Genre: YA, thriller, supernatural, horror
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Synopsis: 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.
Review:
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review
So, first off, we have the premiss of this book which is hunting serial killers and a possible supernatural flare--two of my favorite things ever! And this book didn't disappoint, it was action packed, and exciting, and held the suspense of the story very well. I loved the illusions of Alice in Wonderland. It's not so much a retelling as a nod to the original story. I'm not really a huge Alice fan myself, but the way it was used in this book was awesome.
Mouse was a likable main character, she was strong and did what she needed to do almost callously, to be honest, and it worked. While I kind of find it a little unrealistic that such young people would be able to hunt and kill serial killers so frequently without actually dying or getting caught by authorities, I loved the premiss. Overall it felt like a kind of off-beat version of Criminal Minds which is totally fine by me.
I also liked the supernatural aspect of the story, which I think fit in really well with it. I had to look up the Kushtaka lore, because I had never heard of it before, but from what I could tell it was pretty well portrayed. And the whole is the monster real or is it not? gave the story an extra flare of suspense.
The only thing I had a problem with is that I wish the story was longer. I really liked what we got to read, but I would have liked more. It read almost like a movie because the chapters were so short they seemed more like scenes, and there wasn't a ton of details given at any one point. The story could easily have been twice as long and not lost any of it's fast pacing. But apart from that, I enjoyed it a lot!
Rating: 3.75/5 stars.
Recommended for: Fans of dark supernatural/suspense and anyone who wanted a mix of the supernatural with your Criminal Minds Ages 16 and up.
So, first off, we have the premiss of this book which is hunting serial killers and a possible supernatural flare--two of my favorite things ever! And this book didn't disappoint, it was action packed, and exciting, and held the suspense of the story very well. I loved the illusions of Alice in Wonderland. It's not so much a retelling as a nod to the original story. I'm not really a huge Alice fan myself, but the way it was used in this book was awesome.
Mouse was a likable main character, she was strong and did what she needed to do almost callously, to be honest, and it worked. While I kind of find it a little unrealistic that such young people would be able to hunt and kill serial killers so frequently without actually dying or getting caught by authorities, I loved the premiss. Overall it felt like a kind of off-beat version of Criminal Minds which is totally fine by me.
I also liked the supernatural aspect of the story, which I think fit in really well with it. I had to look up the Kushtaka lore, because I had never heard of it before, but from what I could tell it was pretty well portrayed. And the whole is the monster real or is it not? gave the story an extra flare of suspense.
The only thing I had a problem with is that I wish the story was longer. I really liked what we got to read, but I would have liked more. It read almost like a movie because the chapters were so short they seemed more like scenes, and there wasn't a ton of details given at any one point. The story could easily have been twice as long and not lost any of it's fast pacing. But apart from that, I enjoyed it a lot!
Rating: 3.75/5 stars.
Recommended for: Fans of dark supernatural/suspense and anyone who wanted a mix of the supernatural with your Criminal Minds Ages 16 and up.
Thank you for the review, Hazel. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nicx
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