Red Queen (The Chronicles of Alice)

This continues The Chronicles of Alice and I liked this book even better than the first book in the series. This book had more questing, adventuring, and magic than the first. It was still a very very dark story but it didn't have quite as much violence as the first book did.I really enjoyed it and I absolutely loved the writing style Henry wrote the story in. The writing style is very fairytale-like and descriptive and really makes the story come alive.This is one of those book where you just never know what’s going to be on the next page; it’s just one incredibly creative surprise after the next.I love that Hatcher and Alice both grow as characters throughout the story in their own twisted way. Alice spends a vast portion of this book alone, something she’s never been in her whole life, and it helps her to gain new strength both in her magic and in her confidence.I continue to adore the strangely sweet relationship that Hatcher and Alice have for each other, it just fits the tone of the book so absolutely perfectly.The end of this book wraps things up nicely and then sets up for another adventure in the future for Hatcher and Alice.Overall I am absolutely adoring this series and can't wait to read more about Hatcher and Alice. The writing is beautiful, the story is very creative, and I love the dark fairytale like quality to it. I am dying to see what adventures the third book holds for us!

This book is a great sequel to the first book Alice. This retelling of Alice in Wonderland is pretty twisted, dark and glorious. Alice and Hatcher are a match made out of serial killer/insanity/friendship. This author has a way of keeping you on your toes and you just can’t put her books down. I enjoyed every page since the first page of Alice.To be honest all of Christine Henry’s books are just amazing.

Red Queen is the second and final book of the The Chronicles of Alice. This dark and delightfully contorted retelling pick-ups where we last left off with Alice and Hatcher. While there is a prologue, I do not recommend reading this title out-of-order or as a standalone. For that reason, I am not going to be providing a recap during this review.“Once, there was a girl called Alice, and she lived in the New City, where everything is shining and beautiful and fair. But Alice was a curious girl with a curious talent. She was a Magician. Do you know what a Magician is?”The Chronicles of Alice easily fall within my favorite of retellings. Fast paced, gritty and beautifully re-imagined, Henry gives new life and breath to a loved classic with Alice. I was filled with elation to immediately discover Red Queen was no exception and would follow in the shining footsteps of its predecessor.We are now accompanying Alice and Hatcher on their journey to find Hatcher’s lost daughter Jenny. But alongside of our familiar heroine and her “somewhat” unstable companion, we are introduced to some new and rather eccentric individuals. This includes Pen the giant and the denizens of their current surroundings. Each encounter provides additional insight into Alice and Hatcher’s quest and the Red and White Queens. The author cleverly relies on this new ensemble to convey the history and fill in many blanks.The world building maintains the previously introduced, bleak yet imaginative setting that manages to effectively pique the curiosity and encourage further exploration. While the environment is a more limited in this adventure, I did not find it to be any less appealing. It was well-tailored to the direction of the story and serves its purpose.It is fair to mention at this point that Red Queen is not as dark and graphic as Alice. Do not approach this portion of the story expecting the exact same action packed experience or you may miss all that it actually has to offer. Here we are gifted with a rather unique but welcomed change of direction or turn of events. The tale is now very much character driven and the pacing has slowed but not without justifiable reason. Through fragmented memories, we are exposed to Alice’s past and family life. Any pre-existing questions are answered and the veil is finally lifted from Hatcher as Henry thoroughly examines Alice’s relationship with him. This is Alice and Hatcher’s story.The writing continues in that very straight-forward, crisp manner that I have come to expect with Henry’s storytelling. She effortlessly manages to balance all elements providing just enough detail to fuel the story but continue to play on and encourage the reader’s own imagination. The end result is an adequately pleasing conclusion that I would recommend to anyone who found appreciation in Alice.

I LOVE Alice in Wonderland books. I really enjoy the ones that are on the dark side. I saw the first book "Alice" and had to pick it up. Once I did I wasn't able to put it down! It was very good, very dark, and very twisted! I was very excited for Red Queen to come out. I was right to be excited about this book! It was very good, never predictable, and exactly what you need if you are looking for a dark Alice book. I've read a lot of books that let me down once I get to the end, but not with Red Queen! It was good to the very end and now I am sad it is over!

After reading Alice I knew I was sucked in. The red queen did not disappoint.I was swept away into another world which so many books have failed to do. This book is a must read

I waited a long, long time to read this book and I think that may have colored my expectations a bit, but if I'm trying really hard to be objective, this is a good read. But it honestly can't compare to its predecessor, Alice.One of the things that made Alice so compelling was the interaction of the characters, especially Hatcher and Alice. There isn't a whole lot of that going on in Red Queen, and I missed it. The new characters are interesting, but their backstories are sad and seem incomplete, somehow.The settings are great and the language is finely honed. There isn't any wandering or excessive wordiness to the narrative. It's clean and clear and easy to follow. The plot doesn't really meander, but it's mostly centered on a long journey, which isn't my favorite.All in all, I'd have to say that I enjoyed this book and read it almost straight through, but I felt sort of empty when I was finished. There was something lacking - some details or the chutzpah that was present in Alice or perhaps just a more satisfying ending. I'm not sure, but I just wanted more from this story.TL;DR: Enjoyable and recommended, but lacking something of what made Alice so outrageously fantastic.