Ever Alice

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Pub Date 01 Aug 2019 | Archive Date 31 Jul 2019

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Description

Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure. When Alice decides at the last minute not to go through with it, she escapes with the White Rabbit to Wonderland and trades one mad house for another: the court of the Queen of Hearts. Only this time, she is under orders to take out the Queen. When love, scandal, and intrigue begin to muddle her mission, Alice finds herself on the wrong side of the chopping block.

Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental...


Advance Praise

In this historically relevant fantasy, Ramsay honors Lewis Carroll’s work while expanding how readers connect with Wonderland … This trip to Wonderland delivers a mature, lasting jolt. (Kirkus Review)


The book is smart in its movements forward—maintaining its suspense, forwarding intriguing adventures, and even including additions like ghosts. The queen herself is a compelling villain, painted as unpredictable and surrounded by characters whom she cannot trust, including her maidservants and family. The tension around her heightens interest, particularly as cases of theft and death in the castle increase. The book’s revelations are continually surprising … Ever Alice is an enthralling take on a classic story. (Clarion Review)


With whimsy and humor, H.J. Ramsay drops Alice—and readers—back down the rabbit hole to Wonderland for a new adventure in Ever Alice, an imaginative narrative continuing the adventures of Lewis Carroll’s young protagonist and the fantastically strange world she discovered … In all, this is a rabbit hole well worth tumbling into. (BlueInk Review)

In this historically relevant fantasy, Ramsay honors Lewis Carroll’s work while expanding how readers connect with Wonderland … This trip to Wonderland delivers a mature, lasting jolt. (Kirkus Review)


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Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780996923941
PRICE $14.95 (USD)

Average rating from 472 members


Featured Reviews

Fun and quirky, Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay takes you on a wonderful adventure through the House of Hearts and the upside down world of Wonderland. Nothing is normal for Alice. Put in a mental hospital for her crazy ramblings about a white rabbit with a stop watch, she, unlike her mother, father, and sister, knows deep down that she's not mad.

Forced to transfer to a different hospital that participates in cruel tactics that 'treats' their patients, Alice is scared out of her mind and desperate to go home. The rabbit appears just in time to whisk her away to the palace of hearts, which is full of interesting people and creatures—"from the flower pickers to the pillow stuffers, from the pillow stuffers to the icing makers, from the icing makers to the tea stirrers, from the tea stirrers to the envelope lickers, and so on and so forth."

What I love most about this book is that we get inside the head of the villain just as much as the heroine. The Queen of Hearts is a character I absolutely love to hate. With her crazy ramblings and delusional beheading tendencies how can I not? Everyone should give this book a try! With the subtle and witty humor, I promise you'll get a good laugh.

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This book was received as an ARC from Red Rogue Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I always love renditions of my favorite fairy tale Alice in Wonderland. This one however took kind of a dark twist where society has labeled Alice as insane and admitted her into an insane asylum. Her friend that helped her escape to Wonderland in the first place the White Rabbit escapes her again from the Asylum and she is ordered now in the Queen's court and ordered again to kill the Queen and reign as the new Queen of Wonderland. This out of all the renditions I have read in my career has to be my favorite because it had so much action and conflict that it became edge of your seat excitement and not want to be put down.

We will consider adding this title to our YFantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

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I loved Ever Alice. This is probably one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. The whole idea behind this book was so unique and fun that I think it would be difficult for anyone to dislike this story. All of the characters were well developed and likable. The book itself was told from the perspectives of three people, two of them being Alice and Rosamund (the dreaded queen of hearts). The third POV character was a doctor and we only heard his thoughts for a page or two near the end. His knowledge of affairs concerning Alice was very cleverly woven in to clear up a question or two the reader might have had. Or perhaps to raise a few, if they hadn’t been preceptive enough to catch the clues sprinkled throughout the story. The plotline was paced well and fantastically crazy. I constantly found myself dreading the approaching ending yet unable to stop reading at the same time. Anyone mad enough to pick this book up won’t be disappointed.

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Loved this take on an old fairytale! Very imaginative and sequel like! Can’t wait to encourage my students to check out this Alice novel!!

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Thank you netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh. My. Word.
I've loved this book from start to finish. It has moments light humour, moments I found myself chuckling away to myself, moments where I cried and moments where I was utterly shocked. I love retellings of Alice in Wonderland and Ramsay's style gives this story exactly what it needs in exactly the right places- hits the balance between light and dark and blows the reader away. The writing is so lewis-esque that is just a delight to read. Utterly fantastic - will be recommending this to everyone!!!!! Thank you so much

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What an amazing gift to be able to once again visit Wonderland and all of the beloved characters existing there. In "Ever Alice" we find our darling Alice older and having issues dealing with her previous trip to Wonderland. As the story unfolds we again meet up with our favorites in a story that moves briskly and imaginatively. This next chapter in the life of Alice is intensely true to character, and lovingly respectful of the original story and characters. I highly recommend this literary offering!

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Love this book! Quite a different spin on Alice in Wonderland. Characters are relatable and storyline well thought-out! Definitely a keeper.

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What a fantastic concept for a novel! Part fairytale, part psychological thriller, imbedded with characters and language that made Alice in Wonderland a childhood favourite, Ever Alice is a fantastic homage to the original tale by Lewis Carroll.

Firstly, let’s address that cover. I love the simplicity of it, the bright orange with the black and white, the silhouette of Alice. I hope it remains like this through publication because I think it’s eye catching and beautiful.

Secondly, the plot. It is such a brilliant idea. Alice, now 15, has been sent to an asylum due to her belief in Wonderland. Her parents have tried all kinds of doctors and finally, this is the last resort. The thing about this is, if Alice in Wonderland were real life, that is probably exactly what would have happened to her, particularly in the 19th century when this is set. However, the asylum doesn’t appear to be working, and she is sent abroad for more drastic measures. Just as life-altering surgery is about to take place, Alice is rescued by the White Rabbit, whose actual name is Ralph. She is swept back into Wonderland but this time she has a mission. She must kill the Queen of Hearts.

It is also very refreshing that the story is told in alternating chapters, by Alice and by Rosamund, the Queen of Hearts. Having the two perspectives somehow rounds out the story nicely, giving us different threads of information to piece together. The characters are wonderful, and old favourites such as Chester the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter are key members. There’s also Marco Polo, cousin to the late Humpty Dumpty, and a Princess frog who wants to marry the Prince of Hearts.

With lots of crazy action, hints of love, hilariously obscure dialogue, bizarre happenings, and an epic plot planned, you can’t not love Ever Alice. So come leap down the rabbit holes, through the twists and turns and shrinking doors, and fall in love all over again with Wonderland.

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this book was everything. As a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, I was so excited to read this book.

I knew from the reviews a lot of people felt it was redundant but as a lover of the Wonderland story and having seen Tim Burtons movie about Wonderland I found the story to be fun, intriguing and quite fanciful. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

I loved seeing the story told from Alice's and the Queen of Hearts point of view and of course loved returning to Wonderland. I also enjoyed reconnecting with characters I have loved for years.

Overall this book was a total win for me. It was creative, fun and was full of everything you would want about a world where nothing is as it seems.

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If you don’t know me, a fair warning going into this review: I’m an Alice in Wonderland junkie! In fact, so far, 5 of my 2019 reads have been Alice in Wonderland re-tellings. So going into Ever Alice, I knew there was a pretty good chance I was going to enjoy the book.

Ever Alice begins with a 15 year old Alice, having been admitted to an asylum after years of regaling her family and doctors with tales of her adventures in Wonderland. Upon being transferred to a new asylum with questionable procedures, the White Rabbit comes to Alice, pleading with her to return to Wonderland to kill the evil Queen of Hearts.

Has it been done before? Yes.
Will it be done again? Probably.
Will I read each and every version written? Oh, yeah!

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ever Alice, was that it was written as a sort of sequel to the original stories. That meant that instead of having characters that vaguely resemble your favorites, they were actually the same characters you loved, or loved to hate. Many different events from the original stories were referenced as past events, so it added a huge sense of, “I remember that!” Because of this, Ever Alice really felt like a continuation of the originals.

I read a few reviews in preparation to begin my own, and a lot of them seemed to think the story was boring. I didn’t find Ever Alice to be boring at all. I found it entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into the Queen of Hearts and her Queendom, and only regret that I wasn’t able to learn a little more about the politics of the the other Kingdoms and about Rosamund’s relationships with her family and lovers.

Though I did enjoy the story, it wasn’t without its issues. There were a couple aspects that weren’t ever fully explained. Mainly the disembodied heads. What the heck happened with those guys? And why did they come to the Queen yelling about revenge, and then try to help her find the plotters?? Seems like sort of an unnecessary and unfinished side-plot. The ending sort of felt a little rushed and not quite as planned out as the rest of the story.

On the other hand, Ever Alice’s ending shook me! I loved it! It was twisted, absolutely unexpected, equally awesome and totally worth the read!

All in all, If you are a fan of the original series, or Alice re-imaginings in general, I would thoroughly recommend Ever Alice. It’s an entertaining read that gives you a little bit of politics, a little romance, some nostalgia and a great big heaping pile of nonsense!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the Ever Alice ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

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I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland. Whether it be spin offs or the old fashioned story, she has always been my favorite. This twisted book was beautifully written and had me so engrossed I couldn’t stop turning the page. Normally I dislike character hopping, but H. J. did so well in entwining the two that I didn’t even notice it.

Ever Alice has a plot twist that you don’t even think about until it’s too late, and your heart goes for one last loop on the roller coaster that is this book. The characters growth is phenomenal and I will hold this book close to my heart.

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What really happens to Alice after she comes back from Wonderland? According to Ever Alice by HJ Ramsay, poor Alice's life is never the same. This tale takes readers on a journey with Alice back to the "curiouser and curiouser" world of Wonderland, reuniting us with favorite (and not-so-favorite) characters, and putting a whole new spin on this beloved tale.

When Alice returned from Wonderland in the original Lewis Carroll tale, life was supposed to return to normal for the silly blond girl. However, with no one believing her stories of talking animals and the Queen of Hearts, Alice found herself torn from her family and place in an asylum. There was only one way out of this situation, and that was a return to Wonderland, to the Queen of Heart's palace, and to a whole new adventure.

Alice is reunited with her beloved White Rabbit (real name, Ralph), who has a new mission for Alice - kill the Queen of Hearts. Then she will be able to return home and all will be well. What Alice doesn't expect, is to make friends in the Queen's court, and maybe even fall in love?

Ever Alice was an exciting and unique twist on the typical Alice in Wonderland tale. HJ Ramsay takes us deeper into the land we became familiar with in Lewis Carroll's original works and leads down a dark and sinister path of plots and intrigue. At times the story seems to be heading off a cliff, but Alice always finds a way to solve the problems and come out on top, even when it seems impossible. She is a beloved heroine and Ramsay does an excellent job of staying true to the whimsy and wackiness of the original Wonderland, while taking us on a whole new journey. Any teen, young adult, or even adult who enjoys the original Alice tale should definitely pick up a copy of Ever Alice.

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*ARC kindly provided by Netgalley for an honest review*
It’s a full 5 out of 5 stars!
This novel was such a fun and intense journey at the same time.
"Ever Alice" takes place after Alice comes back from Wonderland, back to the real world. She is very excited to tell her parents everything about Wonderland, but their reaction is not what she was expecting: they send her to an asylum, where she is being “treated” for talking about a place that does not exist.
Since the novel is set in the same historical period of "Alice in Wonderland", it’s no surprise that the medical treatments were extremely dangerous and violent and maybe this requires a trigger warning, although it wasn’t too graphic.
Right when everything seems to be lost the White Rabbit appears out of nowhere, asking Alice to follow him to Wonderland, because she’s the only one, "unimportant" enough, who could save them all from the madness of the Queen of Hearts.

I loved everything about this novel, but the writing was probably my favourite part.
I am a sucker for puns so I had high expectations on that front when I picked this book up and, let me tell you, I was not let down. The nonsensical dialogues were hilarious, but not too exaggerated to the point that it was incomprehensible, which is something I greatly appreciated, because it kept the writing fluid and simple.
The story is narrated from two different POVs: Alice’s and the Queen’s.
They had very distinct voices and I really loved seeing how after a while I started getting used to the Queen’s illogical thoughts.

I have to admit that among all the characters at the beginning my favourite one was the Queen of Hearts. I know that she was supposed to be the villain, but somehow, illogical as she was, I still felt some kind of relatability to her.

I think the only thing that I didn’t fully love was the instalove type of relationship, so “insta” that she fell in love even before meeting her love interest. But it’s Wonderland, nothing really makes sense so I’m not surprised. Maybe this was done on purpose to show how even relationships follow no logic at all in Wonderland. Moreover, this wasn’t exactly the main focus of the novel so it didn’t take too much away from the story, in my opinion.

The story had a few major plot twists, the kind that had me in tears one second and sighing in relief, that I surely was not expecting at all.
The ending had me crying and laughing at the same time and I loved that.
In conclusion, I loved this book and once it’s out I’m going to force all of my friends to read it.

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After returning from Wonderland, and sharing these stories, Alice ended up in an asylum. Her stories, and her unwavering belief that she had visited there made everyone dear to her believe that she has gone mad. After being visited by Ralph (the White Rabbit) who is asking for help to get rid of Rosamund (The Queen of Hearts). After returning to Wonderland, Alice learns that she has to help destroy the Queen.

This story was fun and quirky. The constant switch between characters viewpoints kept the story fun. I usually do not like stories that character hop, but this one was able to do it well.

I highly recommend this story.

I received an advanced electronic copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

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***I received a ARC from the publisher and Net Galley for an honest review***

This story is told from two points of view: Alice's and Rosamund a.k.a. The Queen of Hearts. It also starts off in two different settings an Asylum and Wonderland. What I really loved about this story is the author took a beloved classic and put a new, dark twist to it. There are also so many different twists and turns that you won't know how the story is going to end until the author wants you too. With this story being told from two points of view, you get a different story and you honestly get a deeper glimpse into the Queen of Hearts. In the classic Alice and Wonderland, all you really know about the Queen of Hearts is that she beheads people that cross her or make her mad, which is the same case in this story, however you get to see that there is more to her than what you originally thought. All of the beloved characters make an appearance and let's say a lot has changed since we first visited Wonderland. I loved reading about how my favorite characters lives have changed since the classic in this retelling. H.J. Ramsey gives you a whole new tale of Alice in Wonderland, but still keeps the spirit of the classic story alive. This is a story for a new generation, and I believe it could be as big as the classic if given the chance. If you love Alice in Wonderland, than you need to pick up a copy of this book, which will be released on August 1, 2019. Don't miss this new, dark, adventurous trip down Wonderland!

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Red Rogue Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice and Wonderland is one of my very favorite classics. I remember reading Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass over an over as a kid. Now that I am an adult I often seek out retellings because I find it fascinating to see what people kind of interesting takes authors will do with the story.

I found this to be a fun, quirky tale of what happened to Alice after she returned from her adventures in Wonderland. Alice is fifteen and never stopped believing in Wonderland even though everyone thinks she has lost her mind. Her family is so worried that they continue to try and find treatments for Alice. Hoping against hope that she will forget her obsession with Wonderland. When Alice gets a chance to go back to Wonderland to help stop the Red Queen she agrees. Though she doesn't want to kill anyone she really wants to help and is willing to do whatever she can.

I really enjoyed this. There was an almost off kilter feel to the book where everything thing feels slightly askew. If there was one complaint to be had it would be that though the story is about Alice she often feels like a supporting character to the story instead of the main character. That being said this was a fun read.

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