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Serenity House #2
Alice, the Player
Ella must venture down a rabbit hole, but this is no wonderland…
Ella and Alice are trying to forge a path with the men they love in a world reeling from the Great War and the influenza pandemic that left the countryside crawling with the undead.
Then Alice goes missing without a trace, until the new vermin queen sends an invitation—Ella is welcome to try and rescue her friend before Elizabeth lets her subjects tear the housemaid apart.
To save Alice, Ella must venture into a subterranean world ruled by her former step-mother. But does Elizabeth play to merely torment Ella, or is there a more sinister purpose? One tied to the endless wave of vermin spreading across Europe?
Someone is going to lose this game and forfeit their head, but will it be Ella or Elizabeth?
Elements of this novel are inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and it is a direct continuation of Ella's story.
Ella and Alice are trying to forge a path with the men they love in a world reeling from the Great War and the influenza pandemic that left the countryside crawling with the undead.
Then Alice goes missing without a trace, until the new vermin queen sends an invitation—Ella is welcome to try and rescue her friend before Elizabeth lets her subjects tear the housemaid apart.
To save Alice, Ella must venture into a subterranean world ruled by her former step-mother. But does Elizabeth play to merely torment Ella, or is there a more sinister purpose? One tied to the endless wave of vermin spreading across Europe?
Someone is going to lose this game and forfeit their head, but will it be Ella or Elizabeth?
Elements of this novel are inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and it is a direct continuation of Ella's story.
228 pages, ebook
First published September 27, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 20, 2019
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"I don't need a man in my life; if I let Frank back in, it would be because I want him there."
It's strange how the entire book is named after Alice and yet, we got to see her point of view in only two chapters. After reading Ella the Slayer and Henry, the Gaoler, I had imagined that the second book in the series would be from Alice's perspective, too. The fact that it wasn't mildly disappointed me. But not enough that I wished I hadn't read it. In fact, Alice the player made for a rather interesting story.
I'll start with how, once again, Exley captured me with her beautiful writing style. As if it wasn't enough that the story of this trilogy is already so interesting and thrilling that her distinctive narrative had to attract me further. (I don't mean to say that books with great plotlines shouldn't be written in a beautiful hand.) Then, what I loved was Alice's courage. I agree that she was scarcely present in the first half of the book but when she was present, she made a hell of a fighter. It was surprising, no less. Especially because there was no hint of her having such a side in the previous book. But then, being held captive by the vermin queen probably does that to you.
I also liked the way she was treating Frank in this one; and how she was trying to stand up for herself. The few scenes that we saw from her point of view were a little jumbled, thanks to the fact that she was trapped for nearly a week with vermin all around her. But even then, she wasn't ready to succumb to Frank's smile right after he broke her heart and that is something I appreciate in a lady.
Lastly, I also liked that this book picked up right after the events of Ella, the Slayer, keeping my attention to the event at hand and directing my mind toward the precise things Exley wanted me to look at. It was a directive read, in that regard and highly appreciable.
The only other thing that I didn't like (the first being the fact that we rarely saw Alice's point of view) was that it was a little slow in the beginning. I agree that Ella's thoughts were directing us in the direction that the author wanted but they were also turning up to be rather repetitive. As someone who has already read the first book, it didn't bode very well with me. But the book soon made up with it in the second half by providing us with the battle we had all been waiting for since the start!
"I don't need a man in my life; if I let Frank back in, it would be because I want him there."
It's strange how the entire book is named after Alice and yet, we got to see her point of view in only two chapters. After reading Ella the Slayer and Henry, the Gaoler, I had imagined that the second book in the series would be from Alice's perspective, too. The fact that it wasn't mildly disappointed me. But not enough that I wished I hadn't read it. In fact, Alice the player made for a rather interesting story.
I'll start with how, once again, Exley captured me with her beautiful writing style. As if it wasn't enough that the story of this trilogy is already so interesting and thrilling that her distinctive narrative had to attract me further. (I don't mean to say that books with great plotlines shouldn't be written in a beautiful hand.) Then, what I loved was Alice's courage. I agree that she was scarcely present in the first half of the book but when she was present, she made a hell of a fighter. It was surprising, no less. Especially because there was no hint of her having such a side in the previous book. But then, being held captive by the vermin queen probably does that to you.
I also liked the way she was treating Frank in this one; and how she was trying to stand up for herself. The few scenes that we saw from her point of view were a little jumbled, thanks to the fact that she was trapped for nearly a week with vermin all around her. But even then, she wasn't ready to succumb to Frank's smile right after he broke her heart and that is something I appreciate in a lady.
Lastly, I also liked that this book picked up right after the events of Ella, the Slayer, keeping my attention to the event at hand and directing my mind toward the precise things Exley wanted me to look at. It was a directive read, in that regard and highly appreciable.
The only other thing that I didn't like (the first being the fact that we rarely saw Alice's point of view) was that it was a little slow in the beginning. I agree that Ella's thoughts were directing us in the direction that the author wanted but they were also turning up to be rather repetitive. As someone who has already read the first book, it didn't bode very well with me. But the book soon made up with it in the second half by providing us with the battle we had all been waiting for since the start!
September 13, 2021
Alice's transformation from helpless, heartbroken girl to fierce heroine was trite and poorly written. Almost all of the descriptions of her up to this point in the series are as a nice person but also a background character. Even in her "own" story, she's a backup character until it's convenient to thrust her into the spotlight and have her change in a snap. There was finally a zombie horde, and also some excellent descriptive writing. However, this book also has some very odd and forced writing to 1- get the heroes out of the climatic predicament and 2- force in some Alice in Wonderland references.
December 1, 2016
A fitting finale to the story, although it din't get me hooked as much as part 1 did. (Part 2 is a pequel of sorts, interrupting books 1 and 2 rather than giving much background...).
A mix of fairytale retelling and zombie story that could be really odd but I enjoyed the genre mix a lot actually. Ella is my heroine!
A mix of fairytale retelling and zombie story that could be really odd but I enjoyed the genre mix a lot actually. Ella is my heroine!
March 12, 2019
Blergh! This felt like a forced sequel. The connection to Alice in Wonderland was loose and not much exploited. And there were only two chapters from Alice's point of view. I wish I stopped after Ella.
January 15, 2019
The first book wasn't amazing but was just the level of ridiculous that I needed to know what happened next. This one falls into the same line. I didn't read book 1.5 and there are a couple of references to it so I probably should uave.
May 22, 2019
I felt like this series started to fall apart in this book. The battle scenes were poorly done. I didn't feel as engaged with the characters. Alice suddenly seemed very weak when she hadn't seemed that way before.
June 18, 2020
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
This book is marketed as book 3, but technically it is book 2 as it picks up from where book 1 ended (I think book 2 is a prequel/side story).
This installment was entertaining enough - but it didn't live up to the expectations I had after book 1. Book 1 set the scene in terms of post world war II England where an "influenza" starts to kill off the already diminished population....yet the people don't stay dead. They come back as "zombie" like creatures who need to be dispatched by the local county slayer Ella (book 1 is a re-telling of Cinderella). In book 1 we are introduced to Ella's best friend (and fellow maid) Alice and book 2 is based on her story and is a very loose re-telling of Alice in wonderland.
There are elements of this book that I really liked. I love how it is the girls who are leading the charge and rescuing the guys. I like Alice's use of the croquet mallet (a nice touch) to dispatch the zombies when Alice is taken down the rabbit hole (aka Zombie nest). I love the pretty covers. I love the relationship between Ella-Seth and of course the zombie hunting twins of Jack and Jake. Basically I like that these books are light (and quite absurd) reads that don't overtax the brain which is something I think a lot of us are seeking in 2020 :-p
However, I think the title and cover of this book made me think that it was going to be from Alice's POV - but it is predominantly told from Ella's POV with only one or two chapters from Alice. This was probably a good thing as it turns out I didn't really like the character of Alice as much in this one as I thought I would and the whole romance she has with Seth's half brother is all a bit icky (once a player, always a player).
A light read - but not as good as I was expecting. I will definitely finish the series down the track (I think the next book brings in the re-telling of Sleeping Beauty - so starting to feel a little like the "Cinder" series in the linking of all the fairy tales). A light and totally out there read - this series is definitely geared at a very unique reading market. Basically, this is your book if you are into fairy tales mixed with pride and prejudice and zombies meets downton abbey with a bit of buffy thrown in on the side :-)
This book is marketed as book 3, but technically it is book 2 as it picks up from where book 1 ended (I think book 2 is a prequel/side story).
This installment was entertaining enough - but it didn't live up to the expectations I had after book 1. Book 1 set the scene in terms of post world war II England where an "influenza" starts to kill off the already diminished population....yet the people don't stay dead. They come back as "zombie" like creatures who need to be dispatched by the local county slayer Ella (book 1 is a re-telling of Cinderella). In book 1 we are introduced to Ella's best friend (and fellow maid) Alice and book 2 is based on her story and is a very loose re-telling of Alice in wonderland.
There are elements of this book that I really liked. I love how it is the girls who are leading the charge and rescuing the guys. I like Alice's use of the croquet mallet (a nice touch) to dispatch the zombies when Alice is taken down the rabbit hole (aka Zombie nest). I love the pretty covers. I love the relationship between Ella-Seth and of course the zombie hunting twins of Jack and Jake. Basically I like that these books are light (and quite absurd) reads that don't overtax the brain which is something I think a lot of us are seeking in 2020 :-p
However, I think the title and cover of this book made me think that it was going to be from Alice's POV - but it is predominantly told from Ella's POV with only one or two chapters from Alice. This was probably a good thing as it turns out I didn't really like the character of Alice as much in this one as I thought I would and the whole romance she has with Seth's half brother is all a bit icky (once a player, always a player).
A light read - but not as good as I was expecting. I will definitely finish the series down the track (I think the next book brings in the re-telling of Sleeping Beauty - so starting to feel a little like the "Cinder" series in the linking of all the fairy tales). A light and totally out there read - this series is definitely geared at a very unique reading market. Basically, this is your book if you are into fairy tales mixed with pride and prejudice and zombies meets downton abbey with a bit of buffy thrown in on the side :-)
August 13, 2019
This book takes place directly after Ella, The Slayer ends, seeing as Henry, The Gaoler was more of a sort of prequel instead of continuing the story.
The book's good. It's good. It's not great, not like how I felt about the previous two installments, which I enjoyed much more. It kind of fell short of the expectations I had for it after finding this series really enjoyable overall. I thought Alice was going to have more of a starring role, maybe share the spotlight with Ella a little more since the book is named after her. Unfortunately, she gets only about two chapters while the rest is told from Ella's perspective. I could see interesting spots where the story could probably be more interesting if told from Alice's POV, so that was a shame.
It started off slower than the others. That's not always a problem but it felt a little too slow and I always enjoyed the action that happens in this series. Things were good once everything started to get going and the true conflict of the book kicked in.
I felt the Alice in Wonderland references were kind of sparse. They were non-existent for the first half of the book with the exception of Alice's name. Some aspects of it seemed a little forced too.
I still ship the shit out of Ella and Seth. They are likely the best part of this series and their relationship is adorable.
That's it. It's not as great as I was hoping, but I still liked it, so that's a win.
The book's good. It's good. It's not great, not like how I felt about the previous two installments, which I enjoyed much more. It kind of fell short of the expectations I had for it after finding this series really enjoyable overall. I thought Alice was going to have more of a starring role, maybe share the spotlight with Ella a little more since the book is named after her. Unfortunately, she gets only about two chapters while the rest is told from Ella's perspective. I could see interesting spots where the story could probably be more interesting if told from Alice's POV, so that was a shame.
It started off slower than the others. That's not always a problem but it felt a little too slow and I always enjoyed the action that happens in this series. Things were good once everything started to get going and the true conflict of the book kicked in.
I felt the Alice in Wonderland references were kind of sparse. They were non-existent for the first half of the book with the exception of Alice's name. Some aspects of it seemed a little forced too.
I still ship the shit out of Ella and Seth. They are likely the best part of this series and their relationship is adorable.
That's it. It's not as great as I was hoping, but I still liked it, so that's a win.
September 22, 2020
Alice the Player is the third novel in the Serenity House series by A.W. Exley. This series is a sequential one meaning the author has connected the plots of her novels chronologically so readers are best served beginning with book one. In this case that’s Ella the Slayer.
Alice the Player picks up where Ella the Slayer ended. In both novels Ella tells her story with a few sections of the Player story set aside for Alice to let readers know her take on unraveling events.
As we learned in Ella the Slayer, Ella is in love with Seth DeMage, the Duke of Leithfield, who is also a high ranking officer in the Queen’s army, and in charge of taking control of the vermin in Somerset and the surrounding county.
The vermin are zombies that rose after death caused by the flu pandemic of 1918. Though Ella began as her community’s slayer, she is now working for Seth to locate and destroy vermin nests before they can lay claim to more English lives.
The hive queen wants to destroy Ella in a torturous manner. She orders her undead troops to abduct the girl, but they grab Ella’s best friend, Alice, by mistake. Alice is the pawn in this game of chess that will keep readers riveted to the subtle plot twists and turns.
Author A.W. Exley has recreated Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland into a hell controlled by the hive queen. Her setting and character descriptions may affect your dreams, so beware.
As the action picks up only Ella has the opportunity to save Alice, but at what price? And will the Duke be available to watch her back?
Thus far, the Serenity House series has kept this reader’s interest with a huge itch to read the final chapter, Rory the Sleeper.
April 11, 2020
So this book was a continuation of a series that involves undead as well as a pandemic and it was overall very enjoyable I only have a couple of critiques.
• I love the writing in this it keeps you on the edge of your seat with an fantastic little mystery on top of a historical fantasy setting.
• There are not a lot of moments where the person on the cover has a perspective however there are a lot of small creative ties to the Alice in Wonderland story and that was interesting.
• The characters are funny and dramatic perfect for their arcs however the main character has a lot more sadistic and malicious thoughts (trigger warnings for grotesque violence and torture) and is overall a jerk when another character is having trouble expressing feelings that she herself has issues with.
• I wished there was more equality among perspectives even the villainous perspective would have been interesting.
Overall, it was really enjoyable and interesting for a spooky undead fairy tale retelling series but the main character needed an attitude adjustment. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars. Excited for the rest of the series.
• I love the writing in this it keeps you on the edge of your seat with an fantastic little mystery on top of a historical fantasy setting.
• There are not a lot of moments where the person on the cover has a perspective however there are a lot of small creative ties to the Alice in Wonderland story and that was interesting.
• The characters are funny and dramatic perfect for their arcs however the main character has a lot more sadistic and malicious thoughts (trigger warnings for grotesque violence and torture) and is overall a jerk when another character is having trouble expressing feelings that she herself has issues with.
• I wished there was more equality among perspectives even the villainous perspective would have been interesting.
Overall, it was really enjoyable and interesting for a spooky undead fairy tale retelling series but the main character needed an attitude adjustment. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars. Excited for the rest of the series.
May 30, 2019
Picks up right where the 1st one left off and I was really thankful for that. It's a fast paced adventure with little build up I read this right after the 1st so I was okay with that. I loved what they did with Alice's character development. I feel like these character really display what strong independent women are without forgetting they are women who still want to be loved and happy. Love the twist they put on wonderland. As far as zombie stories go I'm really happy this is too over the top and cliche.
July 10, 2022
I really like the fairy tale retelling with a twist. Love how Ella can kick ass with the best of them, and Alice comes into her own as a strong woman too.
The plot had plenty to keep me engaged, I really need to know how they defeat the "vermin" in the end.
Will definitely be reading more.
The plot had plenty to keep me engaged, I really need to know how they defeat the "vermin" in the end.
Will definitely be reading more.
October 28, 2016
I loved this book and I've never been disappointed with this author. I cannot wait for the next one. I give it 4.5 stars...
May 11, 2017
Really enjoying this series. Love the fairy tale hints but the story doesn't get bogged down with them. Can't wait to see what the author does in the next book.
July 14, 2017
Explosive
A fantastic third act. Twisty plot, kick ass heroines, and a dreamy Duke. I look forward to the steamy finale.
A fantastic third act. Twisty plot, kick ass heroines, and a dreamy Duke. I look forward to the steamy finale.
December 27, 2017
Good series
Picks job where book 1 left off. Excellent story. I can't wait for the next one, which I'm grabbing soon
Picks job where book 1 left off. Excellent story. I can't wait for the next one, which I'm grabbing soon
August 8, 2018
Fairy tales meet the walking dead
Fabulous adventure follows Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland as the two friends fight the undead and find love along the way.
Fabulous adventure follows Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland as the two friends fight the undead and find love along the way.
May 2, 2019
It expanded on Ella as a character slightly, but it did start to get a little far fetched. Yes I know it's about zombies, but still....I was just hoping for scientific approach.
October 27, 2018
2.5 stars
March 21, 2018
I quite enjoyed this installment of the serenity house series. Alice becomes more of a fully formed character at last, and we get to see inside her struggles and near madness at the hand of the villians. It was a faced paced journey over too soon.
November 18, 2020
I don't know what shelves to put this book on, because it's a little bit of everything. I probably should create an urban fantasy shelf, because that suits more than fantasy/paranormal. Anyhow, I liked this book a lot, though it doesn't quite match the first one. Ella is still awesome and I love her. Seth is a great guy and the romance between them is soo good. I also like the fact that the search for how the zombies were first created is the main plot.
Review from my blog: https://athousandworldssite.wordpress...
This time around, we zombie-fy Alice in Wonderland. When Ella’s best friend Alice is kidnapped by newly turned queen Elizabeth, Ella travels with Seth to the underground hive to rescue her.
I can’t really comment on the retelling aspect this time, because I have never read Alice in Wonderland. There are a few specific notes that even I recognized, like croquet, and a few more direct references to the story.
There’s also several reveals about the vermin along the way that has Ella wondering if science or magic will explain them.
This series is so much fun. I like the slow revelations concerning the zombies. Even as they’re being killed, they’re being investigated and studied. I don’t usually deal with zombies much in the stuff I read or watch, but I love the way it seems like there’s actually going to be an explanation.
Ella and Seth are concerned as much – if not more – about how the vermin/Turned were created and why as they are will actually killing the individuals. It’s not just a case of ‘well, we have zombies…somehow’ and I really have high hopes for the answers in the finale.
But, for as much as I love that, the characters are what I really adore. Ella is great, she’s no meek, timid Cinderella. She’s tough, a strong fighter, will defend those she loves at any cost and for all that, she’s still very much a person. She gets sad and angry, she worries about romance. She’s a person, a teenage girl that was thrown into something she wasn’t prepared for and made the best of it she could.
It is so great seeing her and Seth work together, because they are true partners in this. Seth trusts her, relies on her, and even seems to appreciate her strength and abilities. She does the same for him, loving him more for the way he stands beside her, lets her do what she’s good at and they both know she can. (Seeing Ella with a flamethrower was priceless!)
This book also deals more with Alice and her boyfriend Frank. I think it was wonderful to see Alice come into her own and, while she’s not really a fighter, she has different strengths that she’s decided to use. I, much like Ella, don’t know if the relationship between Alice and Frank will stand the test it’s been put under, but it is nice to see a beta couple instead of a love triangle.
Review from my blog: https://athousandworldssite.wordpress...
This time around, we zombie-fy Alice in Wonderland. When Ella’s best friend Alice is kidnapped by newly turned queen Elizabeth, Ella travels with Seth to the underground hive to rescue her.
I can’t really comment on the retelling aspect this time, because I have never read Alice in Wonderland. There are a few specific notes that even I recognized, like croquet, and a few more direct references to the story.
There’s also several reveals about the vermin along the way that has Ella wondering if science or magic will explain them.
This series is so much fun. I like the slow revelations concerning the zombies. Even as they’re being killed, they’re being investigated and studied. I don’t usually deal with zombies much in the stuff I read or watch, but I love the way it seems like there’s actually going to be an explanation.
Ella and Seth are concerned as much – if not more – about how the vermin/Turned were created and why as they are will actually killing the individuals. It’s not just a case of ‘well, we have zombies…somehow’ and I really have high hopes for the answers in the finale.
But, for as much as I love that, the characters are what I really adore. Ella is great, she’s no meek, timid Cinderella. She’s tough, a strong fighter, will defend those she loves at any cost and for all that, she’s still very much a person. She gets sad and angry, she worries about romance. She’s a person, a teenage girl that was thrown into something she wasn’t prepared for and made the best of it she could.
It is so great seeing her and Seth work together, because they are true partners in this. Seth trusts her, relies on her, and even seems to appreciate her strength and abilities. She does the same for him, loving him more for the way he stands beside her, lets her do what she’s good at and they both know she can. (Seeing Ella with a flamethrower was priceless!)
This book also deals more with Alice and her boyfriend Frank. I think it was wonderful to see Alice come into her own and, while she’s not really a fighter, she has different strengths that she’s decided to use. I, much like Ella, don’t know if the relationship between Alice and Frank will stand the test it’s been put under, but it is nice to see a beta couple instead of a love triangle.
February 28, 2017
Another fun and fast paced adventure from A.W. Exley. The story of a post WWII English village, beset by a plague of the undead, Alice's story continues the unique challenge of ridding England of the terror of the vermin. The worst yet to come as Ella and her friends realize that the evil controlling the plague is after Ella and will use Alice to get to her.
A great historical fantasy with plenty of humor and heartache.
A great historical fantasy with plenty of humor and heartache.
January 3, 2020
I picked up this book in the Nook store on my tablet because I had to know what happens next with the characters and the main storyline. My personal review of the book is as follows:
I understand that this book specifically as a whole focused on "Alice" and not "Ella"(The main character of the first book in the series) however I was still looking for some payoff from the cliffhanger from the last book(trying to phrase it in a way that avoids spoilers for the previous book) which I guess that we kind of got however it still to me personally felt like the storyline kept going into "will they won't they" between both couples as a way to(in my personal opinion) stretch out the storyline until the start up to the final climax to the series which will be happening in the next book in the series.
I don't think that I'm going to read the final book in series because I feel like I'm burned out on Zombies and I feel like the zombies done in an(in my personal opinion) over the top way now.
I do think that if you're a fan of zombies/zombies in a "Downton Abby" type setting you should check out the first book in the series. Overall I personally rate this book a 2 and half out of 10.
I understand that this book specifically as a whole focused on "Alice" and not "Ella"(The main character of the first book in the series) however I was still looking for some payoff from the cliffhanger from the last book(trying to phrase it in a way that avoids spoilers for the previous book) which I guess that we kind of got however it still to me personally felt like the storyline kept going into "will they won't they" between both couples as a way to(in my personal opinion) stretch out the storyline until the start up to the final climax to the series which will be happening in the next book in the series.
I don't think that I'm going to read the final book in series because I feel like I'm burned out on Zombies and I feel like the zombies done in an(in my personal opinion) over the top way now.
I do think that if you're a fan of zombies/zombies in a "Downton Abby" type setting you should check out the first book in the series. Overall I personally rate this book a 2 and half out of 10.
October 8, 2016
Another excellent read from A.W. Exley.
So many questions piled up; I can't wait to read the next book!
So many questions piled up; I can't wait to read the next book!
March 24, 2017
I had assumed based on the title that this would be told more from the perspective of Alice, but I really like Ella's voice so I was glad there was lots of Ella in it. Can't wait to read the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2017
A fun easy read.
maybe
July 30, 2017Previous book review:
✦ Ella, The Slayer (Serenity House #1)
✦ Ella, The Slayer (Serenity House #1)
May 3, 2017
This is a direct, and very enjoyable, follow on from Ella The Slayer. Ella has a confrontation with her Evil stepmother, Alice learns to wield a mallet, and while more comes to light about the zombies there is still more to come. We now have three romances that need resolution and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews