ARC Review: Death of the Mad Hatter by Sarah J. Pepper

Title: Death of the Mad Hatter
Author: Sarah J. Pepper
Release Date: 29th November 2013
Publisher: CreateSpace
Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review The Jack prophesied: If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.

Heads would Roll…
Hearts would Break…
In the end, would it matter who Reigned?

Detailed Review: You want my honest opinion? The book was yummy. It's impossible to not continue after reading the first page. That first page sucks you right in without letting you go. It's just like falling down a rabbit hole, endless and inescapable. This retelling of Alice in Wonderland is unlike other retellings. After glimpsing the title, I already felt quite curious about what it was about since it was unlike other titles such as Alice in Zombieland- which made the content seem obvious. But THIS was different. It gave an air of mystery.

First, I must comment on the originality of the story.  The essence of Wonderland is still there, which is described as- a world where the impossibilities of our most farfetched dreams come true. But the story took on a darker twist. It is more sinister and the story revolves around several prophecies and dangerous plots. It is amazing how the author managed to do this without changing how Wonderland felt. I mean- the idea of needing sweets to think straight and fight off the magic of Wonderland in our world? That is what I call creativity. It must be no easy task, I can assure you. 

And now I present to you, the two main characters- Ryley Edward Edgar and Alice Mae Liddell. They were very eccentric characters and I absolutely loved them. Both of them had contrasting personalities and this in turn made them stand out and blend in with the story at the same time. And as people say, opposites attract because both of them fall in love with each other, thus changing the course of the story. This is what makes the book different from Alice in Wonderland. The other characters are also very unique, such as the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts. 

The story itself is not only original, it pulls you in both with its mysterious quality and the smooth flow of the story. There are no sudden interferences (if you exclude the twists). It focuses on a prophecy and shows how the characters and the story itself revolves around it. This may seem boring to you, but it turned out to be quite interesting for me. And I can tell you, not everything in the prophecy came true. That's a twist for you. It should be tempting.

Finally, the cover, is very attractive and eye-catching. The white border complements with the content of the cover. I like it. So, cover judgers, you MUST not miss this. Sorry for the long review, thanks for reading!

*Note: I sometimes got a bit annoyed and frustrated because of the occasional mistake in the story but overall everything was very good. I hope the final piece is all perfect so you want have to go through the same feelings as me stumbling through some mistake.

Brief Review: Together with an interesting and wonderful plot, this book exhibited good writing skills with originality with some evidence of craziness in it (which is essential) and characters were perfect. I was satisfied after the end. But I do need more Alice and Ryley! 

Final Rating: 4.5/5 'Really Liked It!'

QUOTE:

  I quote from Alice in Wonderland in honor of it being a retelling,

We're all mad here.--Lewis Carroll 

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