This is just as fun and quirky as the original story of Alice in wonderland. I loved the pace of the plot and felt engraved with the story the entire time.

After returning from Wonderland, Alice's persistence about its existence results in her parents admitting her to an asylum where she can be helped. Alice, now 15 years old, is taken to a facility where a new procedure promises to cure her for good. Before her procedure can be performed, the White Rabbit appears and takes Alice back to Wonderland where she is asked to help kill the Queen of Hearts...if she doesn't lose her head first.

After Alice, is written in a similar style to the classic tale by Lewis Carroll. Many of the original characters from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland appear as well as a few new ones. I am typically drawn to retellings and while this isn't really a retelling but rather a continuation of Alice's story, I was very excited to read this novel. I love the cover art and thought the plot sounded very intriguing. Although Alice is the primary character, the Red Queen tends to be the main focus of the story. Most of the chapters are from Rose's POV and her interpretation of the events occurring in her court. Although I enjoyed the novel, the writing style, especially the "off with their head", got a bit tedious to get through after a while. The primary storyline involves Alice infiltrating the court as one of the Queens maids in order to help the aboveground organization murder the Queen. There is romance, violence, and mystery and the story ends with a clever little twist. If you love the writing style of the original story and enjoy retelling/continuation tales then you will find this novel very entertaining.

*Wipes away tears. Sniffs.*
That ending, though. It was so depressing! I like that it was different and that it wasn’t your standard fluffy ending, but, man, it was heartbreaking.
Despite this, I really did enjoy this book. It was fun, but also beautiful and captivating. The whole atmosphere of Wonderland was magical and strange. Ramsay did a wonderful job with capturing that characteristic from the original Alice in Wonderland. Also, Ramsay came up with delightfully creative phrases such as:
“More than you can ever possibly count, times double, divided by half.”
Alice was a sweetheart and I very much sympathized with her. She didn’t at all get the kind of love that she deserved. Even her friends (can you call them friends) in Wonderland were not always caring. As for Rosamund. “Off with her head!” Yes, yes. The lovely Queen of Hearts. It was super interesting to get the story from her point of view. And honestly, I even ended up feeling kind of sorry for her. Really, she needed someone who would take care of her. Perhaps she would change if she was removed from her position of power and treated kindly?
As for the plot… Well, I already mentioned that ending (I still don’t know what to think of it). Things started out at a good pace, moving from Alice in the asylum to Wonderland. However, about halfway through, things began to drag a bit. I felt that something important was going to happen, but I just kept waiting and waiting. And when it did happen, it was kind of a big deal, but I’m not sure it was emphasized as much as it could have been.
In the end, this was a clean story in terms of profanity and sex. However, there are a few beheadings. (Off with his head!)
I do recommend this one, though. It’s a creative and fun read.

Imagine a world where rabbits speak, cats can be invisible, and knights joust with licorice sticks and swordfish, Where a cake can make you shrink or a drink can make you grow. We have all heard of Wonderland, and Alice's adventures there, but "Ever Alice" gives us a new spin on Alice and her time spent in the magical land.
I very much enjoyed this book. I always felt that I hadn't gotten a good grasp on the character of the Queen of Hearts. In the original tales by Lewis Carroll we learn that she enjoys beheading people and cheats at croquet. I never felt that her personality and background were fully developed in my mind. Ramsay delves much deeper into the history and mindset of Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts. We get a glimpse of what has created her persona as a monstrous head-collector.
The author also shows us into the mind of Alice, and what could be causing her to "travel" to Wonderland. Alice's character is older now, and as a teenager, is dealing with first love, betrayal, and friendship. She is no longer the little girl portrayed in the original tales. We are also shown the terrible truth of the mental health field in the late 1800s, a major era in the development of the asylum.
Overall, I give this book 5 stars, and would recommend it to readers who enjoyed the original Alice stories, and those who are interested in the YA genre.

Sadly my favorite thing in this book was the cover and the font they used on the chapters headings. The story is beautifully written and the characters are interesting but for me the fact that I felt that I had already read it was a big problem. I would be interested to read something original from the same author though. If you like retellings of classics, this is the story for you. I liked the fact that Alice starts in the "madhouse", as an older character with a lot more independence that comes from being more grown up.

Cool concept (but not original as I felt the Unhinged series was very similar). The writing was a little clunky and hard to get into.

I decent retelling that's written well. Resembles the Burton movie in the aspect Alice returns to wonderland and the Queen of Hearts has gone mad and needs to be stopped. The beginning is slow and parts of the novel were drawn out and stretched thin. The novel is told in two povs, Alice & the Queen of Hearts. Both characters were hard to relate to and honestly unlikeable. In conclusion the ending felt rushed and made everything prior feel like a waste. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Ever Alice is a genuinely good read. Alice in Wonderland stories tend to be overdone. In my honest opinion, it's hard to create a unique story when so many have already been written on this same theme. However, this book has so many twist unlike the original that makes it so unique. It my opinion it may have even strayed a slight far from what it should of been due to a drastic character change.

Alice is back from her trip to wonderland and now is in a mental asylum for sharing her stories. She doesn't want to forget wonderland but she does want to go home. However, when the white rabbit pops up and needs her back because the red queen has gone mad (or madder) she will have to return to wonderland yet again.

One of the things that really upset me about this book is the mad hatter. He is completely redone and very unlike what the classic story made him to be. I know I complain about this theme being overdone, but the complete 180 on what his character used to be floored me. He even has a new name.

If you loved the quirkiness of Alice in Wonderland you will love this book as long as you can overlook a slight bit of character change.

I received this book free from netgalley in exchange for this review.

Written by H. J. Ramsay, this is a continuation of Alice in Wonderland, but Alice is believed to be mad by all and is put into an asylum.

The writing style of this novel was perfect for a continuation of Alice in Wonderland from the perspective of Alice and the Red Queen. As such, it is maddening how everything goes I circles! The style is that of the 1800s/turn of the century but is understandable, which is key to making this novel feel contemporary.

The characters were done justice, but still felt a bit flat. But, I am not the biggest fan of Alice in Wonderland so that should be taken with a grain of salt.

Overall, I think this was a good read for anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland and wanted to see her go back to Wonderland. This novel also presents an opportunity for an excellent discussion on how the ending can be interpreted.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Ever Alice in return for a review! 😊 Honestly, I have never read the first book and all the while reading it, I could only imagine about the movie. I could not ever separate this from that and it makes it difficult for me to read this book. I got bored so many times and tried my hardest to pay attention but I just couldn't. But if you're a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, you will enjoy this book.

I love reading different renditions of Alice in Wonderland. I especially like the ones that are a little darker in nature. For me this had the right blend of crazy (legitimately) characters and fantastical 'Alice-ness' that I was expecting. I loved that we got a sort of in-depth look at what was going on in the Red Queen's head, and that we saw her spiraling more and more out of control as the book went on. I never particularly liked the White Rabbit in any of the other Alice stories I've read (except for 'Alice' by Christina Henry) so it was a relief that I found him enjoyable in this version. As for the other characters I didn't really feel strongly to any of them. 

While the story itself seemed rather basic I found that I couldn't put it down. Thoughts of the book consumed me while at work and kept me wanting to book it back home so I could read more. The world building for me was very well done and I liked that while most of it felt like Wonderland there was still enough difference that I didn't feel like there was a blatant rip off of any other retellings.

There were parts of the story that had me wondering if I myself was going a bit mad. I would get confused at some instances and have to go back and reread what was written because the sentence didn't flow right. This is probably a result of it still being edited and when the final copy comes out it should be fixed. I am extraordinarily happy and thankful that the publishers sent a copy of this book my way before the release date as I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy come August. Thank you so much Netgalley!

A surreal and curious take on the Alice in Wonderland tale. In Ever After we explore the psyche of the mad red queen ‘Rosamund’, along with the famous and endearing Alice. As ever, Alice is an important cog in the workings of Wonderland where she soon spirals down into another death defying and typically peculiar adventure. The end comes with a surprising twist, except one that was not appreciated by myself in all honesty. While not altogether that original, my love for the classic tale and all it’s many accompaniments holds no bounds and I greatly enjoyed visiting the rich world of Wonderland one more time.
Fans of Lewis Carroll’s dream-like classic will savour the opportunity to lose themselves in another Alice adventure.

Hello, I will be adding this review to my blog, instagram, and goodreads on July 22nd, 2019. It will also be added to Amazon and Barnes & Noble (if applicable) on the publication date. Links will be added when they are live, thank you.

Title: Ever Alice
Author: H.J. Ramsay
Genre: YA Fantasy/Retelling
Publication Date: August 1st, 2019
Rating: 2 stars

eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

->Click for Synopsis<-

Alice's tale of Wonderland put her in an asylum. She decides against an experiment and finds herself in Wonderland again with the White Rabbit. It's a whole new adventure and hopefully she can keep her head.

I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. I have read it multiple times and have multiple editions. Unfortunately, this book wasn't what I was expecting and not in a good way.

The plot was an interesting take on what happens after for Alice. It was different than other retellings and I appreciate a new spin on it, especially with the added part about the asylum. Even with the unique additions this retelling had the plot felt slow. The writing was meant to resemble the original story but it just wasn't the same silliness I have grown to love.

When it came to the characters, the original cast was present, some more than others. The Mad Hatter didn't feel like his unusual self in this which was really disappointing as he is one of my favorite characters. New characters were added but they lacked in depth for me.

Overall, it was an original retelling but it lacked in certain areas where more details were needed. Although it wasn't for me, I still think that other Alice fans would love this interesting and unique retelling.

Not my favorite read. I was excited because I love the original, but this story didn't grab me at the beginning so it was difficult to finish. The ending was unexpected, but getting there was like trudging through muck.

Hello! I really enjoyed reading this book however I did have problems with the formatting for the kindle.
Overall I enjoyed the themes and because I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, it was completely up my alley.
Although I wouldn't blame the writing of the book, it did take me a while to get into the book due to being on kindle. But I would love to pick up a physical book to see if my enjoyment of the book improves!
Would recommend this book for people who are fans of the Alice in Wonderland world. Very quirky!

I'll be the first to say that I'm pretty biased when it comes to anything revolving around Lewis Carroll's imaginative world of Wonderland. So when the opportunity to read Ever Alice before it's publication date came to me, I jumped at it.

My first exposure to Alice and the rest of Carroll's cast of characters was through the Disney animated film, which was released in 1951. Of course I wasn't alive when it was released but I can remember watching the film when I was as young as 5 or 6 years old. I remember distinctly because I had this notion the film was actually called 'Allison's Wonderland', and would prance around claiming that this was my movie. Being a child who loved the color blue,  having fair blonde hair, and who was named Allison after her paternal grandmother Alice, you can see where I got that notion from. Once I was old enough to read, I quickly realized that it was not 'My Movie' as I had always thought, but my fondness for the characters and the story had already been established. Moving away from the Disney interpretation of the story though, I jumped into both Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, and have held a respectable obsession with the stories for the better part of my life. I mean come on, my sweet 16 birthday party theme was Alice in Wonderland, complete with 'Eat Me' cookies and I blue dress for me. Hell, I've even tired to convince my sister that my Bridal Shower should be Alice in Wonderland themed, don't tell me that wouldn't be fun.

*Note we're getting to some potential spoilers*

Anyways, now that you know my life story and why I love a good Alice retelling, you can appreciate my bias a bit more, which is the whole reason I bring it up. Back to the Ramsay's story though, it's definitely not for people who want a 'whimsical' read. I know, I know, Wonderland is all about whimsical and nonsenical story telling, but keep in mind  the whole premise of Ramsay's story is to answer the question, "What if Alice was really mad, what would 1800's England society have done with her?" And the answer to that, is put her in an freaking insane asylum, because someone who demonstrates paranoia, delusions, and signs of hallucinating would most certainly be put away.

The story picks up 15 years after Alice's first encounter with Wonderland. She's been locked up in an asylum after her parents have grown tired of Alice's stories. When her doctor decides to give an experimental treatment a try, the white rabbit shows up just in time to save Alice and bring her back to Wonderland. Once back in Wonderland, Alice discovers things are worse than when she left and it's up to Alice and the Aboveground secret organization to stop the Red Queen before it's too late. The story line itself was okay, in the sense that it was engaging, fun, and held true to most of the original stories. I enjoyed the main characters having different names, ie. The White Rabbit's name is Ralph and the Mad Hatter is William, while they still kept their same defining characteristics. 

The narrative alternates between Alice's and the Queen of Hearts, which I generally favor multiple POV's.  I throughly enjoyed the dynamics between the two and also getting a glimpse into The Queen of Hearts' headspace. Ramsay did an excellecnt in character building between the two and I found myself getting increasing annoyed with The Queen, simply because she is without a doubt, mad. 

The thing I didn't really enjoy about the story line though, is how much I kept thinking back to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie. The conflict between the Queen of Hearts and the Queen of Spades (white queen) felt predictable and as if I'd seen it before. The fact that I simply love the characters (& Ramsay did portray the characters well) and the ending is what saved this book for me. Though the ending did feel a bit rushed for me (there were a handful of things I need more answers on), the last couple of pages sucked me right in. 

If you're an Alice in Wonderland Ramsay said in her Author Note, that she "figured it would stay under the heading of 'never-to-see-the-light-of-day'." I for one am glad that it did see the light of day. It kept the whimsical, off it's rocker vibe from the originals while playing with where the lines between fantasy and reality blur. I promise you will be left wondering which reality is real.

A rather dark Wonderland story. Ever Alice follows Alice back to Wonderland. In this book, Alice is a young teen whose parents sent her away to get help. Her stories of Wonderland concern them so she is sent to an asylum for treatment. In Alice's mind Wonderland was real and she is sad that her parents don't believe her. Alice's hopes of going home are shattered by a promising treatment that may possibly harm her. The White Rabbit saves her by taking her back to Wonderland with the intentions of her to kill the Queen of Hearts.

The story is told from alternating view points of Alice and the Queen of Hearts. I really liked the portrayal of the Queen, quirky and witty. This is a great tale of those who love Wonderland. Highly recommend!

It was another cute stroll into the world of Alice and Wonderland. I say "another" because I feel like it has been touched on before, but I love the familiarity of it. I would buy this book due to my adoration of the subject alone.

If you love Alice in Wonderland then you'll love this. II haven't read the books, but I've read other retellings and watched the movies.
This on had a unique twist, that I'm not going to go into detail about because you HAVE to read it!! It felt like it was kinda written as a sequel to the others. It was pretty good, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I'm glad I read it.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

I struggle with retellings but this sounded intriguing and I wanted to give it a go. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. It was slow and dull, and I didn't finish.