(#gifted @titanbooks) Christina Henry took the (admittedly already fairly dark) tale of Alice in Wonderland, twisted it, poured a bucket of blood and guts over it, sprinkled in some cannibalism for good measure and then garnished it with, oop, more blood and guts. Alice is not a retelling for the fainthearted, but it is imaginative and fast paced, so if you like your fairytale retellings on the pitch black side of dark, then consider this one!

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I didn't like it as much as the previous Christina Henry retelling I read (Lost Boy, a Peter Pan retelling), because I didn't think the characters were as fleshed out and Alice's development (from traumatised hospital patient to lethal assassin) seemed rushed, as did the ending. I also went back and forward the whole time over the amount of abuse, especially sexual, in this story. Trigger warnings for rape and women forced into prostitution, I really would not recommend this for anyone particularly sensitive to those topics.

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But I was once again in awe at Henry's dark imagination. I loved the way she took the classic characters from Alice in Wonderland and turned them into something both recognisable and also completely unique. Well known characters like Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar and the Walrus are all recast as sort of crime bosses in the nefarious Old City. I particularly loved Cheshire, you know those 'definitely criminal but maybe they've got a bit of a soft streak' characters? Love it.

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I think I probably will carry on with the series (especially after the semi cliffhanger), even though I've heard Red Queen isn't as good... But I read it in about a day and it is creative. Just a bit heavy on the violence.