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A Classic Retold
Riddle of Hearts
Bad bargains have bad consequencesAs royal scribe for the Queen of Hearts, Alice Bishop has two record the proceedings of the court and don’t ask questions. But if chronic tardiness and a constantly wandering mind didn’t make things hard enough, now a Madness has seized the court, turning normal gatherings into heated debates and gossip into whispered threats. Unsettling dreams plague Alice’s sleep and follow her into the waking world; white roses and a familiar clearing she’s sure she’s never seen before.Finding answers becomes a matter of life and death after Alice uncovers the Queen’s terrible secret. Along with a mysterious and strangely familiar man, a heartless little boy, and her own relentless curiosity, Alice embarks on a quest through the Madness corrupted forests in search of the truth. But as each step reveals more of her hidden past, her search for answers becomes the discovery of a long forgotten question. One only she can answer… or Wonderland will be lost forever.In this imaginative retelling of Alice in Wonderland, Rosie Grymm tackles denial, regret, and responsibility with a (big) helping of classic Wonderland madness.
- GenresFantasyRetellings
196 pages, Paperback
Published November 9, 2023
6 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 11, 2025
Love this book! Very Alice in Wonderland themed, the characters and adventure is fun and dizzying. I adore stories that make connections to the original work, and this does the story and poems justice 😁
Content: clean, no language or romance involved in the story, magic and fighting are a given but nothing horribly gory or scary.
Content: clean, no language or romance involved in the story, magic and fighting are a given but nothing horribly gory or scary.
June 9, 2025
girl really pulled “ the power of friendship” card
actual rating: 2.5 ⭐️
actual rating: 2.5 ⭐️
December 16, 2023
“We’re all a little mad here…”
Madness is taking over the court and somehow Alice is at the center of it. Too bad she can’t remember a thing. With the king without a heart and the queen on the rampage, Alice teams up with a strange boy and an oddly familiar man in a funny hat to find the Blue Caterpillar.
Can she find the source of her dreams before the Madness swallows Wonderland whole? Or will her failing memory keep its secrets locked away from her?
“Remember, worse things than eccentric foliage are coming.”
This story was full of detailed, beautiful descriptions. Grymm created a world that was similar to Carroll’s, yet wholly new. The depictions of the key characters were enjoyable, and I liked all the nods to the various elements pulled from the original.
That said, I nearly DNF’d this book. Alice was such a difficult character to follow, and there were some editing choices that were hard on my brain. The biggest negative for me was the inaccurate portrayal of a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
3 Roses
In world swears
Minimal violence, but fear and chasing are key themes
No romantic elements
Madness is taking over the court and somehow Alice is at the center of it. Too bad she can’t remember a thing. With the king without a heart and the queen on the rampage, Alice teams up with a strange boy and an oddly familiar man in a funny hat to find the Blue Caterpillar.
Can she find the source of her dreams before the Madness swallows Wonderland whole? Or will her failing memory keep its secrets locked away from her?
“Remember, worse things than eccentric foliage are coming.”
This story was full of detailed, beautiful descriptions. Grymm created a world that was similar to Carroll’s, yet wholly new. The depictions of the key characters were enjoyable, and I liked all the nods to the various elements pulled from the original.
That said, I nearly DNF’d this book. Alice was such a difficult character to follow, and there were some editing choices that were hard on my brain. The biggest negative for me was the inaccurate portrayal of a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
3 Roses
In world swears
Minimal violence, but fear and chasing are key themes
No romantic elements
December 29, 2023
This book was so good! I enjoyed reading it, and will definitely read it again someday.
-plot: it moves along, and is full of twists and turns in true wonderland fashion.
-Aesthetic: honestly so good, the descriptions are spectacular and detailed, and it really feels like you’ve dropped into wonderland while reading.
-Characters: The dynamics are the best thing, I loved Alice but especially when she was with her sisters. I loved the way their relationship blossomed at the end of the book. Moss and Hatter were amazing both, Moss super adorable in a mad way, and Hatter in the way that there’s always more about him lurking behind the scenes and dialogue.
All in all, such a wonderland/mystical fairytale to it, I really recommend this to fans of fairytales and classics.
-plot: it moves along, and is full of twists and turns in true wonderland fashion.
-Aesthetic: honestly so good, the descriptions are spectacular and detailed, and it really feels like you’ve dropped into wonderland while reading.
-Characters: The dynamics are the best thing, I loved Alice but especially when she was with her sisters. I loved the way their relationship blossomed at the end of the book. Moss and Hatter were amazing both, Moss super adorable in a mad way, and Hatter in the way that there’s always more about him lurking behind the scenes and dialogue.
All in all, such a wonderland/mystical fairytale to it, I really recommend this to fans of fairytales and classics.
September 27, 2025
While many of the classics in this series are ones that I had little familiarity with, Alice in Wonderland is one that I have read. And didn’t really like. So I came to this book wondering if it would be similarly disappointing, or a delightful surprise.
Sadly, it didn’t appeal to me any more than the original. I found the story confusing, and didn’t really empathize with most of the characters.
On top of that I felt like it needed one more pass with a proofreader or line editor. There were many typos of the sort I make all the time (where you have the wrong, correctly spelled word which spell check will never catch). This just added to the confusion of the story trying to figure out what it was supposed to say.
Sadly, it didn’t appeal to me any more than the original. I found the story confusing, and didn’t really empathize with most of the characters.
On top of that I felt like it needed one more pass with a proofreader or line editor. There were many typos of the sort I make all the time (where you have the wrong, correctly spelled word which spell check will never catch). This just added to the confusion of the story trying to figure out what it was supposed to say.
December 15, 2023
I am not a fan of Alice in Wonderland, so a good portion of this book wasn't something I would typically read. I appreciated the immersive setting and the relationship between Alice and her sisters. I did find sections of the book a bit confusing, but that may hearken back to my aversion to the source material.
Overall, a solid book, and if you like Alice in Wonderland (or the like), you'll probably appreciate this.
Overall, a solid book, and if you like Alice in Wonderland (or the like), you'll probably appreciate this.
January 23, 2024
This book was beautiful. It is absolutely crazy, and is one of the few books I've read where everything turned out in a way that either I hoped it would, or at least in a way that made sense. The characters were vibrant, I could feel the weight of the themes, and the plot took no shortcuts to work itself out. I can't say enough about this book; just go read it!
July 24, 2024
Wonderfully done
This retelling is well done. It has all the riddles and topsy turvy of the original. I liked the twist on the characters. And the world building is intriguing.
This retelling is well done. It has all the riddles and topsy turvy of the original. I liked the twist on the characters. And the world building is intriguing.
August 2, 2024
Rosie Grymm is actually the coolest and is super fashionable too. Oh yeah, and the book is pretty good too.*
This Alice in Wonderland retelling was so clever and immersive with incredibly endearing characters! I adored the quirky autumnal aesthetic and all the twists had me TURNING PAGES. A quick read perfect for anyone's fall TBR!!
4.5 stars rounded up!
*Although I was not paid for this review, I was contractually obligated to say those two things ;)
This Alice in Wonderland retelling was so clever and immersive with incredibly endearing characters! I adored the quirky autumnal aesthetic and all the twists had me TURNING PAGES. A quick read perfect for anyone's fall TBR!!
4.5 stars rounded up!
*Although I was not paid for this review, I was contractually obligated to say those two things ;)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews