Cover Image: Alister in Wonderland

Alister in Wonderland

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Member Reviews

If you know me at all, you know I'm a sucker for retellings. Add in a genderbend, and I just had to read this! I quickly fell in love with Alister and Madeline (and all the other characters); they're unique and quirky, and absolutely unforgettable. This was an excellent new twist on one of my favorite stories, and after reading this, I absolutely have to read more by this author!

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As an very big fan of all things Alice in Wonderland I was very excited for a chance to read a unique take on the story. Kamen has definitely provided that. I found that the writing style was great, the characters were new and modern, and I’m sure that the story is one many would I enjoy. The “small” changes to make the story different, modern, and more grown up just didn’t sit right with me. Once the 12 year old girls as executioners were introduced pretty early on I knew this story wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. I can certainly appreciate this new take on an old classic, but it’s just not for me.

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This is a gender bend of 'The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland'. I geuinely had a fun time reading this book. I really enjoyed the book. Perfect for those looking for a fun and quick read.

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The audiobook, "Alister in Wonderland" is an exciting retelling of "Alice In Wonderland," that even includes our favorite characters from many classic fairy tales. This is a gender bent story, so many of the female characters are male and vice versa in this book, and I very much enjoyed that aspect. The author did a wonderful job in creating characters that were different from the original characters, but also managed to make them similar enough that it was easy to tell who they were compared to the original characters.

The narrator did an amazing job! He really sounded like he was enjoying himself and put himself right into the story. I like it a lot when you can tell that the narrator is a fan of the story, himself.

As you may have notice, I did not give this audiobook five stars. Let me explain my thoughts on why I decided to give it four.

First of all, I don't think four stars is a bad rating at all! I didn't give it five, because of my own personal opinion on certain things, but that in no way should make you decide not to read/listen to it. This is only my opinion. I am only saying what I had a problem with, but if you don't have a problem with the same things I do, then by all means, you should read/listen this book!

Okay, so even though I really did enjoy listening to this audiobook, I did have couple problems with the writing. I might just be picky, because I'm a writer as well, but I cringed whenever the author used a word several times in one paragraph. I noticed this happening twice in this book; one time in particular really bothered me. I do understand why she needed to portray that description several times, as it did make sense to do that. However, I feel like she could have used a different word a couple of times to say the same thing without using the same word over and over again. I realize that may not bother many people, but it did send a shiver down my spine that I didn't appreciate. Lol.
My other, very small problem, was that for the first half of the book, the author tended to tell the story instead of show what was happening. "Show, don't tell," is a writing term that many authors feel is an important way to write books. I do, personally, believe that many times, it does work out well when an author "tells," and not "shows," though. While listening to the first half or so of this book, I felt like I wanted more of the description of the character's feelings, instead of being told how they felt, BUT after the first half, the book took a drastic turn for the better! It became more "show" and less "tell," and the story itself became more interesting, and exciting. I stayed up until 3 in the morning last night, listening to the last four hours. I could not just go to sleep and not know what happened!

The last three hours, in particular were amazing! Not only was the plot explained more through very well written backstories, but new characters were introduced into the mix that changed everything I though was going to happen. The conclusion was very satisfying, but also made me so glad I have the next audiobook to listen to today!

There is one, explicit adult scene that includes sexual content, so be warned for that. It was, though, well written, but definitely not for a younger audience, so please use your own judgement with minors.

All in all, I loved this book! This is my first fairy tale retelling that I've read, and it definitely makes me want to read the rest of this series. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves retellings and who love to read a good adventure. It was a wonderful read, and I look forward to reading the next book.

Thank you very much to the author for giving me the chance to review this audiobook for her. You are a fantastic author, and even though I did complain a bit about your writing style, it's not because I think you're wrong! It's just a different style than my own and what I typically give five stars to.

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I love Alice In Wonderland retellings, and this is by far one of my favorites. The author made it not only gender bent but also added a taste of BDSM to it. Alistair being a magical artist and not just some silly girl falling down a rabbit hole really helped the story line. I also liked that she brought in elements from a few other stories/ fairytales. We also got more than just the King of Hearts and Clubs in this one. We also heard from Diamond and Spade. Other than the errors that are seen from the arc copy I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend if your a fan of retellings.

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Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, and nothing to do with the actual book itself, I will not be finishing it. What I did read, while a little bit boring until the plot kicked in, was entertaining enough to keep my attention. The idea itself, Alice in Wonderland but gender-flipped, is a very cool concept, and from what I did read, it was done well enough to pull off without seeming cliche.

I did enjoy parts of what I read, but I would not recommend this book to anyone I know.

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Well, I wasn't expecting this twist in the Wonderland world.

This was cute, adorable, and wildly fantastical. It hit a lot of heavy topics as well, such as child abuse, bullying, death of loved ones - which helped in the backstory of not only Alister, but the King of Hearts, and even Madeline Hatter.

There were a couple twists in the plot I wasn't expected, so that was an interesting surprise. Like the jabberwocky. And even Madeline herself. I like that Alister comes into his own by the end. It makes me feel happy that he pushed past his fears. (He has a lot of them!)

Definitely not for kids. As there is also adult content with some sexy times.

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This was a fun read that comes out with a interesting way to retell a fairy tale. I throughly enjoyed reading this and I liked the author's writing style.

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Alister in Wonderland is an unusual take on the Alice in Wonderland fairy-tale. Alice is now Alister, the Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter are female as are other usual female characters.

This is a fun reimagining of the Alice in Wonderland story very close to the original fairy tale but with a modern, gender bending twist.

I read this novel in an advance ARC, and enjoyed it so much I downloaded Theodore Gale in Oz. This market itself I think as Young Adult, but there are scenes of a very sexual nature which surprised me, as I don’t remember those from the original fairy-tale.

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Alister in Wonderland is a new twist to Alice in Wonderland. Ms. Kamen breathes life and adventure to this new version. Alister finds himself in Wonderland where he has to overcome his many quirks as well as not only meeting new characters, but he's trying to keep his head right where it belongs, attached to his body. I found myself literally laughing out loud at his antics as well as trying to figure out the twists that Ms. Kamen captivates us with. I found Alister in Wonderland to be extremely well written. Ms. Kamen knows how to take a long loved and well-known tale and give it a twist to not only be true to the story but also be able to stand on it's own. Thank you Netgalley for introducing me to a new author. I look forward to reading more of her work.

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Alister in Wonderland is a amusing and unique twist on the story. It was well written and I would read more from this author.

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Even if I found this novel quite funny and well written I couldn't connect to the characters and the book fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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Alister Kingsley has had a horrific childhood which he escapes from by painting fanciful pictures of Wonderland. His paintings become sought after but his fame and fortune cannot help his fear. He is scared of everything especially women. He is suddenly plunged into the mad world of his imagination when he follows the white rabbit down the hole. It’s difficult not to write in cliches but KuroKoneko has managed to create a brighter 3D sparkier version of Wonderland. The descriptions are rich and detailed. I was wishing this was a picture book. It was fun but not too sweet. The perfect balance. I really loved this and plan to read more. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I actually had purchased this book from Amazon and I have to tell you it is a great new take on the Alice in Wonderland story. The author did a great job in making this story so entertaining.

I highly recommend Alister in Wonderland.

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