.
In the end, this was a clean story in terms of profanity and sex. However, there are a few beheadings. (Off with his head!)
I do recommend this one, though. It’s a creative and fun read.

Imagine a world where rabbits speak, cats can be invisible, and knights joust with licorice sticks and swordfish, Where a cake can make you shrink or a drink can make you grow. We have all heard of Wonderland, and Alice's adventures there, but "Ever Alice" gives us a new spin on Alice and her time spent in the magical land.
I very much enjoyed this book. I always felt that I hadn't gotten a good grasp on the character of the Queen of Hearts. In the original tales by Lewis Carroll we learn that she enjoys beheading people and cheats at croquet. I never felt that her personality and background were fully developed in my mind. Ramsay delves much deeper into the history and mindset of Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts. We get a glimpse of what has created her persona as a monstrous head-collector.
The author also shows us into the mind of Alice, and what could be causing her to "travel" to Wonderland. Alice's character is older now, and as a teenager, is dealing with first love, betrayal, and friendship. She is no longer the little girl portrayed in the original tales. We are also shown the terrible truth of the mental health field in the late 1800s, a major era in the development of the asylum.
Overall, I give this book 5 stars, and would recommend it to readers who enjoyed the original Alice stories, and those who are interested in the YA genre.

Sadly my favorite thing in this book was the cover and the font they used on the chapters headings. The story is beautifully written and the characters are interesting but for me the fact that I felt that I had already read it was a big problem. I would be interested to read something original from the same author though. If you like retellings of classics, this is the story for you. I liked the fact that Alice starts in the "madhouse", as an older character with a lot more independence that comes from being more grown up.

Cool concept (but not original as I felt the Unhinged series was very similar). The writing was a little clunky and hard to get into.

I decent retelling that's written well. Resembles the Burton movie in the aspect Alice returns to wonderland and the Queen of Hearts has gone mad and needs to be stopped. The beginning is slow and parts of the novel were drawn out and stretched thin. The novel is told in two povs, Alice & the Queen of Hearts. Both characters were hard to relate to and honestly unlikeable. In conclusion the ending felt rushed and made everything prior feel like a waste. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Ever Alice is a genuinely good read. Alice in Wonderland stories tend to be overdone. In my honest opinion, it's hard to create a unique story when so many have already been written on this same theme. However, this book has so many twist unlike the original that makes it so unique. It my opinion it may have even strayed a slight far from what it should of been due to a drastic character change.

Alice is back from her trip to wonderland and now is in a mental asylum for sharing her stories. She doesn't want to forget wonderland but she does want to go home. However, when the white rabbit pops up and needs her back because the red queen has gone mad (or madder) she will have to return to wonderland yet again.

One of the things that really upset me about this book is the mad hatter. He is completely redone and very unlike what the classic story made him to be. I know I complain about this theme being overdone, but the complete 180 on what his character used to be floored me. He even has a new name.

If you loved the quirkiness of Alice in Wonderland you will love this book as long as you can overlook a slight bit of character change.

I received this book free from netgalley in exchange for this review.

Written by H. J. Ramsay, this is a continuation of Alice in Wonderland, but Alice is believed to be mad by all and is put into an asylum.

The writing style of this novel was perfect for a continuation of Alice in Wonderland from the perspective of Alice and the Red Queen. As such, it is maddening how everything goes I circles! The style is that of the 1800s/turn of the century but is understandable, which is key to making this novel feel contemporary.

The characters were done justice, but still felt a bit flat. But, I am not the biggest fan of Alice in Wonderland so that should be taken with a grain of salt.

Overall, I think this was a good read for anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland and wanted to see her go back to Wonderland. This novel also presents an opportunity for an excellent discussion on how the ending can be interpreted.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Ever Alice in return for a review! 😊 Honestly, I have never read the first book and all the while reading it, I could only imagine about the movie. I could not ever separate this from that and it makes it difficult for me to read this book. I got bored so many times and tried my hardest to pay attention but I just couldn't. But if you're a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, you will enjoy this book.

I love reading different renditions of Alice in Wonderland. I especially like the ones that are a little darker in nature. For me this had the right blend of crazy (legitimately) characters and fantastical 'Alice-ness' that I was expecting. I loved that we got a sort of in-depth look at what was going on in the Red Queen's head, and that we saw her spiraling more and more out of control as the book went on. I never particularly liked the White Rabbit in any of the other Alice stories I've read (except for 'Alice' by Christina Henry) so it was a relief that I found him enjoyable in this version. As for the other characters I didn't really feel strongly to any of them. 

While the story itself seemed rather basic I found that I couldn't put it down. Thoughts of the book consumed me while at work and kept me wanting to book it back home so I could read more. The world building for me was very well done and I liked that while most of it felt like Wonderland there was still enough difference that I didn't feel like there was a blatant rip off of any other retellings.

There were parts of the story that had me wondering if I myself was going a bit mad. I would get confused at some instances and have to go back and reread what was written because the sentence didn't flow right. This is probably a result of it still being edited and when the final copy comes out it should be fixed. I am extraordinarily happy and thankful that the publishers sent a copy of this book my way before the release date as I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy come August. Thank you so much Netgalley!

A surreal and curious take on the Alice in Wonderland tale. In Ever After we explore the psyche of the mad red queen ‘Rosamund’, along with the famous and endearing Alice. As ever, Alice is an important cog in the workings of Wonderland where she soon spirals down into another death defying and typically peculiar adventure. The end comes with a surprising twist, except one that was not appreciated by myself in all honesty. While not altogether that original, my love for the classic tale and all it’s many accompaniments holds no bounds and I greatly enjoyed visiting the rich world of Wonderland one more time.
Fans of Lewis Carroll’s dream-like classic will savour the opportunity to lose themselves in another Alice adventure.