Ever Alice – BBNYA Finalist Blog Tour

This is the first of the blog tours for the BBNYA winners! There are more details on how to join at the bottom of this post – and congrats to H.J. Ramsay on making tenth place!!

BLURB
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.

Disclaimer: I recieved this book to read and review as part of the BBNYA 2020 competition and the BBNYA tours organised by the TWR Tour team. All opinions are my own, unbiased, and honest. For more information on BBNYA, scroll to the bottom of this post!

So, I read this in a single sitting – who doesn’t love a good Alice in Wonderland retelling?! It’s an easy read, and it’s evident that the author has put in time and research on the original book, and Ever Alice retains the…well, the absurdity of Carroll’s original text.

Whilst the writing style was a little too much ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’ for my tastes, I appreciated some of the more random lines that settle this firmly in the weirdness of Wonderland.

More than you can ever possibly count, times double, divided by half. This way.

The White Rabbit, Ever Alice

All the riddling nightmares of Alice in Wonderland are present, as are some fun nods to the original – I particularly enjoyed the daughters of the Tweedle brothers! Though it was a little difficult to keep track of who was based upon who due to some name changes (The Mad Hatter is called William, the Dodo is Charles, and the White Rabbit is Ralph), it’s fun to see this updated version of Wonderland that has grown alongside Alice!

Ramsay has built upon the original, and created a world with a house named after each suit of cards – I enjoyed this, and the new characters like the Queen of Spades and Madame Diamond, but there could definitely be some more development. I’m still confused about certain aspects of the Bull? Even after rereading the section about it, I do not understand what that whole bit was about, which puts a dent in the plot for me.

As for the narrative style, I liked the way the novel switched between Alice and Rosamund so we got both sides of the story. Both were surprisingly likeable! Alice was a grown-up version of the original character which was nice, and I actually felt a little bad for Rosamund by the end of the novel.

This being said, I couldn’t figure out how old Rosamund was supposed to be – factually, she’s an adult woman who has a son. However, she’s written in such a similar style to Alice that she feels about the same age, so I was stuck bouncing between the idea of her being about sixteen and maybe…thirty? Possibly?

However, the way that Ramsay wrote Rosamund as an unreliable narrator was GREAT. The sense of paranoia about losing her throne really comes through in the writing, and that pervading sense of madness clings to her throughout every chapter, every interaction, until you aren’t quite sure who actually is on her side.

With the exception of these two characters though, everyone else feels a little…bland. Thomas, the Prince of Hearts, is never given much development, and neither is Alice’s friend Sabrina. There definitely could have been some more intense plot-lines with these two that explore all the relationships properly. As it is, the romance between Thomas and Alice feels rushed, and I’m not sure I buy it.

Plot-wise, the book wanders in much the same way as the original. That would be fine if this was a children’s book, but a YA novel needs a little more tweaking – the beginning and ending are a really good frame for the story, but the middle could have done with more fleshing out. It’s almost as if the book is caught between wanting to be a whimsical fairytale, and simultaneously a dark murder plot, and doesn’t really know which way to go.

In terms of violence, this is a book about beheading people, so it’s not all sunshine and roses. Theres nothing overly gory, though it might be upsetting to younger readers (especially the idea of animals being beheaded, since not everyone in Wonderland is human). Judging by this and the character voices, I’d aim this at around 14-16 year olds.

Also, I’m going to linger on the ending for a second, because never before have I read the last line of a book and been chilled to the bone.

He grinned. “We’re all mad here.”

Cheshire Cat, Ever Alice

Such a great throwback, but absolutely terrifying. Read the book. You’ll understand why.

If you’re a diehard Alice in Wonderland fan, or a fan of retellings at all, you’ll enjoy this – there are plenty of references and easter eggs to find, and it’s a quick read for a rainy afternoon!

You can find HJ Ramsay on twitter @HJRamsay for more updates on her books – it looks like Ever Alice is now available on audible for those who prefer to listen!

The book is available on amazon in paperback and as an ebook, so go check it out! You can also find out more about the author and her work on her site.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where Book Bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors. If you are an author and wish to learn more about 2021 BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website or twitter @bbnya_official and follow this link to enter. Please make sure to carefully read our terms and conditions before entering.

If you are a Book Blogger or reviewer, you can apply to be part of the 2021 BBNYA panel via this form (also remember to read the terms and conditions before signing up!)

BBNYA is brought to you in association with the Folio Society – if you like pretty books, go check them out!!

Once again, congrats to HJ Ramsay!

Lots of love,