I've had this series on my TBR list for quite some time, but I really wasn't sure what it was about until I started reading. Alyssa is a decedent of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Apparently the events from this children's classic actually took place and resulted in a curse on the women in Alyssa's family. She and her mother can hear the flowers and insects talking. Her mother couldn't cope and is now in a mental institution. Alyssa is determined to find the rabbit hole and end the curse that has plagued her family for several generations.
The majority of the story is spent in Wonderland. I thought Howard did a remarkable job of weaving the elements from the original Alice in Wonderland story into this dark and twisted version. The descriptions of the unique characters and settings were detailed enough to paint a vivid picture for the reader without detracting from the progression of the story.
My favorite character was Morpheus. He is the caterpillar from the original story who can transform into a moth as well as a man. Alyssa realizes he was not only her childhood friend, but he trained her for years on how to end the curse. He is a very arrogant character with questionable motives, but in the end I felt like his heart was in the right place.
Howard adds an additional twist by incorporating Alyssa's longtime friend and love interest, Jeb, into the story. There is quite a bit of tension between Morpheus and Jeb. As the story progresses Alyssa becomes increasingly less certain of her true feelings for these two characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and gave it four stars. I haven't seen the Johnny Depp version of Alice in Wonderland that came out in 2010, but I am extremely interested in seeing it after reading this book.
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