Title: Lost in Wonderland
Author: Nicky Peacock
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Publishing Date: April 14th, 2016
Pages: 124
Genre: YA Thriller
Series: The Twisted and the Brave
Source: Book
Monsters, serial killers, and imaginary friends—being a Wonderlander can be murder...
Once upon a time, Kayla was lost. Then she found Wonderland, but not the one you know. Run by ex-government agents and funded by an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire, this Wonderland is the name of a collective of highly trained vigilantes who hunt serial killers. Now Kayla, aka Mouse, works tirelessly alongside her fellow Wonderlanders, Rabbit and Cheshire, baiting dangerous murderers. But even her extensive training hasn’t prepared her for the return of her older brother…
Shilo has spent most of his life in an insane asylum, convinced his mother was abducted by a sinister Alaskan monster who lures the lost away to feast upon their flesh. And now he’s certain that his sister is in the same monster’s crosshairs. But if Shilo is going to save what’s left of his family, he’ll have to convince his sister that maybe, just maybe, we’re all a little mad.
Lost in Wonderland isn't an Alice retelling, like you might assume. Instead it's about former government workers who use teenagers to bait, and kill, serial killers. From the POV of 19 year old "Mouse" as she hunts for the creature who took her mother.
What made me pick this book up?
Jenn did actually, she was telling me how I needed to read it, and how good it was. Of course, I'm literally obsessed with anything Alice, and it had Wonderland in it. Which automatically makes you assume Alice in Wonderland.
What do I like about the cover?
It looks a little bit like it was just designed at home. Like from a small publishing company, which there is nothing wrong with that, of course. But I think it could have been done just a little better. I do like the red color pop (we all know how much I love my color pop) And I love Cheshire eyes up at the top. It's not a bad cover, by any means. And once again, it sparks ideas for a photo shoot. It definitely screams Wonderland, and is also very creepy all at once.
What made me read the book?
Like I said, Jenn kept bothering me to read this book, and of course most of the time when Jenn says I need to read something, she's right. I had just read a few heavy books, and wanted something really small that was a quick read. So I picked up off my shelf with the idea that Jenn said to, and also the idea that it was a tiny book and I could finish it in one night. Once I actually read what the book was about, and found out it really isn't about Alice in Wonderland at all, it sounded like a really great idea.
What did I like the most?
I liked the wonderland-esque idea of the book. I really liked that it's a top secret organization called "Wonderland", and that they all have Alice nicknames, like Cheshire, Mouse, and White Rabbit. I also really like the reason why the organization exists, because of a couple who lost their daughter to a serial killer, when she was only 8 years old. Her name was Alice. I also really love Shiloh, and his imaginary friend, Mr. Custard. I enjoyed how fast of a read it was, but I still feel like there could have been more. It still had me on the edge of my seat, needing to know what was happening and why.
What didn't I like?
The main character was a little annoying, in the way she kept bringing up how she didn't have any emotions, and the little girl she once was, was gone. But I can understand why the author did it, to show how she got to where she was in the book. It wasn't enough to dislike the book, just a little bit tiresome at some points. I also wish the book was just a little bit longer. I almost felt like it was too small, in a way that there was so much more that the author could have accomplished and didn't. I would have really enjoyed seeing more of the characters, and read more about the serial killers that they caught (Though I really do love serial killers, so that might be why)
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, nothing really heavy, but it kept you interested in the book. I cannot wait to read more in the series, and I hope the author keeps writing them. She could easily turn this into a 10 book series with different characters and different killers, and it would still continue to be an interesting read.
I'm an author of both YA and adult urban fantasy and horror. I have over 35 short stories published in anthologies - my latest is included in Little Brown Book Group's Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories.
I currently have 2 YA series with the publisher, Evernight Teen:
Battle of the Undead (3 books so far: Traitors' Gate, Bad Blood, Bad Timing) a vampires VS zombies urban fantasy
Twisted and the Brave (first book, Lost in Wonderland out April 16) Dark thrillers with a classic children's literature twist and a dash of the supernatural.
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