Book 61 of 2015: Alice Takes Back Wonderland by David D. Hammons

After ten years of being told she can’t tell the difference between real life and a fairy tale, Alice finally stops believing in Wonderland. So when the White Rabbit shows up at her house, Alice thinks she’s going crazy.
Only when the White Rabbit kicks her down the rabbit hole does Alice realize that the magical land she visited as a child is real.
But all is not well in Wonderland.
The Ace of Spades has taken over Wonderland and is systematically dismantling all that makes it wonderful. Plain is replacing wondrous, logical is replacing magical, and reason is destroying madness. Alice decides she must help the Mad Hatter and all those fighting to keep Wonderland wonderful.
But how can she face such danger when she is just a girl?
Alice must journey across the stars to unite an army. She discovers that fairy tales are real in the magical world beyond the rabbit hole. But they are not the fairy tales she knows.
Fairy tales have dangers and adventures of their own, and Alice must overcome the trials of these old stories if she wants to unite the lands against Ace.
With the help of Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Snow White and heroes old and new, Alice may have the strength to take back Wonderland.

I received this book from the publisher, Curiosity Quills Press, for an honest review.

Alice Takes Back Wonderland, follows the journey of a teenage girl from our time. She visited Wonderland back when she was seven. The prologue and first chapter deals with the event and aftermath of Wonderland. Through the years, Alice had grown to believe that she was crazy. That is until a white rabbit appears . . . and he’s wearing a camo vest . . . and holding her father’s shotgun.

I was trying to think of a great comparison to this book and the only thing I could think of is the Shrek movies. Think about the fairy tales you know and love. Now toss them out the window. This is what Hammons has in store for his readers. It’s a fun read with action and inventive recreations of well known literary (and some historical) figures.

Basically, everything we know about fairy tales isn’t true. What you think you know, is only a recreation from an author who felt/heard an echo from the fairy tale world/dimension. The echoes aren’t explained fully, but they don’t need to be. It had a Doctor Who like quality where the characters have theories, but nothing is completely verified for the audience.

I loved the dynamics of Snow White’s life, the true story of Pinocchio, and the elaborate way Ace tries to take control. Each character had a twist that I wasn’t expecting.

Alice was an interesting character. She had a goal, but didn’t understand completely why her goal was what it was. She had different reasons, but nothing solid. It’s the same for every teenager. For instance, I knew what my goals were, but not necessarily why I wanted those goals. Alice was trying to find herself while trying to help others. It is very similar to real life.

Alice Takes Back Wonderland is a fun and quick read. It’s fast paced, filled with action, and pays homage to a bunch of literary authors. H.P. Lovecraft is among them (yes, I know!). If you love reimaginings of fairy tales (which I do), action (again, me), or just want a light read that does have something you can get out of; this book is for you.