This story is a dark twist on “Alice in Wonderland”, in which Alice traverses a hostile environment only to find a devastating truth. There were many things I liked about this story, but the biggest aspect I liked was the description. There are many points within the “wonderland” scenes that are described beautifully, ranging from bright and popping colors to terrifying beasts and rabbits. Each description makes me feel like I’ve been trapped in my own psychedelic realm. The other great part of this story is Alice’s own thoughts and voice. There is little interaction or dialogue within the first part of the story, so the reader can only know Alice through her words, thoughts, and actions. We, as readers, learn so much about Alice’s personality through her thoughts, specifically about her thoughtfulness and her young adult mindset. It’s a subtle detail and a wonderful way to get to know a character without using dialogue or outright stating details. I have a few suggestions though. First, while I understand that the wonderland aspect of the story is supposed to be strange and out of the ordinary, there were a few parts in the narrative in which I felt lost. It would have been nice to explore this strange land with Alice without some of the quick transitions. Another thing I suggest is to explore Alice’s motivations. She does a few things, especially in wonderland, that I felt confused about. She approaches the Queen, though it is implied that she knows her already, along with her violent attitude. There are also a few moments where I feel like Alice becomes passive, and the readers don’t get to hear what she thinks of wonderland. Overall, the writing of this story is wonderful!
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