Book Review: Death of the Mad Hatter

Death of the Mad Hatter
Sarah J. Pepper

Release Date: November 29, 2013

Book Description:
The Jack prophesied: If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.

Heads would Roll…
Hearts would Break…
In the end, would it matter who Reigned?

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
Digital review copy provided by author in exchange for fair and honest review.

Back in September I got an email from Sarah with an offer to review her new novel, Death of the Mad Hatter, which comes out this November. I couldn’t refuse; being a fan of Alice in Wonderland I had to check this one out. The description caught my eye at once, and the promise of dark, paranormal romance sealed the deal. I must say I approached it with a bit of skepticism but fell in love with the novel as soon as I started reading. The first few chapters turned into few more chapters and then I barely noticed how I’ve raced through the pages and found myself at the end. It is a really great take on the beloved classic with a twist, worthy of Tim Burton himself and it will leave you craving for more. I can almost see it come to life on the big screen and only wish that Mr. Burton waited to make an Alice retelling till he read Death of the Mad Hatter. But who knows, even impossible can be possible when we are talking about Wonderland…

“Wonderland was an intoxicating, magical world where the most farfetched dreams could come true and the impossible was possible. Conversely, it was a realm where the most daunting nightmares could hurt us until the end of time.” Death of the Mad Hatter (Kindle Location 4670).

Wonderland has been a very dark place since the death of the King but Mad Hatter had a plan. He took on an apprentice to help free the kingdom from the Reign of Terror, only it was the Wrong girl... Blue lipstick, odd dress, and always sucking on her candies, Alice Mae is unique to say the least but she has a plan and a mission to fulfill.

Ryley is quite popular and luck seems to be in his favor as he tries to win affections of the hottest girl in school – Courtney, until Alice Mae makes complete mess of his life. Their kiss is “hypnotic and addictive” but Alice Mae is absolutely the Wrong girl to fall for and their reluctant romance will only lead down the rabbit hole.

“Falling in love with you was like stumbling down a rabbit hole and seeing a magical world.”  Death of the Mad Hatter (Kindle Location 3901).

Death of the Mad Hatter is definitely not the story of adventures in a fantasy world of Wonderland you’ve read growing up but is a unique, dark, imaginative, and absolutely fantastic reincarnation. I can’t even classify it under a particular genre – it is of its own magical place. So if you are as much of an Alice fan or simply enjoy a good, dark story with twist and turns that will keep you guessing and a colorful cast of characters then this book is for you. Get it, read it! I simply couldn’t put it down and now am devising a master plan of how to convince Sarah to write a sequel, because Alice Mae, Ryley and crew need another adventure in Wonderland.

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I’m leaving you off with Crazy by Gnarls Barkley because it’s one of my favorites and I think it is perfectly paired with this novel.