Review: Follow the White Rabbit

Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness #1)
by Kellie Sheridan
Published May 21st 2013 by Patchwork Press

For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.

For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.

(Novella, 21k words)

Synopsis from Goodreads

 
I applaud Kellie Sheridan for taking a classic and putting a new spin on it! And it's a tough thing to try, when you think about it. Alice has been reworked time and time again, from Zombies to Steampunk. So it only makes sense that her paranormal twist should find a good home.

Alice has been gone from Wonderland for over a hundred years, and since that time, things have changed. There are no more singing flowers, no hookah smoking caterpillars, and certainly no rabbits on a tight schedule! In fact, Wonderland is starting to look a lot like the world that you and I see every day. Wonderland is falling apart; she needs chaos to thrive. The prophecies tell of Alice's return, and it looks like that day is fast approaching.

I'm not sure if this is just a novella prequel, or if it will be more like a serial with more novellas to come. This is a quick read, basically just introducing the characters and setting up the plot. In fact, Alice herself only has one scene. I only vaguely got a sense of who she is, and barely more for the other characters. My interest is definitely piqued, but I was left wanting more, and not necessarily in a good way.

Every child who has ever read the books, or seen the movies, will grow up with a certain vision of Wonderland in their minds. It is the stuff dreams are made of! Lewis Carroll portrayed such a perfectly painted world, that we can still see it in our mind's eye, even decades later. To take this world and change it requires a lot of description. You have to make me believe that it has changed. I really needed MORE! More descriptions, from the scenery to the characters. And frankly, more pages. It's such a huge endeavor that more pages would definitely have helped flush this out.

The writing is enough to hook me, though. I enjoyed the style immensely, and will definitely read the next story, whether it be novel or novella.

A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley.