A Matter of Curiosity

Return to Amar #2

by Nicki Chapelway

She never thought she would lose.
He always knew he couldn’t win.
Now they have one last chance to save each other.

It has been a year since the events that put her mother in a coma and imprisoned Dante in the Unrealm. Desperate to move on, Alicia attempts to actually live a regular life with the help of her cousin Olivia who is determined to forget everything that ever happened in Amar. But as cracks begin appearing everywhere, showing glimpses into the other worlds, Alicia realizes that “normal” has always been helplessly out of her reach.

Marius is fighting to break free from his prison, and reality is tearing at the seams to try to hold him in. The only way to save the four realms is for Alicia to find a way to stop her grandfather once and for all. To do so, she offers him a bargain. Play a game against her, winner takes all. The stakes are her future, her mother’s life, and the freedom of the boy she loved—and still possibly might. Only the most powerful mage in all Amar will walk away.

But in order to win, Alicia must…
—be willing to become like her grandfather and use her friends as pawns
—convince Dante that he truly loves her
—and survive the deadly faerie circus where the game is set

All while understanding that this twisted world love is just an illusion. And sometimes reality doesn’t deserve to be saved.

The Mage’s War Saga is a YA portal fantasy series with echoes of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, the Wizard of Oz, and King Arthur. Set in a vibrant world of decaying magic, this series is full of humor, whimsy, sweet slow-burn romance, and stepping into your destiny whether you want to or not.

Genres: Retellings, Fantasy, Fae, Young Adult

430 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2025

About the author

Nicki is a twenty-something author of swoony romantic fantasy. She has been writing since she was eleven and has since published several works. She enjoys creating stories with twisty-stabby faerie romances, retellings that take a darker turn, and epic fantasies in worlds full of monsters and magic.

Nicki lives in Ohio where she spends far too much time watching TV, playing video games, and sleeping. She listens to music basically all the time, and adores obsessing over mythologies, her shows, and her slew of fictional boyfriends. When not writing, she can usually be found at her desk with either a paintbrush or a pen in her hand.

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Reviews

[Grace Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note that the review down below is for an earlier edition of this book.



First read on April 27 - May 3, 2022

Spoiler Warning:

Spoiler warning! I try to keep all my reviews spoiler-free as much as possible, however, this book continues both series (“My Time in Amar” and “Return to Amar”), so consider yourself warned if you haven’t read the first three books in “My Time in Amar” and the first book in “Return to Amar”. I would recommend all those books btw, I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about werewolves and pirates? Yeah, take that as your cue to pick them up. 😉

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

The “Return to Amar” series is an “Alice in Wonderland” retelling, but between the two books, “A Matter of Curiosity” has the most elements poured into the story. Though I am only familiar with the movies and not the books, I could point to several things and go: “Hey, I know this reference!” The elements were carefully crafted to fit in a world that was already built, and it all worked wonderfully. I thought that making the Cheshire Cat a mad and devious faerie with purple lips and a cool looking-top hat was really clever, as he seemed to fit the character well. But we also had some wonderful settings, such as the strangeness of the Unrealm, the tea party turned into something like a horror story, and the chasing of the white rabbit.

While “Alice in Wonderland” is a classic, it has always been a little on the strange side for me. While it does have some charm, I had a hard time getting into it as a child. However, this book really pulled off the look and feel of madness while being both scary and endearing. The characters were all captivating, insane, and most importantly, heartfelt. “A Matter of Curiosity” made me really appreciate the tale it was retelling because without it this book wouldn’t have existed. And this book needed to exist. The characters and plot were so rich and delightful, and I fell in love with it all.

I was a little surprised that this one was so much shorter than the last book. Though, while I could always spend more time with the side characters, I didn’t think that the story was rushed. It did a good job of wrapping everything up.

While I can name a million things that I love about this book. One of the things that had me jumping up and down for the entire time was the select few characters from “My Time in Amar” meeting the cast from this series. And it did not disappoint! Though, I probably had a mini heart attack from them competing against each other, especially whenever Alexis decided that he wanted to be the sole competitor in some of the games. Since I loved each one of the characters on both sides, I neither wanted anyone to win nor lose. But also, like, I wanted Marius to lose, but I didn’t want the people on his team to get hurt either. So let’s just say that the stakes were high, like super high.

Now when we talk about scenes though, I really, really love the man-eating unicorn part of the game. There was something thrilling, exciting, and terrifying that had me on the edge of my seat wanting more. It was also very humorous in some parts. Like making Olivia the bait and her using her phone to light the way when no one in their company has ever seen technology like that before. It was great. But the unicorns themselves were also very well done. I loved how they weren’t made into the sweet beasts that today’s media makes them out to be, but the story really made them out to be both magnificent and downright scary. It was extremely well done and well researched.

The Characters

I love how Alicia was the character who was said to be insane, but she was mostly just quirky. There were times that she desensitize her emotions in certain circumstances, mainly when she was in danger, but I think that was mainly because of how powerful her mage powers were. Though, she cared deeply for the other characters. In fact, she was extremely empathic to others, even those she just met. I just love how bubbly and friendly she was with pretty much everyone.

Dante became the insane one this time. The Mad Hatter, to be exact. The little details of him getting obsessed over hats because of his time in the Unrealm was just genius. I just love this guy though, he always gave everyone his signature scowl but deep down he cares for the friends he made, which is shown heavily in situations where they are in trouble.

Eugene had one of the best character arcs in the story. In the last story, he was a little self-caring. But in this one, he really tried to put a certain character first. And his efforts really showed. I loved him so much.

Olivia was still wearing her high heels, I think they’re probably signature at this point. I really like that she wanted to help Alicia so much. I also understood her hurt for what Eugene did to her. But I thought she also grew a little. And that wasn’t a bad thing.

Hector was just as impulsive as he was in the first book. But at least he wasn’t burning down libraries this time. He’ll never live that down. XD And I think Hector rubbed on Jane a little. She just seemed a little bolder than she was before. Which wasn’t a bad thing, at least some of the time.



My Only Critique

WhErE iS mY JaBbErWoCkY??? XD

Content in Book:

1. Violence. (A game that involved hunting and killing a unicorn and bringing back its heart. A unicorn with blood on its horn. A unicorn trying to eat people. A werewolf ripping a unicorn apart. Taking the unicorn’s heart out of its chest (some blood). Shooting arrows. Stabbing someone with a dagger (happens multiple times). Threatening to chop off someone’s head/fingers. Threatening torture. Torturing someone. With plants. Etc.)

2. Kidnapping.

3. Magic.

4. Drinking alcohol.

5. Turning into stone.

6. Werewolves. Man-eating unicorns.

7. Torture. (cutting into someone with a knife).

8. Faeries that are violent or taking humans as slaves.

9. Insane characters.

Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:

Those who have first read:

"A Week of Werewolves, Faeries, and Fancy Dresses"
"A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses"
"A Certain Sort of Madness"
"A Season of Subterfuge, Courtiers, and War Councils"

I would also recommend this book to those who love “Alice in Wonderland” retellings. Those who like faeries, man-eating unicorns, werewolves, and portal fantasy.

Old Stuff Below XD

March 2020!!! *Cries* We have to wait a long time to know what happens.... 😭😭😭 I can't wait though!

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Note: This review is for the new 2025 edition that is Book 5 in The Mage’s War Saga rather then Book 2 of the now out of print Return to Amar series, just so there’s no confusion as to which edition I’m talking about. ☺️**

After the emotional rollercoaster A Game in Dark Magic was I was happy this one was a little easier on my heart, lol. Not by much but enough so that I could sleep a little easier…though that was probably because I pretty much read this whole book in a day, but that’s beside the point. 😆

Alicia goes through a lot in this book though the saddest part for me was when she was pretending to be “normal” and ignoring her true feelings and self which broke my heart because I’ve been there and it’s not fun. I’m glad she was able to embrace her true self again soon after but those first few chapters were hard in that regard. I also like how she’s matured to being more quirky then downright crazy which was great for both her and my sanity, lol.

Dante…poor guy goes through it, good grief he never seems to catch a break and I very much doubt he will in the future either. He’s different then in A Certain Sort of Madness but still retains his very Dante like self, though I do wonder why he’s so obsessed with hats now… Olivia continues to be the literal best and most sane character on the team (and she FINALLY admits that heels in a fantasy world aren’t a great idea), Eugene grew up yet is still 100% Eugene in the best way possible, and Hector and Jane are cute together though what the absolute HECK was that conversation with Alicia, Jane?! I get you were upset but gee, girl, read the room, you DON’T say crap like that in a life or death faerie sponsored game!

Speaking of faerie games, I love how each test was an echo of some sort to the Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass tales without it being a direct retelling, my favorites being the unicorn hunt (which was WILD) and the haunted tea party (which was both scary and cool) and my least favorite was the glass box for obvious reasons, because if you know you KNOW, oh my gosh. 🫣😩

The first weavings of these characters tying into the other characters from the other three books overlap here. I loved seeing Bobby and some of the others interact and team up with Alicia and Co. and I’m excited to see them form a more solid group in the future! What I’m not excited about? The one vision Bobby has—I’m scared by what it’s implying and I implore Nicki yet again to PLEASE let these characters have a happy ending, pretty please!

The romances are also adorable (though one possible one from Bobby and Co. is still up in the air, if there is something there…?) and I loved how things left hanging from ACSoM are healed and resolved in this book; now they can all fight for Amar’s future without all the relationship drama hanging over their heads!

I’m so excited for the final book (also terrified, not gonna lie) as this series has been so imaginative and fun while heartbreaking and an emotional ride—basically some of my favorite reads of 2025 and favorite series from Nicki as a whole.


‼️Content‼️

Language: oh my gosh; what the ruddy heck; screw up; bloody; son of a snake; dragons; what the heck; heck; sucks; freaking; what the devil; ruddy; gosh; crap; flipping; jeez

Violence: injuries and blood (not detailed); fighting with weapons, magic, and hand to hand (not detailed); a werewolf tears into and kills a unicorn (semi detailed); characters are sent to kill a unicorn and bring back its heart; a character is tortured by flames burning their hand (not detailed); a character stabs another in the chest (semi detailed); a character is seen standing on a pile of bodies on a battlefield holding a bloody dagger (semi detailed); a faerie is shot in the head with an arrow (not detailed); a character’s hand is stabbed (not detailed)

Sexual: girls are called chicks; a guy’s called hot; “sexy” and “sexier” are used to describe a guy; kissing (not detailed)

Alcohol/Drugs: a character drinks wine and is a little drunk

Other: portals to another world; magic; magical abilities/creatures/places; mages; a character has visions; a character was kidnapped as a child, another character is just plain kidnapped, and other characters were kidnapped from Earth and taken to a fantasy world; faeries/faerie realm


****Note: I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher. All thoughts and opinions are most assuredly my own and I wasn’t required to write a positive review. If I was I wouldn’t have read it. 😜****

[Nicki Chapelway · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Oh how I long to run away from normal days! I want to run wild with my imagination."

- Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll

“What happened between us was a trick of the light. An illusion. I should know. My only friend is an illusionist.”

It's an interesting matter, writing a sequel. There is a delicate balance between writing something original and keeping to the tone of the first book. It's even more interesting writing a sequel that is the final book in a series. A Matter of Curiosity had to be so many things. A continuation, a finale, a wrap-up, and a tie-in with the other series set in this world. I'm honestly surprised that this book didn't end up being 600 pages long with everything that had to happen, and yet always following its own pace, telling its own story it managed to accomplish all of the above.

Don't ask me how that happened. I'm convinced there was magic involved.

Sometimes I like to imagine six impossible things and make them real.
Impossible thing one: I freed Dante
Impossible thing two: I will defeat Marius
Impossible thing three: I will prove to Dante that he loves me
Impossible thing four: I will prove to Olivia that she loves Eugene
Impossible thing five: I will find a way to help my mother
Impossible thing six: I can do all of these things at no personal cost to myself

There's even more Alice in Wonderland themed elements in this book than were in the first. The classical roles of the Red Queen, the Mad Hatter, and the Chesire Cat are all filled (and probably by who you least expect). This book mainly draws inspiration from Through the Looking-Glass only with the additional element of a faerie circus.

There have been so many masks that he has worn. Or maybe they aren’t actually masks. Maybe they are just facets of himself.
The childhood friend I lost.
Marius’s huntsman who betrayed me.
Eugene’s friend with a soft spot for outcasts.
The grumpy, sarcastic Italian who helped me regardless.
The puppet of the faerie queen who stabbed me.
Or the caring young man whom I kissed.

This is my first time ever ending a series, fulling wrapping up a story. And what an ending it was, but I suppose I shall leave it to you to find that out.

I eye him up and down as he stands in front of me, swaying on his feet, his eyes just too bright and his hair just too sloppy. A too cute, and too rich, too drunk, and too dishonest boy.

I am the author and my views are 100% biased

[Grace Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the new, updated review for the republished 2025 edition!



I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Be prepared to bite your nails with this one. Because after the cliffhangers in both “A Certain Sort of Madness” and “A Game in Dark Magic”, you’re going to want to pick up this book right away. It’s super satisfying how it ties the two plots in the series together. I love how about half of the characters from the first couple of books get to meet the cast from this one. But how dare the author pit them against each other! Ahhh! I blame Marius so much! I wanted both groups to win, and yet I knew they couldn’t.

If you love books that involve games and trials, you are going to love this one! My favorite trial in this book must be the first one with the unicorns. Like YES! If you don’t know anything about me, know that I love unicorns that are true to their violet lore. Yes, I know unicorns are often pink and fluffy in today’s society. But those are boring. Instead, imagine these fearsome beasts with teeth and a sharp horn on their head who might try to get you, good times, I know. I feel like the author did a wonderful job portraying these nightmarish, beautiful creatures. I applaud her for this wonderfully written scene.

I felt so bad for Dante in this one, and I can’t even say why because of spoilers. Gah! Just know that he goes through so much. To be honest, I don’t think any of the characters go unscathed. The poor babies.

I really liked Eugene’s character in this one! I mean, I loved him in the first one as well, but I felt he got a little more page time, and I loved him and his banter with Olivia so much.

Alicia was amazing! I love how she realized that she was mostly just quirky and not insane. Though, it was so sad how much she was trying to change herself. One of the best things about her is how empathic she is to others, even to those she just met.

Hector was as impulsive as ever. But, hey, at least he wasn’t burning down a library this time. He’ll never live that down. I love how he was so willing to help Alicia.

As for Jane… Hey, I get her; she had some valid reasons. But… I wanted to shake her for saying the things she said.

I loved that we got to have more chapters in Olivia’s POV. The unicorn hunting and the tea party are probably my favorite chapters.

While none of the books in this series are true retellings, this book in particular had really good echoes of “Alice in Wonderland”. I was impressed with the way the author subtly added these elements in a recognizable way. Such as a devious faerie with purple lips and a cool-looking top hat seemed to resemble the Cheshire Cat. Dante’s sudden infatuation with hats. And don’t get me started with the settings! Such as the strangeness of the Unrealm, the tea party turned into something like a horror story, and the chasing of the white rabbit.

I was a little surprised with how much shorter this one is compared to the last book. Even still, I don’t think it was rushed in any way, and that the characters were able to do what was needed to be done in their allotted time. (But you know me, once I love a world, I want a couple 100k in it and not a word less.) XD Which brings me to say how excited I am for the next book.

The romance was excellent! All the confessions of love were just *chef kiss* butterfly inducing, heel kicking, masterpiece!

Content in Book:

1. Kidnapping. (A young child was taken from their home and raised by a slightly insane character. Another character was taken from their home and is not allowed to go back).

2. Violence. (A character tries to kill his child and their family. Multiple people get punched or kicked, dagger/arrow violence. Magical violence, including wind, fire, throwing rocks at people, etc. Mythical creature violence with werewolves, unicorns, and man-eating plants. Stabbing someone. Torturing someone with a dagger. Hunting a unicorn for its heart. Threatening to chop off someone’s head/fingers. Etc.)

3. Injuries. (Someone gets stabbed with a dagger. Torture wounds. Blood and gore, not too focused, but there.)

4. Mythical creatures. (Faeries, unicorns, man-eating plants, werewolves, etc.)

5. Magic. (Elemental, charms, persuasion, portals, healing, enchantments, mind-control, prophecies, turning to stone, etc.)

6. Alcoholic drinks. (A character drinks wine and is drunk).

7. Romance. (A couple of sweet kisses, nothing else happens).

8. Thievery. (A couple of characters are known for their thieving skills and are caught multiple times stealing stuff.)

9. One of the characters is mentioned to constantly trying to do bad things to get out of school and to get their mom’s attention.

10. A couple of the characters are noted to be insane, though it is never mentioned what kind of mental disorder they have.

11. Taking humans as slaves.

12. Someone is forcedly drugged/poisoned.

13. Multiple characters are in a coma and are put in a coma ward.

Who I Would Recommend This Book To:

This series is best read in order due to cliffhangers in each book. So I would recommend this book to anyone who has first read “A Twist in Reality”, “A Voyage for the Cursed”, “A Certain Sort of Madness”, and “A Game in Dark Magic”.

Those who want an epic portal fantasy YA series with a portrayal of teens who live in Europe. Those who like slightly eccentric characters. Those who like the concept of an imaginary friend becoming real. Those who like grumpy and sunshine romance. Those who like “a game to end it all” stories. Those who like twisted faeries. Those who like faerie-inspired circuses. Those who like twisted unicorns. Dante. That’s it. That’s why you should read it.

Also, I really need the next book.

[Sarah Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year after returning from Amar, Alicia begins seeing signs that Marius may be finding a way to tear open the fabric between worlds. She's received a message she believes is from him after Olivia has gone missing and must return to Amar to bring her back and stop Marius from tearing the fabric of the world apart. Reuniting with her family and friends she left behind, they will now enter a deadly set of games where the fate of Alicia and Dante is on the line. Will they be able to defeat Marius in this competition or will Alica be destined to end up like her mother?
Alicia has been trying to live a normal life, hiding the things that make her quirky from her family. She has been trying to be "normal" and hang out with Olivia as well. But "normal" is not something Alicia does well. And Olivia is still the same as ever, right down to her choice of footwear! Dante seems to have come out of his entrapment a little more like Alicia as well, seeming to have gone a little mad in the Unrealm. And I was so happy to see that Bobby's story was not only continued but tied into this book as well! She has been named Queen, whether she wants it or not. She apparently has one task left before the enchantment keeping her will release her as well.
This book had so much packed into it! From the moment Alicia steps back into Amar, she doesn't get any down time. And the return of a certain fae that gave them nightmares ramped up the tension for this book as well. I loved the twists and turns, both in the plot and the literal twists and turns in the games. I was excited to see the conclusion of the story for Alicia and her group and am doubly excited that there will be another book featuring Bobby and her story line as well!

[Brianna Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

All good things must sadly come to an end. I enjoyed A Matter of Curiosity just as much as A Certain Sort of Madness. And if you read one, you’ll need to read the next for the rest of this wonderful story. Nicki took Alice in Wonderland and made it her own. It’s a series that has a little something for everyone and leaves you wanting more! Return to Amar is a spinoff of the My Time in Amar series. I enjoyed these so much that I plan on going back and reading the original series. I hope my fellow fantasy fans enjoy reading these magical retellings as much as I did.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost as good as the first, though Alicia seemed a bit less crazy, which is probably a good thing, but I loved her one liners and crazy logic, in the first book. You still get some of it here, just not as much.

We get more Olivia POV, and that was great.

Dante being a little crazy was fun!

The games were fun.

I had no clue who Bobby and her friends were. Now I need to go read their stories. 😆

Even though I hadn’t read the other books, I still enjoyed this book, but I think reading them in the order the author suggests at the end of the book would make the most sense, lol.

[Ami Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This newest installment had hints of Thorough the Looking Glass, with everyone from the last few books in the series all together thrown into a madcap game of live chess! All of this in a fae realm that had dangers and traps everywhere. The whole story took everything I thought I knew and turned it inside out, and now I have to wait for the next book in this series! I received an ARC copy and this is my review.