This was an excellent read. I like the interesting interpretation on Alice in Wonderland. The book pulled me in from the first chapter.. I absolutely loved it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book for fantasy lovers and Alice in Wonderland fans.

How do you retell Alice's Adventures in Wonderland without retelling the story that we all know and have read dozens of times?
Martin Baynton brings a modern zest and perspective in this riveting retelling, and sequel of a kind, of the classic with an Alice, whose head is full of knowledge and sassy personality whose adventure is only just beginning.
In this first book of the Taking Wonderland series, we follow Alice as she descends the rabbit hole from a school suspension to her estranged family estate, where things seem just a little bit off.
A truly gripping and twisted take on the story, which left me wanting the next book.

I couldn't contain my excitement about this book! Martin Baynton truly outdid himself by giving us a fresh take on Wonderland and introducing a lovable new Alice. The way this book is written and paced is simply mind-blowing. It's like a rollercoaster ride with surprises waiting on every page. And those last four chapters? Baynton definitely knows how to leave us hanging on the edge of our seats. What a thrilling cliffhanger!

This was an interesting start to a story, with the way it blends the well known tale into the more real world sort of fiction. It seems just a piece though, with an abrupt ending.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for a copy for an honest opinion.

I will always love me a good Alice book/ retelling. I admit I rushed through this book to read it in time, and in doing so, I think I missed some things. But, I also think this book will be better on a second read. There were only a few grammar and spelling mistakes that needed to be fixed before publication (one of my biggest pet peeves but nobody is perfect). Alice, our main character of course, I absolutely loved. At first, I didn't like her, thought she was snotty, rude, entitled... But she snuck up on me and I find her absolutely hilarious. Peter on the other hand.. I don't know. I don't really like him because he's just kind of there. He doesn't have much personality in my opinion. I love the mysteries this book has included: why have the wonderland folks lost their memories? Who were they before and what happened? Where is great aunt Alice? What is the secret to safe passage? It's what really drew me in to this book. Alice is quite smart, always thinking in terms of science, logic, and math (STEM girl yasss). I could've used some more Wonderland in this book but I have a feeling the next book will be full of it. This novel does end on a cliffhanger. The book was well written, engaging (except Peter, go away please), and funny. It kept my interest more than I thought it would initially but I am pleasantly surprised. My first four star of the year :) I can't wait to read this again when this comes out and will be looking forward to the subsequent books in the series.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Secret of Safe Passage. The author has done am excellent job of taking a beloved classic, and adding a modern spin to it.

I found the writing style itself to be excellent, although there were some technical issues such punctuation and missing context etc, but I personally did not find this distracting though it could be an issue with other readers.

The storyline was wonderful, easy to follow and engrossing to read.

The main character was unlikeable for much of the book I found, but again, I did not find this to be too distracting or enough to make me stop reading.

Overall, I really quite enjoyed this and look forward to seeing where this can go in future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

The little girl in me is screaming about this book. Martin Baynton did an amazing job reimagining Wonderland and creating a new Alice for us to love. ( With honorable mention to the amazing Aunt Martha and the delightful Uncle Bertie)

This book is so well written and the pacing is amazing. There is new information on almost every page and Baynton really said “watch what I can do” in the last four chapters. WHAT A CLIFFHANGER TO LEAVE US ON


I am really looking forward to reading the next two books in this series and definitely recommend reading this