KatiEllenReads

This review can also be found at LostBetweenThePages & Goodreads.

"All I have to do is set the power free. Escape the chains of humanity, let madness be my guide. If I forget everything but Wonderland, I can become beautiful pandemonium.”

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole, faced the truth of her family curse and come out with her sanity mostly intact. This book takes place in the human realm after Alyssa choose to come home instead of staying behind. But Wonderland isn't ready to let go of her, as it starts to bleed into her world Alyssa realises that something just isn't right, especially when Morpheus decides to make an appearance.

In my previous review I shared my hopes for this series, mainly the love triangle. I was hoping that it would become less of feature as Aylssa has discovered who she really is and the looming threat to Wonderland. The other thing I didn't enjoy was how over the top her sense of style was, it seemed a bit much for me.

I thought it was a great idea to set this book in the human world, Alyssa is still figuring everything out but she knows the truth now. So reading her deal with having to 'normal' again was great, missing being able to fly and be free was great. There is a dark seductive power that comes with being part of Wonderland. But once Wonderland starts to bleed through and Morpheus arrives she finds it hard to keep it in check. Morpheus wants to let the reckless side of her out, he wants her to embrace what lurks below. Unfortunately Morpheus can be quite blind to what's in front of him, Alyssa didn't grow up in Wonderland. She is a whole different person, and that's what makes her special, she has the best qualities from each world. So she'll never become truly savage because it's not who she is in our world.

My most favourite and redeeming part of this book, other than the setting, is the family dynamic. Mum's home. This is all her dad has ever wanted, he's never given up hope on his wife, Thomas wants it all to just go back to how it was and for Alyssa to cut her mum some slack. Reading them trying to be a family again is great, her mum is quite over protective and doesn't like what she wears and naturally Aylssa wouldn't like it.

But her mum is hiding something, and it's great. She just doesn't want to talk about it, the frustrations that Alyssa deals with feel so real. All of it from her mum telling her how to dress to wanting to squeeze Wonderland into a box and bury it. She is the one person she could talk to about it, and to be honest would help them bond again, it made me want to know more about her mums past and what happened when she went down the rabbit hole.

Alyssa and Jeb. This whole love triangle part is hugely tiresome for me, she gets jealous so easily especially when he is commissioned by a mysterious woman to produce a portrait. Sure I get it, he's working round the clock and isn't spending all his time with her. But he's doing it to provide for them, it's who Jeb is. But what I find ridiculous is that whilst she is blowing the situation up in her head she's off flirting with Morpheus as usual. I guess due to the fact that Jeb no longer has her memories Alyssa can confide in Morpheus.

This was a promising second book with some great parts, the end was defiantly a strong finish setting everything up nicely for the final book. The end of the book is just chaos, but in a good way. Slowly things are coming to a head and Wonderland won't wait anymore.