Review: Wonderland: An Anthology

From the greatest names in fantasy and horror comes an anthology of stories inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Join Alice as she is thrown into the whirlwind of Wonderland

Within these pages you'll find myriad approaches to Alice, from horror to historical, taking us from the nightmarish reaches of the imagination to tales that will shock, surprise and tug on the heart-strings. So, it's time now to go down the rabbit hole, or through the looking-glass or… But no, wait. By picking up this book and starting to read it you're already there, can't you see?

Brand-new works from the best in fantastical fiction

M.R. CAREY
MARK CHADBOURN
GENEVIEVE COGMAN
JONATHAN GREEN
ALISON LITTLEWOOD
JAMES LOVEGROVE
L.L. McKINNEY
GEORGE MANN
JULIET MARILLIER
LAURA MAURO
CAT RAMBO
LILITH SAINTCROW
CAVAN SCOTT
ROBERT SHEARMAN
ANGELA SLATTER
CATRIONA WARD
JANE YOLEN
RIO YOUERS

Review:
An anthology of stories inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland already jumps straight to the top of my wish list but then you tell me it includes stories from authors like Juliet Marillier & L.L. McKinney and I just get even more excited about it! This book includes a collection of 17 short stories and 2 poems that were all inspired by Alice and her adventures and written by some very well known writers: Jane Yolen, Robert Shearman, M.R. Carey, Genevieve Cogman, Cavan Scott, Juliet Marillier, Jonathan Green, George Mann, Angela Slatter, Rio Youers, Catriona Ward, Laura Mauro, L.L. McKinney, James Lovegrove, Lilith Saintcrow, Alison Littlewood, Cat Rambo and Mark Chadbourn.

All of these stories are linked to Alice in different ways, be it through a familiar character: Alice herself, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter or perhaps even the Cheshire Cat; or a familiar place: falling down a rabbit hole or stepping through a looking glass maybe. Perhaps the link is just a throwaway phrase or a chance to visit a part of Wonderland that you've never explored before. I love how different each of the stories are, some are spooky, others are introspective but most of them are as weird as the tales they're based on.

As with any anthology there were some stories I loved and a few that didn't resonate quite so well but overall I thought the quality of the stories was very high and a few particular highlights were The White Queen's Pawn by Genevieve Cogman, Dream Girl by Cavan Scott, Good Dog, Alice! by Juliet Marillier (my favourite of the collection), The Hunting of the Jabberwock by Jonathan Green and Smoke 'em if You Got 'em by Angela Slatter.

This is the perfect collection for Alice in Wonderland fans, there really is something for everyone and it's a great book for dipping in and out of when you want something quick to read.

Source: Received from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Strange Angels - Lilith Saintcrow

If Dru can't survive until sunrise, the game's over...

Dru knows that The Real World - peopled with ghosts, suckers and zombies - is a frightening place.  She's ready to kill first and ask questions later, so it's going to take her a while to work out who she can trust.

Dru Anderson has been 'strange' for as long as she can remember, traveling from town to town with her father to hunt down things that go bump in the night.  It's a weird life, but a good one - until in an icy, broken-down town, a hungry zombie bursts through her kitchen door.  Dru is going to have to use every inch of her wit and training.  Can she stay alive long enough to fall for one - or both - of the guys hungry for her affections?

Strange Angels Series:
Strange Angels
Betrayals
Jealousy

For more information visit Lili St. Crow's website

Review:
Dru's and her father are hunters who travel from town to town killing creatures of the night - monsters from The Real World that most unsuspecting humans have no idea exist.  The story starts with Dru starting at yet another new school which she thinks is pointless as they'll just be moving on again in a couple of months.  Fed up with being the new girl she decides to skip school and meets Graves - the local goth boy - but she has no real interest in starting a friendship with him.

However, when her father doesn't come home from a hunt, Dru finds herself up against zombies, vampires and werewolves (or suckers and werwulfen as Dru calls them) with no one to help her.  Graves comes to her assistance like a knight in shining armor but they are both out of their depth.  When Christophe appears on the scene they aren't sure if he can be trusted but as desperate as they are they have no choice but to accept his help, at least temporarily.

I really enjoyed Strange Angels and can't wait to continue reading the series.  I loved Dru's snarky sense of humor and the fact that she is a strong heroine who will do whatever it takes to survive.  She knows her way around weapons and has trained to deal with the supernatural but when she realises she is out of her depth she is willing to accept that she needs help.  I also loved Graves - he does his best to take care of Dru despite the fact that he has been thrust into a supernatural world he had no idea existed.  I found the fact that he admitted his fears and wasn't always strong made him a more realistic character.  Christophe is another interesting character but one that we don't get to know as well as I was hoping, I'm guessing that he is going to play a big part in the series though.

Being the first book in a series there was obviously a lot of world building going on but I thought Lilith Saintcrow did this really well, explanations were smoothly slotted into the storyline without taking away from the plot.  The action was fast paced and there were some fantastic plot twists that helped build the tension levels and I was swept along on the ride with Dru.  Although this could be read as a stand alone novel & a lot of loose ends were tied together we are left with quite a cliff hanger that is going to make the next book Betrayals an interesting one to read.  I'd definitely recommend this to fans of young adult urban fantasy novels and I think the story would appeal to both teens and adult fans of this genre.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
Darlyn & Books
The Bookette
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