This was a cute, slightly fluffy story about accepting the unexpected and seemingly impossible.

 

Henry was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud for the first part, although I do understand it. It was nice to see him work his way into accepting everything in Wonderland and the Hatter as...well, I don't want to say "normal," but that's probably the closest word I can really find. He started accepting things instead of questioning them, and watching him go on that journey was worthwhile; even if I didn't always necessarily enjoy him, I was absolutely rooting for him.

 

It's a lot of fun to be in the Hatter's head; he's quippy and amusing even in his own thoughts, although he retains the insanity that is his most defining character trait. He's definitely not all right in the head, but that seems completely legitimate in Wonderland. He has been given a little bit of the Johnny Depp-treatment here in that his insanity is less problematic than it previously seems to be, though there is also a reasoning behind that (whether acceptable or hand-waving is your call). At any rate, whether I really believe he is the same Hatter Carroll wrote about or not, he was a Hatter I enjoyed reading about, and that was what really mattered in the end.

 

Things developed between them in the way you'd expect, with snipping giving over to something sweet. It was fun to watch the two of them together, and although I could see where it was going in that regard pretty much from the first page (heck, from the description!), it was an enjoyable romp to get there.

 

I must admit I'm a bit confused about the timing of the novel. It feels too modern for Alice to have gone to Wonderland in the same timeframe she did in the original work, but the rest of the background story seems to be the same. Perhaps we are to assume that everything happened in the same way, but about a hundred years later than the novel? I'm honestly not sure, since the novel doesn't really seem to exist in this universe. It's the sort of thing I kept expecting an answer, however, and it stuck in the back of my head.

 

There was a surprise partway through that I genuinely was not expecting, but other than that, the plot was pretty guessable and the real focus of the story was the relationships, not just romantic but also familial, and on their importance. That is where I think the story was strongest. Once the crucial plot element was revealed, it became clear where things were going. That is not to say that it was not enjoyable, however.

 

There have been several Wonderland "retellings," for lack of a better word, released lately, and I would say this one falls on the lighter side of things. Wonderland has terrible things, certainly, and it is dangerous and quirky, but it is not nearly as dark as some stories make it out to be, and even some of the darker elements have a spot of fun in them. There are jokes and riddles and fun galore--this is the lighter side of Wonderland, even in the darker parts, and that's part of what made it a fun ride.

 

If you're looking for darkness galore and gore and horror, this is probably not the retelling to pick up. But if you prefer your Wonderland a little more full of whimsy and your characters a little more fun and full of banter, this might be right up your alley.

 

This book was provided to me for free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.