Malice in Wonderland Prequel

Malice in Wonderland #0.5

by Lotus Rose

A prequel to the darkly comedic Malice in Wonderland trilogy. A peek inside the minds of Alice and the other characters of Wonderland before she killed them. By the author of SinEaster and Merry XXXmas, Charlee Frown.

This precedes Malice in Wonderland #1: Alice the Assassin
Here's its blurb:
Alice will get her heart back even if she has to kill everyone in Wonderland one by one…
The truth is not what you were led to believe. Alice never left Wonderland. It wasn’t all “just a dream.”
It’s a nightmare. A nightmare she can’t escape, where formerly pleasant characters throw her unhappy unbirthday parties to torment her, while others like to make her cry so they can lick her tears.
But one day after years of this unpleasantness, she loses her heart. Literally. Well, technically someone steals it.
And she has to get it back. By any means necessary. And it’s a lot easier to be ruthless now that she’s heartless.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Fiction

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2014

About the author

Lotus Rose is like this generation’s twisted, more adult version of Roald Dahl. And since Lotus wrote a continuation of Alice in Wonderland, he’s also like the demented doppelganger of Lewis Carroll. But he’s not like one of those doppelgangers who kills the original then takes their place, because Lewis Carroll is already dead. Really, though, Lotus is a sweetheart.
His style can best be described as “children’s stories for adults.” He retains all the best of children’s literature—the imagination, the playfulness, the outright weirdness—then adds an additional layer of mature themes and subjects. And often with a dark sense of humor.
So, if you ever wanted to revisit your childhood, to reexperience the wonder of children’s literature, but without all the innocent naivety holding you back, the Lotus Rose books are sure to deliver. From The Poniworld Chronicles, to The Malice in Wonderland Saga to The Twisted Holiday Specials, you’ll love his twisted takes on sacred childhood institutions, and are guaranteed to laugh throughout.

Here's a short poem he wrote:

O, shall I be like the lotus,
And bring you dark dreams and soft sighs?
Or shall I be like the rose is,
Sweet-scented and tempting your eyes?

For the unending sleep can seduce you,
To the world behind unseeing eyes.
And the beauty that beckons, then cuts you,
Is also the cruelest of lies.

Lotus currently lives in Austin, Texas. He likes Newcastle Brown Ale.

Reviews

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

just loved it - I know it's not what they call "a great book" but I had great fun reading it - 4 stars might be a bit much, but most certainly 3.5

[Lynz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I approached this prequel with hope. Lotus Rose is known for wildly inventive, twisted takes on Wonderland, and I was curious to see how the author built Alice’s backstory. Unfortunately, while the concept is bold, the final result fell flat for me.

What I appreciated:
The idea that Alice never truly escaped Wonderland and that her memory-shredding journey shaped future events is audacious. Fandom and blurbs promise flashbacks to her early years, emotional scars, and build-up to the more violent rebellion readers see later. It’s a prelude that, on paper, should fuel the rest of the series.

What didn’t work:
It hops around in time, skipping between scenes of Alice as a child, teen, and preteen without clear transitions. Instead of feeling dreamlike or whimsical, it felt chaotic, hard to follow, emotionally distancing, and lacking momentum. The fragments of the story never quite formed a satisfying whole.

I wanted resonance; what I got felt like style over substance. Alice’s early life seemed ripe with trauma and growth, but most moments skated over too quickly or unanswered. Rather than deepen the character, it raised more questions than it answered, and never delivered emotional clarity.

Final thoughts:
There’s creativity and ambition here, but this prequel never clicked for me. If you love fragmented, experimental writing and are committed to seeing the full series through, you might find value in it. For me, though, it lacked cohesion, emotional grounding, and left me wishing for a more polished lead-in to what comes after.

[Christine Shrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dark take on the Alice in Wonderland characters. Alice gets held captive and can't leave Wonderland. Her childhood is taken away from her and she starts to have very dark and disturbing thoughts.

I really liked this! It only took me two days to read and kept me wanting to know how Alice will turn out. This is a very quick read. Now it's time to begin the first book in Malice in Wonderland.

[Leanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this. I think 3 stars is too generous, but it could be that I juat don't like the writing style. Choppy sentences, inconsistant timeline, weird punctuation- including too few commas- and serious abuse to a little girl. I read Alice the Assassin, and I liked it a bit better than this one. At least the Assassin got back at her abusers.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This prequel read like a bunch of short stories of Alice’s time in Wonderland. However, this time around, Alice is a slave that unfortunately receives a bunch of torture. The prequel focuses on events that lead up to the first book. Pretty enjoyable and it does shed light as to why Alice seeks malice on her “friends” in Wonderland.

[April Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say a strong 3.5.. almost 4. Parts were a tad slow, but so far I like where the story is heading. Seems to be a unique take on things, especially beginning with Alice being so young still. Strong enough writing that I'll definitely continue to the first book in the trilogy.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished in one sitting. I quite liked the writing style and the events of the book. I’d recommend it if you enjoy Alice in Wonderland adaptations 😊

[Tiffany Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malice In Wonderland
PLOT: It's EXTREMELY hard to summarize this plot because it jumps from one space in time to the other not chronologically (and I'm an order freak). But from what I can tell after being in Wonderland (or returning to it) The Red Queen (for some reason) isn't allowing Alice to go home because she has a special ability. Her tears have magical properties and can heal anything they touch. I can only guess that she's going to use Alice's tears to "heal" Wonderland.

MY THOUGHTS: *What initially drew me to this book was because I thought it would be like the written MCGEE's ALICE, which if you haven't played it is a PC (or Video so I learned) game. Briefly the game is about (and this is going off a hazy recollection because I haven't played it in a while and my copy always seemed to freeze up, more so my PC than my game's fault) a fire causes Alice's parents to die and she somehow gets herself thrown into an insane asylum and is called on to go back to Wonderland. But when she returns it's darker (much danger) than she left it. And let me tell you the graphics CRAZY! Now I'm reading this and each chapter feels like individual stories and somehow aren't connecting together as a whole story but then I get to Birthday Party (Chapter 6) and I'm fascinated. Firstly because is the veiled girl from the future Alice coming to warn herself from what could potentially happen? And then there's just the message against having a darkened heart and if you're around negativity so much in people that even though you might want to fight it eventually you can't do it alone, and the heart just gives in to blackness. Which is something that resonated with me and something I know a little about. So now I'm wondering will Alice eventually fall prey to the dark side (Wonderland) or will she find a way to overcome it and escape? And when you think about that it's deep because it's like a life message in itself. And speaking of deep life messages In Humpty's Dumpty's story Humpty is scared to fall but not the usual way we think of him falling because it will hurt. Because seemingly he's "falling" for Alice. Oh YES, Humpty it might be best to keep that wall of yours up and stay on it for the time being. You can take this as a message if you want to, about putting up "emotional walls" and being scared to come down from them so you don't get hurt.

RATING: 6 I wanted to love this, but it was hard because just like Wonderland it was a big mess of confusion. The timeline was off. The events didn't seem to fit together. And then one minute Alice is promising to stay on the right path and then the next she's gone completely off script and going on an egg-bashing murder spree. However, it had bits that really sparked my interest. It felt like a television or movie teaser where they just show you events and hope it's appealing enough so that you'll be invested in seeing the full version. Because of the bits that spoke to me, I'll give the continuing book a chance. But don't expect much sense or flow in this one. Just a warning. And speaking of nonsense who is this watered-down, bootlegged version of the Jabberwocky and where did he come from? This definitely isn't the one I grew up listening to one my little 45 record player. Although I guess he can afford to be on the humane side with voodoo witch doctor's that shave you bald and smack you across the face as one of the occupants and the other darknesses of the characters that threaten to blacken Alice's heart.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malice in Wonderland Prequel (Malice in Wonderland Series Book 0)
By Lotus Rose

A prequel to the (Dark/comedy) Malice in Wonderland trilogy. This is story of young Alice from 7 to 11 years old.The story delves into the minds of Alice and the other characters of Wonderland before she killed them.

With descriptive detail and witty dialog we see how and why Alice becomes the twisted evil girl in the Wonderland series. Very original and unique. I love a good twisted fairy-tale. I do look forward to reading the rest in the series by Lotus Rose.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malice in Wonderland Prequel (Malice in Wonderland 0) by Lotus Rose I'm so on the fence about this book. I liked it however it was very confusing to read. It jumps all around with each chapter one chapter Alice is 7 then she's 12 then she's 8 then she's 7 again and then she's 9 back to 7 or 8 then 11. None of the chapters go together. My assumption is it's meant to be this way and if you read book #1 before you read the prequel then it makes sense. I am still very interested in reading book 1 "Malice in Wonderland: Alice the Assassin." And then all the information given in this book, which was great, will all fall into place.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna pay to read the other books (just putting that out there).

This book has a fascinating premise. But the style of this book doesn't make me hopeful for the other books. The story telling was rather disjointed. It jumped around a lot; Alice is 7 then she is 11 then she is 8 ect.

I never got much of a feel for Alice. Her character is hard to define with all the jumping around. And the dialog wasn't too realistic.

[NayDoubleU · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very pleased!

Great read! So happy I found this gem. It's just wonderful. I can't wait to actually start the series. I don't think it'll let me down.

[ivan reynoso · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book ever read.

Terrible writing. Makes no sense. Horrible version of Alice and how he uses the characters. I'd rather give the book no stars, but I had to give at least one.

[Scribblegirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non-linear dreck. It's too late for me; save yourself.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too impressed by the prequel. Maybe #1 will be better.