Heather’s Bookshelf: Once Upon a Wonderland
Author: DJ Stoneham
Released: 02/23/23
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy
“How right and wrong she was. One world in particular was about to change Alice’s life. Wonderland was waiting and it was entirely new in every way. … And as for Time, where Alice was heading, it was about to be broken so badly that it would be in no state to tell anyone anything. So badly that a host of vengeful fairy tale characters would slip into Wonderland behind Alice.”
“Once Upon a Wonderland” is a retelling/reimagination of Lewis Carroll’s classic and finds Alice as a college graduate. She has three previous trips to Wonderland behind her, including one that had her leaving behind the love of her life, Jack.
While swimming with her sisters, Alice is swept up in a current that transports her back to Wonderland. She soon finds some not-so-good characters have entered Wonderland in her absence. There’s also several fairy tale characters- all with a spin on their original stories- all on their own missions.
Time is also acting oddly, causing her to get younger with every hour that passes. If Alice isn’t able to find a solution to the time issue, not only will she not be able to get out of Wonderland, but everyone within it will also parish.
Trigger Warning: violence, reference to pre-marital sex, child abandonment/abuse
Overall, I loved this story. I have to qualify this review by saying that I love the Lewis Carroll original adventures in Wonderland. I recently went to a Wonderland themed adult tea party, have a pair of the most amazing Wonderland shoes, and even have a guest room decorated in the same theme. So, yeah, I went into reading this story with high expectations. I found out early on that this wasn’t just a Wonderland tale: it’s a retelling of aspects of several other fairy tales. I’m not talking about the animated ones from the House of Mouse either, these are the gritty and brutal originals- but with a twist. I found Ari’s character to be an interesting twist on the Little Mermaid and the Gen Z version of Rapunzel to be extra, in a good way. There’s other characters too, but I’ll leave some surprises for your enjoyment. The writing style is often reminiscent of the original tale- written in riddles and a roundabout way that can be a little on the slow side for pacing, but is a conversational and fun way to read. The way the author also matches Alice’s reactions and speech to her age in the story was also a nice touch in bringing a much more mature Alice back to the emotions and framed speech of the original tale. My favorite scene was (of course) with the Queen of Hearts. I loved all the tale twists and bringing everything together from the book into one scene was so vivid it could easily be seen in one of Alice’s “moving pictures”. This is vivid storytelling that pulls on your heartstrings for familiar characters while establishing a new and unique tale.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A quirky and modern retelling in Wonderland with many more fairy tale characters. The culmination of a witty tale and memorable characters results in a grand trial… I mean, finale.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with DJ Stoneham
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
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