Clever retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Loved the characters! ( )

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.

I love retellings. So when I saw this steampunk retelling series. I was so excited and thought I was going to love it. I was wrong. It was ok. It was a quick read and had a lot of references to the original tale. It also was definitely steampunk, but still, I just didn't love it. Which really is sad cause I thought for sure I would.

I might continue the series. I guess I'll see if I find any interest later on. It's on Kindle Unlimited which is a huge plus, plus the books are short so makes for a pretty quick read. It had a romance added to it that I thought would make it even better, but really I could have gone without it. It didn't spark any of the happy feelings I get with a good romance story.

All in all, I am a little disappointed. I think that this could have gone a whole different way and been so much better. But to each their own. If nothing else, at least I gave it a shot.

How I choose my rating:
1* Hated it. I had to force myself to finish it.
2** Didn't like it. I didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other than for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this book's content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!! ( )

An interesting retelling.
Alice and William.
No cheating.
No intimate scenes.
HEA.
Epilogue. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Steampunk Fairy Tales. There are five books in this series. I borrowed this through Kindle Unlimited.

Story (5/5): This is a steampunk retelling of Alice in Wonderland. It mainly follows Alice (aka Bandersnatch) who has decided to leave her life of crime and make an honest living as a maid. Unfortunately, her childhood friend, Caterpillar (aka William), is in trouble with the Queen of Hearts. Alice gets drawn back into nefarious activities that only she has the skills to defuse in order to save those she loves.

There is a lot of action, mystery, and some romance in here. I loved the steampunk elements and all the clever references to the original Alice in Wonderland story. This was incredibly fun and I just found the story very endearing. It was great to go back and read this, it filled in a bit of what I was missing when I read the first Steampunk Red Riding Hood book.

Characters (5/5): I loved the characters here. Alice tries so far to do her best to live an honest living but her skills are much more suited to other pursuits. She is loyal to those she cares for and smart and capable. She was fun to read about and very engaging. I really enjoyed William/Caterpillar as well; he comes across as a trouble-maker at first, but as the story unfolds you find out he has very particular reasons for what he does. The clockwork cat, Chess, is delightful...as are a number of the side characters. The Queen of Hearts is incredibly well done, vicious and creepy with strange biomechanical steampunk tendencies. I just really enjoyed every single character here.

Setting (4/5): This whole world is well done, it’s a steampunk London and the story stays in the city. The particulars about how this steampunk London is run with the airships and layout are very well done. This was a creative and fun setting that was easy to picture.

Writing Style (4/5): This was well written and easy to read. We hear from Alice’s perspective mainly. The story moves along at a good pace, I loved the characters and the action. This was a quick read and was entertaining and engaging, no complaints!

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. I would recommend to those who enjoy Alice in Wonderland retellings. I enjoyed the setting and the action and loved the story and the characters. I definitely plan on continuing this series. I am eager to see if the other steampunk fairy retellings are as much fun as this one was! ( )

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Alice follows the boy who stole her employers pocket watch, Rabbit, back into the life she left behind. Into the rough part of town she returns, summoned. The love she once felt for William surfaces as the man he is now needs her help. Blackmailed into helping to save her sisters love, The Hatter, from his debt, Alice agrees to help Caterpillar.

Lesley's tone when speaking as Alice feels to fit her curiosity, which is the feel we get from Alice in many stories of her adventure. She has an opinion that she voices, not mean or rude, just a thought to add to the discussion.

Melanie writes Alice with the feel we would expect. A curious young lady with thoughts of her own to share. The story isn't as much falling down a literal hole like in the original story. But Alice living in a world full of wonder, and following a boy nicknamed Rabbit. The world created is full of steamwork and clockwork items. This blended with the steam and smoke draws a world of danger and mystery in which Alice is pulled back into. This is a talent as Melanie very craftily wrote the story in the actual living of the characters.

We see the world full of clockwork and steampunk from the beginning. There is a darkness to the story as well, particularly with one of the characters. Creepy, dark. But fits in the harsh life of the characters here. There is even a touch of magic present. Just a touch. Mostly the world is steam and clockwork.

There is a feel of double meaning to words, it's not confusing but tricky. Listen closely to catch it. I love how people have two names; real name and a nickname. Like William who's known as Caterpillar in town. Each name goes with a different part of his life. Which person is he when talking to Alice? William or Caterpillar? Both are of a different nature and are known for different things to Alice. This gives the twisty feel that we get from Wonderland.

Melanie touches on all the main characters from Alice in Wonderland in her remake. It was a nice game for me to see about spotting them all, though their names do give them away.

I was pleasantly surprised with Melanie's creation here. She captured so many important elements from Alice in Wonderland yet wrote a different story that feels true to the world. So well done! ( )