Review: Not so Wonderful Wonderland...
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2012
Since I think the blurb covers the jist of the story pretty well I'm gonna skip resummarizing and dive right into my review.Readers of my blog know what a fanatic I am for retellings, particularly of the romantic variety. So when I saw HER MAD HATTER at a great price and read all the raving reviews I caved and snapped it up. Afterall, how could a romance for the Mad Hatter go wrong?Well... what didn't work for me obviously puts me in the minority. From the get-go I was sincerely bugged by Alice's being such a huge fan of the whole Wonderland thing. It read like fanficy wish fulfillment and that, for me personally, always turns me off. While I admit I instantly wanted to board the next flight to Hawaii to visit the Mad Hatter's Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe it just felt off that Alice was as obsessed as she was. Then there's Hatter. I wanted to find his somewhat brooding manner and random muttered thoughts quirky and sexy but they seemed more somber and contrived than the utterings of a man driven mad by loneliness. I just couldn't find any organic chemistry flowing between them as hero and heroine so the romance just didn't work for me. Even Wonderland itself lacked the feel of the classic that I love.Having said that I actually really love the concept of the Kingdom series and Hall's writing style. She blends cutesey humor into serious situations well and I freaking LOVE that Alice was not the stereotypical blonde white girl most often associated with Wonderland. In spite of not liking HER MAD HATTER I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series because conceptually it is right up my alley and my reasons for not liking this one were so character (and specific fairytale) related.While it wasn't quite for me, I think readers who have fallen in love with the television show Once Upon a Time should definitely check HER MAD HATTER and the rest of the Kingdom series out. Especially those of us who have a soft spot for the villainous, bad boy types.