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Ever Alice

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Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure. When Alice decides at the last minute not to go through with it, she escapes with the White Rabbit to Wonderland and trades one mad house for another: the court of the Queen of Hearts. Only this time, she is under orders to take out the Queen. When love, scandal, and intrigue begin to muddle her mission, Alice finds herself on the wrong side of the chopping block.

347 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2019

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3942 people want to read

About the author

H.J. Ramsay

1 book95 followers
HJ Ramsay holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is an award-winning author. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Gold Man Review, a West Coast literary journal, and has a background in Psychology and Criminal Justice with dual bachelor’s degrees. Passionate about storytelling that explores the human experience, she crafts narratives that blend emotion, imagination, and depth. When she’s not writing or editing, she enjoys diving into the worlds of speculative fiction and literary fiction alike.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 389 reviews
Profile Image for Jessica (Odd and Bookish).
708 reviews852 followers
March 23, 2020
I received this book for free as part of an Instagram book review tour.

This was a really fun retelling! The book takes place years after the original, when Alice is 15 and she once again follows the white rabbit back to Wonderland. I just have to put it out there that Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite stories so I was exceptionally eager to read this.

At first I didn’t quite know if I would like this but once Alice went back to Wonderland I was hooked. I just had to keep reading to find out what happens to Alice and the fate of Wonderland.

All your favorite characters are back such as the Queen of Hearts, the white rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat. There are some new characters too, like Thomas, the Queen of Hearts’ son.

description

I really liked that the book was told from both Alice and the Queen of Hearts’ perspective. Having the queen’s point of view was very enlightening. It gave her character more complexity and dimension.

I found that the style and tone of the book was a good continuation of the original. Obviously no one can compare to Lewis Carroll, but the author did a wonderful job in keeping with the spirit of the original while offering her own unique twist.

The ending was amazing. I don’t want to give it away but I think it was perfect for this mad tale.

Overall, I really enjoyed this Alice retelling. If you love Alice in Wonderland, give this book a try!
Profile Image for Erin.
3,902 reviews466 followers
June 16, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and Red Rogue Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

Is it possible for a reimagining to kick the ass of the original novel?

Hell yes!

Even after a good nights sleep, I am still quite jazzed about H. J. Ramsay's take on Lewis Carroll's Alice and all the Wonderland characters. When our story opens, it is now a few years into the future and Alice's talked abotu ventures in Wonderland have landed her in an asylum. Convinced that their daughter has gone mad, Alice's parents are hoping that a much talked about doctor in Switzerland can bring their beloved younger daughter back from her delusions.

Meanwhile in Wonderland, Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts, continues her daily beheadings, but her evolving paranoia makes her wonder if there isn't a bigger plot against her. A fact that has her capture and imprison Constance, the Queen of Spades. Sir Ralph, aka White Rabbit, believes that Wonderland's only hope is Alice and he sets out to bring her back to Wonderland. White Rabbit's proposed mission? Alice must kill the Queen of Hearts!

As H. J. Ramsay brings us back to Wonderland, along with a host of new characters, we meet again the cunning Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, Doormouse and confront the terrifying Jabberwocky. At times, I laughed and I cried as I read this compelling tale. As I reached the final page, I felt saddened to leave behind the mad, mad, world of Wonderland.

Well done, H. J. Ramsay! I imagine that Lewis Carroll might just be lifting his looking glass at you today!

Goodreads Review 16/ 06/19
Publication Date. 01/08/19
Profile Image for Maja  - BibliophiliaDK ✨.
1,209 reviews968 followers
June 22, 2019
IS WONDERLAND REAL OR ALICE'S MADNESS?

Actual rating: 2.5⭐️

I love a good retelling and Alice in Wonderland is a personal favourite of mine. But while there were certain aspects of this book that kept me entertained, it didn't live up to my expectations.

"If I'm me, I can't really be anything else I'm not."
- Thomas, Prince of Hearts


WHAT I LIKED

Up-side down feeling: One of the things that makes the original book so amazing is the quirkiness, the strangeness of Wonderland. The Wonderland of this book was definitely a quirky place, where things were unimportant, not important, where tea was served with butter and where tournaments are fought with swordfish. I liked that.

The ending: Without revealing too much I will just say that the ending was dark and perfect.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Marilyn Monroe: I am actually quite a Marilyn Monroe fan, I find her fascinating and inspirational. But she (or a glaring imitation of her) has no place in Wonderland. The actress Marilyn Montague gets up and sings a sultry version of Unhappy birthday for the prince... Come on, right on the nose! And so not Wonderland-ish!

Alice: Is there a word for MC's who don't play any active part in their own stories? If there is, then that's what Alice is. She doesn't do anything actively until the last 20 pages...

Monotonous: Usually a story is comprised of highs and lows, of active parts and slow parts. This is all slow, all one note and completely monotonous.

Wonderland: Yes, I earlier wrote that I liked the upside down feeling of Wonderland. But there is another aspect of the original Wonderland that was completely missing from this book - the Wonderland, where anything can and will happen, no matter how little sense it makes. In Wonderland, a turtle and a gryphon can sing songs, hatters and hares have tea parties and white rabbits wear pocket watches. But in this version of Wonderland hardly anything happened, and certainly nothing unexpected or wonderous...

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Profile Image for Tahera.
743 reviews282 followers
November 1, 2019
I still haven't read the original Alice in Wonderland books. But I have watched the animated and movie versions of the books so I guess I am not that clueless when it comes to the story.

Ever Alice is a re-imagining of the original story. In this book Alice is now a 15 year old girl who is considered mentally ill by everyone around her and is institutionalised because she keeps insisting that her stories about Wonderland are true! While in the asylum, the doctor prescribes a new experimental treatment. At first, Alice is alright to go ahead with it but gets cold feet on the day of the procedure and while escaping finds herself going back to Wonderland. But she finds Wonderland a changed place as well....it is a darker and more ruthless version of the Wonderland she knew as a child and she's not sure what to make of it. Even her old friends, the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter seem to have developed ruthless personalities with dark motives of their own.

The ending will definitely make the reader question.....what is real???

This is a well written book although it is a bit on the darker and depressing side of what one would, I think, expect from a Wonderland story.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an e-ARC of the book. I will go with a 3-3.5* rating.
Profile Image for Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore.
942 reviews244 followers
March 15, 2019
My thanks to NetGalley and Red Rogue Press for a review copy of this book.

Ever Alice is pretty much a sequel to the Alice books taking place when Alice is fifteen. Alice has never ceased to believe in Wonderland and those she met there, but in the “real” world, this has meant that people, her parents and sister included, do not think her “normal” but “mad”. As a consequence, she is now undergoing treatment in a mental facility, dreaming of returning to her family one day. On the other side, we see the Queen of Hearts, here Rosamund, who is turning more and more ruthless as time passes, and beheading whoever irks her in one way or other, their innocence being of no consequence. The White Rabbit (here Ralph) comes to Alice and seeks her help in doing away with Rosamund. Alice does not wish to kill anyone but does want to escape, even more now that she is going to be subjected to new treatments to “cure” her at a different facility. Once in Wonderland, Alice finds herself placed as one of the Queen’s ladies alongside Bess (the Duchess with the pig baby), who hates her, and Sabrina who wants to be her friend. She also finds herself falling in love with the Prince of Hearts, Thomas. But plots to do away with the Queen are very much underway, and Alice is a part of them whether or not she wants to do any actual killing, while the Queen on her side is trying to secure her throne by getting rid of Constance, the Queen of Spades, and anyone else that she is in a mind to. How does Alice fare amongst these plots and counter plots?

I loved that so many of the characters that we are familiar with from the Alice books (this is probably the first sequel/retelling that I’m reading) are there in the book with “new” names—Ralph the white rabbit, Sir William (the Hatter), and Charles (the Dodo) besides the Duchess with the pig baby (Bess) and others (With the new names, it took some time to get my head around how was who). There are also other characters that are new but springing from the books as well as those familiar from outside, such as Humpty Dumpty’s cousin (Marco Polo), Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum’s children, Lady Godiva, the Frog Princess, and Marilyn Montagu, the actress! The story for the most part switches between Alice’s viewpoint and Rosamund’s (though in third person) and so we see the other characters through their stories.

This was a fun sequel to Alice which for the most part keeps the humour and whimsical tone that one would associate with Alice (though it didn’t have perhaps what I would call Alice-y lines). I loved how the author created a skittles game (with armadillos and penguins) on the same lines as the original croquet, but very imaginative and fun all the same; and there is also another trial that Alice has to face. The plot was fairly interesting (though the Alice being brought back to kill the Queen bit is, may be, similar to the recent Alice films), and I liked how it played out with a fair number of twists and surprises along the way. (Even with characters who we “know”, things don’t turn out as we expect). For me though, after the first few pages, it somewhat began to drag for a bit (in the sense that I was enjoying it but not to the point that I couldn’t put it down or wait to get back to it), but then a little after the half way point, it once again picked up pace and I wanted to read on to see how things turn out for all the characters. The book has both light and dark moments—one point/aspect at the end was a little too dark for me, but it was definitely something that I didn’t see coming, and kind of left me with an eerie feeling.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, but not as much I expected to, so this was about a 3.5 stars for me.


This review also appears on my blog: https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2...
Profile Image for BookNightOwl.
1,084 reviews182 followers
August 5, 2019
I had so much fun reading Ever Alice. Thank you Netgalley for providing me an Arc of this book for an honest review.
Ever Alice starts off with Alice being in a mental institution for going "Mad." This book is basically a sequel written by a different author on what happened to Alice after she got home from Wonderland. In this book we meet all the famous characters that we met in Alice in Wonderland except they all have different names. Like the the Queen of Hearts whose name is Rosamund. This book was adventures at times made me laugh a lot and just brought me back to my childhood. I highly recommend this read.
Profile Image for Silvia F..
141 reviews20 followers
May 28, 2019
I’m usually excited about retellings as they can be a pretty cool adaptation of the original tales (I am a huge fan of the Lunar Chronicles). Being a big fan of Alice in Wonderland I was excited to see the continuation of the tale. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hold to my expectations. The idea was there but the character development I found to be a bit underdone. I’m giving it a 3* because there were some parts that were creative and quirky, and I must admit that the ending was pretty good. Overall though the book just didn’t hold my attention like I hoped. Please also keep in mind that everyone’s tastes differ so this could be a much more captivating read for a different reader.

ARC Received in exachange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Marta Cox.
2,859 reviews210 followers
April 26, 2019
Ever Alice is this authors thoughts on what possibly could have happened after the story we all know and love. Essentially we have Alice still enamoured by Wonderland and her belief and borderline obsession worries her family so much they are constantly seeking help and medical attention which leads them to place Alice temporarily in an asylum. All is not well though and Alice faces medical intervention that she realises too late will alter her permanently. Is it possible that Ralph the White Rabbit will reappear and once again whisk her off to Wonderland ?
The author takes the reader on an adventure that seemed to fit quite well within the original framework of Lewis Carrol’s acclaimed work. At once this is a beguiling story that is both dark and twisted whilst having eccentricity, oddities and even a touch of romance. Told primarily from two points of view we have the adventure that Alice goes on set amidst the downward spiral that Rosamund the Queen of Hearts is going through. Initially all the readers sympathy lies firmly with Alice as Rosamund clearly has stopped battling to hold on to sanity and her actions are truly heinous. However as the story drew to a close it appeared to this reader that Rosamund became much more self aware but alas I can say no more about the plot as it would ruin the surprises.
The characters most famous from the original story appear with one or two new additions to add extra interest. I enjoyed the poetic license used as the plot unraveled and the most obvious question of what actually was real and what imagined was handled in superb style that made this very believable although perhaps a little distressing for some readers. Bottom line this expanded the original story and should appeal to fans of Alice .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair.
Profile Image for Holly.
218 reviews73 followers
October 7, 2019
Think about it! Alice returns from her adventure in Wonderland and she can’t stop talking about the experience. It’s not at all far-fetched to imagine that her parents think she has lost her mind and has gone mad. So Mom and Dad do what parents did at the time — they send her off to an insane asylum.

She returns to Wonderland and is tasked with killing the Queen of Hearts but she doesn’t want to do it. Nearly all of the book takes place in Wonderland and it is fun to visit the place again. However, it did not captivate me and I had a hard time getting through it. The storyline meandered all over the place and the character development was lacking. Also, it didn’t seem nearly as whimsical as the original. However, it was a great premise but it was only touched on in the beginning and end.
Profile Image for Obsidian.
3,232 reviews1,145 followers
April 6, 2019
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Well not too much to say here besides the fact I didn't enjoy reading this one. I am always down for a fresh take on a retelling of a classic fairy tale, but Ramsay didn't do a good job of developing Alice or the Queen of Hearts. The flow of the book was not very good and I thought the setting of Wonderland could have been done up a lot more than it was. The ending also was a head scratcher to me.

"Ever Alice" follows a 15 year old Alice who has been packed away in an asylum by her parents. Though Alice keeps insisting that Wonderland and the White Rabbit are real, her family doesn't believe her. Now that she's older she still hopes she will be allowed to return home to celebrate her sister's upcoming marriage. However, things change again for her when she is taken to a new place that is dangerous to her. And when the White Rabbit shows again, Alice has a chance to return to Wonderland or be lost forever.

Ramsay decides to focus on not just a 15 year old Alice, but an older Queen of Hearts too. Honestly that ends up being a mistake. The writing between the two characters could not be more dissimilar. I ended up skimming a lot of the Queen of Hearts scenes because it was so repetitive. She's a mess and there's a lot of conspiracies surrounding her that I did not care one iota about. And I have to say that it doesn't get better when we switch to Alice's POV. This Alice is not that smart, but also sits around jealous because she has fallen for the Queen of Hearts son Thomas and wants him to pay attention to her. She's freaking 15 and hasn't even been around boys it would seem and her obsessing about Thomas and her "mission" just didn't get together very well.

Other familiar characters from Wonderland show up her, the Cheshire cat, The White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, etc. and none of them shone. There is a plot line about the Queen of Hearts and why Alice is rescued by the White Rabbit that made zero sense. And it just felt like Ramsay wanted to mix things up a bit and make this book more similar to the Alice in Wonderland movies directed by Tim Burton. But with an even more shallow look at characters.
The flow was not that good. I think jumping back and forth between Alice and the Queen of Hearts wasn't a good idea. When Ramsay gets to the ending though is when things take an even more strange turn. One wonders if the author is hoping to turn this into a duology or what.

The setting of Wonderland was flat to me. I just finished "A Blade so Black" and I had the same issues while reading this book that I did while reading that. This book reads as if the author has just a low level knowledge of the Lewis Carroll works and doesn't do anything new with them and or doesn't expand on them in different ways. Besides people talking in an exhausting way, there's not that much there with Wonderland.

The ending was a letdown and I was just glad to put this book down in the end.
Profile Image for gem.
756 reviews22 followers
February 13, 2019
4 stars! 🌟 🌟🌟🌟
I am a huge fan of the original Lewis Carroll books, and my house is full of Alice paraphernalia so I was really excited to read this latest reimagining.

The story focuses on a 15 year old Alice who is incarcerated in an insane asylum, and her parents and the medical staff are intent upon starting a new, radical treatment to forever banish her “delusions” of Wonderland.
Alice rails against this and (spoiler) finds herself once again back in Wonderland, although it’s even more topsy turvey than ever!

In the “real world” The book at one point mentions portraits of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth 1 and I felt like their infamous fight to be the true queen was echoed by that of Rosamund, The Queen of Hearts, and her sister, the Queen of Spades.
Rosamund becomes convinced of a plot to overthrow her, and pretty much wants to behead anyone and everyone who she feels is a threat.
Alice is brought back into Wonderland to kill the Queen and becomes embroiled in the secrets and scandals of the Court.
The familiar characters are given a bit of a reworking and this did sometimes make it hard to keep track of who was who, but once I’d gotten used to them I was totally immersed in the utter insanity that is Wonderland.
It’s full of danger and lies, but through the story there are so many absolutely hilarious moments and tongue in cheek references. (I particularly liked the nursery rhyme Lizzie had a Little Axe!).
I wasn’t overly bothered about the romance element, but the rest of the story was great and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to experience more of Wonderland.

It’s not as dark as Alice by Christina Henry or Splintered by A.G.Howard but if you enjoyed those you’ll love this too! (Or if you like the Dorothy Must Die Books by Danielle Paige.)

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Profile Image for Danielle.
42 reviews43 followers
April 24, 2019
~ I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

Unfortunately for me I just never managed to engage with this book, despite how much I wanted to. It was, in all honesty, quite boring.

When I think of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ the first word that springs to mind is ‘whimsical’, and this text just didn’t capture that. The only attempts were by changing words to have opposite meaning, and that just wasn’t enough. Additionally, I just felt the world created was just lacking life, which means I was disenchanted by it and thereby struggled to find the will to keep reading.

Maybe if I’d experienced the original I would have a different view, but ultimately it was a tad too dull, which is pretty unacceptable within a fairy tale retelling.
Profile Image for Elvina Zafril.
708 reviews104 followers
April 2, 2019
I rarely read retellings but Ever Alice felt like a sequel to Alice. Ever Alice is about what happened to Alice after she left the Wonderland. It was surprisingly a fun read for me.

The plot is good. The writing style is good which gave me a pleasant feeling to keep on reading. At the half way through the book, I was still unsure about how the book is going to end and that made want to keep on reading.

So many characters that I'm familiar were in the book. And some of the characters annoyed the shit out of me but I stayed until the end because the plot is good. The best part is when Alice met Rosamund, The Queen of Hearts. Alice was given an order to kill The Queen of Hearts so that she could go home. She was hesitating at first, but did she do it? I really liked to read from their point of views.

I liked the ending of the book. This retelling is much more than I expected. It was a total win, fun and creative.

Thanks NetGalley for sending me this eARC copy in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lydia.
14 reviews3 followers
March 5, 2019
At the beginning of the book, I did find it a bit difficult to get into, however, it was an interesting take on how Alice in Wonderland is viewed - a rather dark version of the story.

The writing style is good and the sentence structure is pleasant to read which always encourages me to read on as I can become more engaged in the story.

While half way through the book, I was still unsure on how the story was going to end and I was enjoying the intrigue that the author was providing.

Alice is a very likeable character so I sympathise with her which makes me feel more involved with the book. There is also quite a few surprise turn of events and how Alice deals with these seems very rationally and understandable.

I absolutely loved the ending, overall I wish there was a bit more action as it was a little slow going but the story itself was captivating.
Profile Image for Jess (BookObsessedJess).
215 reviews29 followers
October 5, 2020
I tried and tried and tried very hard. But I couldn’t get into this book. Maybe the headspace I’m in, maybe I am tired of Alice in Wonderland? (That can’t be it...) Who knows?

But I DNF this at 28%. I may give it a go at a later date. When my mind is feeling fresh and ready for it.

For now, dear reviewers, this one is a non-starter for me. You can probably tell because it took me well over a year and a half to officially shelve this one.
Profile Image for Kayla J. ~ Master of Dragons & Assassins.
159 reviews11 followers
January 25, 2019
description

Fun and quirky, Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay takes you on a wonderful adventure through the House of Hearts and the upside down world of Wonderland. Nothing is normal for Alice. Put in a mental hospital for her crazy ramblings about a white rabbit with a stop watch, she, unlike her mother, father, and sister, knows deep down that she's not mad.

Forced to transfer to a different hospital that participates in cruel tactics that 'treats' their patients, Alice is scared out of her mind and desperate to go home. The rabbit appears just in time to whisk her away to the palace of hearts, which is full of interesting people and creatures—"from the flower pickers to the pillow stuffers, from the pillow stuffers to the icing makers, from the icing makers to the tea stirrers, from the tea stirrers to the envelope lickers, and so on and so forth."

What I love most about this book is that we get inside the head of the villain just as much as the heroine. The Queen of Hearts is a character I absolutely love to hate. With her crazy ramblings and delusional beheading tendencies how can I not? Everyone should give this book a try! With the subtle and witty humor, I promise you'll get a good laugh.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Nayana Agrawal.
89 reviews23 followers
February 26, 2019
Okay so it took me quite a while to read this because of the joys of university education but hey, I'm finally done!

Even though I've read a couple books like this one before (Alice in the Wonderland angst-edition, asylums, everyone's crazy, blah blah) it was still surprisingly fun. The way it's written is so nice, with all the opposite words and quirks that belong to the original Alice in Wonderland but with all the dark concepts thrown in the middle. The perspective switching between Rosamund and Alice was especially nice (now that I've read the ending I see why they did that!)

I can't say much about it without spoiling it but I was going with a solid three stars until the ending-- The last page was SO GOOD AHHH I kinda want a backstory but also don't because that would ruin it (does that make sense)

So yeah anyway, I'd definitely recommend reading this book (it's out pretty soon! Look forward to it!), great fantasy elements and a pretty interesting plot with surprising bits of humor.

ARC obtained through netgalley.com! :)
Profile Image for LydiaTheBookaholic.
26 reviews4 followers
March 5, 2019
At the beginning of the book, I did find it a bit difficult to get into, however, it was an interesting take on how Alice in Wonderland is viewed - a rather dark version of the story.

The writing style is good and the sentence structure is pleasant to read which always encourages me to read on as I can become more engaged in the story.

While half way through the book, I was still unsure on how the story was going to end and I was enjoying the intrigue that the author was providing.

Alice is a very likeable character so I sympathise with her which makes me feel more involved with the book. There is also quite a few surprise turn of events and how Alice deals with these seems very rationally and understandable.

I absolutely loved the ending, overall I wish there was a bit more action as it was a little slow going but the story itself was captivating.
Profile Image for Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff.
1,685 reviews149 followers
November 9, 2019
It was a interesting twist to Alice in Wonderland, i really liked it and the twist that came with it. It didn't have the ending i'd hoped, but i like it nontheless.
Profile Image for Liis.
668 reviews142 followers
August 28, 2019
Everybody loves Alice.. and Mad Hatter and the Chester Cat and all the wondrous madness! And I was ready to be immersed in this story where Alice escapes the asylum, has to kill the Queen and ends up in danger again because OFF WITH HER HEAD but instead I found myself enjoying the start of the story, the ending of the story and some bits and bobs from the middle. The elements of Wonderland are definitely there. Uncomfortable is comfortable, unimportant is important, disgusting sounding tea is delicious and so on… but with all of the adventure for Alice to have and the big, Mission-Impossible-like plot underlining the story, I still felt the pacing was a tad slow. I wasn’t glued to the book when I wished I was…

Of scandal and intrigue there is aplenty in the court! Oh, and how much scandal and intrigue. We have a Marilyn Montague (the Wonderland copy of Marilyn Monroe down to singing an ‘unbirthday’ song in the sultry, drawn out tones) who wants to get in to the Prince of Hearts pants. Literally. It seemed like. And, we have the unexpected pregnancies – like in a proper telenovela! And, we have the Queen of Hearts who is .. you know, Queen of Hearts. Off the rocker!

When it comes to love? The attempt to make something sizzle in between 2 characters did not feel realistic, it felt more like a tool to use in advancing the plot at convenient times. Then again, they’re all bloody mad at Wonderland and if unimportant is important then maybe love is unlove, you know?! I am questioning myself now.. and for that I take my hat off to the book...

Alice herself is a solid character. The introduction of the asylum into this retelling is, in a sense, the logical thing to do to tie in with her first visit to Wonderland and how she ends up there again… But I have to say, with the twist of the asylum I also actually pity the character now. The Wonderland doesn’t seem all the wonderful and quirky no longer. The ending really left me reeling, and sad… Like, stunned silence sad. Hmm…

Ever Alice has a great, and I mean GREAT, fairy tale feeling. It has the vibe of the peculiarity that made us all love the original in the first place whilst also including the darker twists without which Wonderland wouldn’t be the same. No fairy tale would be the same without the darker undertones, come to think of it.

For me, the book was OK I am glad I read this- there was many a time it made me crack a smile, but ultimately, I found I wasn’t eager to return to the story. Maybe because it was too close to the original? Maybe. And maybe this is exactly what will appeal to the wider readership about this retelling!
Profile Image for Christy Ngo.
105 reviews9 followers
February 14, 2019
Other than fairy tale retellings, the other favourite thing of mine is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Until now, I still don't fully understand the book but I think that is why I'm interested in it and all Alice in Wonderland retellings.
I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving this opportunity to read and review this book.
This book starts with Alice being sent to an asylum because of her stories of Wonderland which made her parents worried.
The doctor who was supposed to make her "better" intended to start a new treatment in her to try to get rid of her delusions. Alice fought against this but was sent back to Wonderland.
When she got to Wonderland, she found out that she needs to kill Rosamund, The Queen of Hearts. She was at first against it but in order to go back home, she needs to her in the assassination.
It was dangerous for Alice when she got swept up in the scandals and secrets of the court. There were a lot of funny and confusing scenes but this is what makes me really like this book! Some scenes I needed to reread a few times to understand but Ramsay really made it interesting as the original book does to me.
Most of the characters however did annoy me quite a bit but the plot itself has made stayed until the end.
Profile Image for Kay Williams.
6 reviews
February 17, 2019
I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland. Whether it be spin offs or the old fashioned story, she has always been my favorite. This twisted book was beautifully written and had me so engrossed I couldn’t stop turning the page. Normally I dislike character hopping, but H. J. did so well in entwining the two that I didn’t even notice it.

Ever Alice has a plot twist that you don’t even think about until it’s too late, and your heart goes for one last loop on the roller coaster that is this book. The characters growth is phenomenal and I will hold this book close to my heart always!
Profile Image for Ailyn.
383 reviews15 followers
February 14, 2019
I have read a lot of Alice Adaptations, this is so far one that is humorous yet sad at the same time. While the author tries to stay away from the darker themes that most Alice adaptations have, I respect that this version actually touches a lot of mental health issues.
If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you might feel welcome with the return of age old characters and some new ones. A mixture of adventure and thriller, definitely does not disappoint.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
889 reviews25 followers
February 18, 2022
This book was everything. As a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, I was so excited to read this book.

I knew from the reviews a lot of people felt it was redundant but as a lover of the Wonderland story and having seen Tim Burtons movie about Wonderland I found the story to be fun, intriguing and quite fanciful. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

I loved seeing the story told from Alice's and the Queen of Hearts point of view and of course loved returning to Wonderland. I also enjoyed reconnecting with characters I have loved for years.

Overall this book was a total win for me. It was creative, fun and was full of everything you would want about a world where nothing is as it seems.

Thank you, NetGalley for this wonderful read.
Profile Image for Rachel.
1,454 reviews153 followers
September 28, 2019
*thank you to Netgalley,  H.J. Ramsay and Red Rogue Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

I struggled with this. Really struggled to get through it which is why it took me so long to do so. It was from page one that the story just seemed odd and out of place. The first few pages of a book are ment to let you quietly sink into the story while the world you are entering starts to show itself like a sunrise. Or sometimes in the first pages you get thrown into the story via the deep end. Neither of these happened at all. It felt scattered and I couldn't connect with it in a anyway. Even though the description sounded so positively up my alley, this unfortunately is a miss from me.
Profile Image for Alissa Wooters.
6 reviews
February 7, 2019
H. J. Ramsay’s story of Alice is creative and intriguing. Full of fun characters and great plot twists. Never quite sure what will happen next, Ever Alice will keep you wondering if Alice will make it out with her head.

I received a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
79 reviews8 followers
April 14, 2019
Ever Alice felt like a sequel to the original Alice in wonderland books. It was interesting to read perspectives of both the Queen of Hearts and Alice which was something I haven’t seen done before. I enjoyed reading about the somewhat bizarre customs of wonderland in Ever Alice and I loved the chaos of the court of the Queen of Hearts. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

I received this title on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Jypsy .
1,524 reviews72 followers
February 26, 2019
Ever Alice attempts to explain what happened to Alice after she left Wonderland. It's something most fans of the classic story have likely wondered. I'm not a huge fan of the original, but I decided to try this one anyway. I struggled through the slow beginning and got bored with it several times throughout the story. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this story any more than the original. Big fans of Alice in wonderland will enjoy this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for The Kawaii Slartibartfast.
1,004 reviews22 followers
January 29, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully absurd take on Wonderland.

Alice is scheduled to be lobotomized after being institutionalized for talking about her adventures in Wonderland.

The White Rabbit rescues her and the adventure starts as Alice is tasked with killing the Queen of Hearts.
Profile Image for Julie.
2,004 reviews630 followers
August 25, 2019
When Alice came back from Wonderland, her tales of White Rabbits, Mad Hatters, and insane queens landed her in an asylum. She's 15 years old now and keeps trying to explain to her parents and anyone else who will listen that her stories are TRUE and that she is not insane. But nobody will listen. The doctors want to try an experimental treatment on her, but instead she escapes, returning to Wonderland. But, Wonderland isn't much better than the real world....the queen is still quite insane. Alice didn't expect to be asked to kill her.

This is an interesting sequel to Alice in Wonderland. I liked it for the most part, except for the very end. I love Lewis Carroll's original so I happily read this re-imagining. The story is well-written and very interesting. I couldn't put it down! In the end, I just found it a bit too dark and depressing. Alice being treated like she is mentally ill was just a bit much for me.

Interesting story. Awesome new vision for a sequel. But it does touch on some dark and disturbing themes. Public execution. Mental illness. Extreme medical procedures.

I would definitely read more by this author. Ever Alice is her first book.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Red Rogue Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
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