Monday, August 12, 2019

Review: Playing Hearts by W.R. Gingell

About the Book
It begins the way it has always begun: with a card on Mabel's pillow. But Mabel has been in Underland before, and she's not so anxious to go back. No matter what name it takes, Underland is always bizarre, always mad, always dangerous.

There's the Queen of Hearts, terrifying, powerful, and possibly insane. There's Hatter, purple-eyed and undoubtedly mad. March Hare has always been one sandwich short of a picnic, and Sir Blanc is missing his wits.

And then there's Jack. Jack the aristocratic son of the Queen. Not quite mad, but not far off. Disinclined to help anyone but himself. A liar. And, thanks to an ancient ceremony performed by the Queen, Mabel's fiancé.

Fall into the rabbit hole with Mabel as she climbs through tea-pots, battles the Jabberwock, and attempts to overthrow the Queen of Hearts herself.

Don't lose your head.

And whatever you do, don't be late...


My Thoughts

“You're invited. It's a very important date. Don't be late.”

What an imaginative twist on Alice in Wonderland! I was never a huge fan of the original tale, but I can't seem to resist a good retelling of it. They're so much fun and Playing Hearts is the best one I've read.

Author W.R. Gingell does an excellent job bringing to life Wonderland, or rather Underland as Mabel knows it to be, making it her own and yet still keeping it familiar.

This was a blast to read. Hatter and Hare were my favorite characters, of course. They're still as mad as ever, but there's a lot more to them if you just look close enough.

Things were a bit violent at times, but that's the nature of Underland for ya'... well, the Queen actually. She's just as ruthless and terrible as you'd expect.

If you're a fan of retellings, I highly recommend Playing Hearts. My only complaint is that it ended. I could've definitely kept reading more about Underland.

Five Stars

2 comments:

  1. Wonderland can be a scary place. I think that's why I like reading about it so much. :D

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    1. That's so true. You never know what could happen and that just adds to the thrill of Wonderland. :)

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