Ever Alice

By: H.J. Ramsay

Narrated by: Caroline Holmes

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2019 HJ Ramsay (P)2020 HJ Ramsay

A dark continuation of Alice in Wonderland

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

4.7 rounded up.

I was just curious when I started this book because it's not every day that I find an Alice in Wonderland retelling with a twist. Well, this is not exactly that. Alice is now 15 and was put into a psychiatric ward years ago for what doctors stated was hallucinations and a number of other issues.

I thought the re-imagining of the world was perfect and the audiobook narrators could not have been better. I have vivid images of each and every character, including their gestures and movements. I felt into the continuation of Lewis Carroll's book. H. J. Ramsay even kept the darkness children don't see when reading the original story.

As you may already sense, the character development is incredible and does not betray the essence of the ones we already know. It's funny, witty and quick.

Alice Returns with a twist!

The author, H.J. Ramsey provides a telling of Alice and Wonderland after the initial story. Told from the Queens and Alice’s perspectives, this is a unique and poignant book. Having returned from the magical place of Wonderland, Alice talked about it so often that her parents and sister not only worried about her but became embarrassed – they assumed she had a mental illness. As is so often the case, Alice was committed to an asylum. Desperate to leave and rejoin her family, Alice was prepared to do anything including an experimental procedure.

Not only is Alice in trouble but so is Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts is out of control and residents are plotting her demise. Alice must return to Wonderland to help save Wonderland. The characters are rich and aptly developed, there is room for more but given the true focus is on the Queen and Alice, I think the development was fine. We truly do get a clear glimpse of Alice and the Queen, especially at the end.

I was not prepared for the ending, the twist took my breath away, but was perfect! Totally unexpected. Although I have just finished the book a couple of hours ago, I find myself still reflecting on it and see that it will stick with me long afterward.
The narrator, Caroline Holmes does a steady and delightful performance. Each character has a unique voice that portrays their personality. I thought her performances of Alice and the Queen were outstanding. Her cadence for each voice was spot on for each character and was rich, lilting her voice accordingly for each.

There were no issues with the production or quality of the audiobook.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

It's Time for a Coup in Wonderland

In the real world, Alice is currently in an asylum being treated for her delusions of Wonderland, and when the staff at this asylum believe she’s too difficult a case for their methods, they move her off to another where the doctor there is practising new, physical procedure methods of treating mental illness. As Alice is facing the threat of what sounds like lobotomy, the White Rabbit returns and whisks her off to Wonderland once more to assist in the “Above Ground” resistance and their coup to assassinate the Queen of Hearts.

This is a unique Alice in Wonderland retelling/sequel peppered with just enough familiar phrases and faces from Twain’s original to make it feel like Wonderland while introducing enough new faces and plot twists that it feels fresh and unlike any other Wonderland story you’ve ever read. This version of Wonderland is darker than the sugar-coated children’s books you’re used to reading. This is not a bedtime story.

I very much enjoyed the very detailed and complicated plot to overthrow the queen and how believably scared and unsure young Alice is throughout the whole thing while still finding the courage and cunning to act when she needs to. I enjoyed the new faces among the Queen of Hearts’ court and the very different role given to the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Prince (sometimes Knave in other version) of Hearts. I’m not sure if I misheard the narrator of if the name was intentionally changed, but it would appear the Cheshire Cat is now named Chester and that detail I wasn’t so much a fan of. If you’re going to give him another name, why make it so similar to Cheshire?

On that note, though, I should comment that I enjoyed this narrator’s performance and this the audiobook file itself is excellent. At a little over 11 hours it’s certainly not an afternoon read unless you’re comfortable listening at breakneck speeds (though my usual 1.5-2x speed feels like conversational speaking pace in this recording), so I would expect a casual listener to take 3+ days with this one. Had I not been squeezing this into a blog tour schedule at the beginning of the month while my book club is tackling a Sanderson novel that I’ve also picked up in audiobook format I might have listened over the course of more than one day myself and savoured the ride a little more.

If you like fairytale retelling that shake things up and defy the conventions of versions past, this is an excellent Wonderland story to explore. Beware, however, as this is very much a dark fantasy and features medical trauma, murder, and accidental deaths.

I was granted complimentary audiobook access to Ever Alice as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Audiobookworm Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

A Delightful Continuation of Alice in Wonderland

Alice is now 15 years old and her parents are worried about her and decide enough is enough. She keeps talking about Wonderland and is now being taken to various doctors. The latest doctor has decided that he is going to commit her to the asylum. But after eight months of treatment Alice is no closer to being cured. She is then moved to another, nicer facility that has a new method of dealing with troubled patients.

At the same time in Wonderland, there is a plot to end the Queen’s life and the White Rabbit needs Alice’s help so he helps her escape. What follows is a Wonderland adventure full of lies, treachery, a little love, and a Queen that needs to be stopped.

I am a huge Alice in Wonderland fan and couldn’t say no when I was offered this book to read. I really enjoyed the story and the romp through Wonderland. Plus having an inside look into Rosamund’s mind really shows her level of madness.

Caroline Holmes does a fantastic job of narrating this. She had a great variety of characters and I had a hard time walking away from this story because of it and her narrations.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend you check it out. It is a great addition to the various Wonderland stories and I loved it. I can’t wait to read more from H.J. Ramsay.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to listen to it and write an honest review.

Ever Alice

4.5 stars rounded up!
Wow, I didn’t expect to enjoy this audiobook as much as I did! This original retelling felt almost like a sequel to the Lewis Carroll classic: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Ever Alice features some new and familiar characters who have developed more sinister personalities. Told between two POVs, Alice and Rosamund (the Queen of Hearts), we see the full spectrum of whimsy and madness in Wonderland. I especially enjoyed the bit of love story and tense moments! And that last chapter... mind blowing! I am still thinking about it days after listening.

Personally, I feel that audiobook narrators can make or break a book. Caroline Holmes does an excellent job telling this fun and deliciously dark tale! Highly recommended story and audiobook.

*I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by H.J. Ramsay. Thank you! The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A Wonderful Trip Back Down The Rabbit Hole...

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A fantastic deep dive into the aftermath of author Lewis Carrols classic tale, Ever Alice does an amazing job of standing on its own feet while still paying tribute to such an iconic story. The narrator brought a sense of classic English literature to the retelling of this novel, capturing the elegance and grace that the themes of royalty and the setting of the 1800s in her delivery.

The thing that really stood out to me while reading this book was the way the author mirrored real-life tales of royalty and betrayal. The spiraling nature of the Queen of Hearts and her capturing of the Queen of Spades reminded me of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I, which as a history buff was a great addition to the fantasy element of the narrative. The way the author delves into both Alice and the Queen of Hearts stories was interesting to see, the complexity of their journeys layered perfectly.

A fascinating, entertaining, and engaging journey through Wonderland, author H.J. Ramsay’s “Ever Alice” is a fantastic audiobook. The story is magical and the characters both old and new highly complex and thrilling in their depictions. The surprise ending has me as a reader hooked on this particular fantasy world, and everyone should check out this book for themselves. Be sure to grab your copy today!

no character development

it wasn't bad but really had no character development and was just boring to me