Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles ~ Blog Tour Audio Excerpt & Review!

Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles (BK 1)

By J.M. Sullivan

Publication Date: August 2018
Publisher: Bleeding Ink Publishing

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Adaptations

Pages: 360

ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR QUEEN

Ever since the outbreak of the Plague, life hasn’t been easy, and for seventeen-year-old Alice Carroll, it just got worse. Her sister, Dinah, has contracted the ‘un-deadly’ Momerath Virus and without a cure, will soon be worse than dead. She’ll be momerath.

Alice must leave the safety of the Sector and venture into Momerath Territory to find the antidote - if it exists. Chasing a rumor about a mysterious doctor with the cure, Alice falls down the rabbit hole into Wanderland, where ravenous momerath aren’t the only danger lurking.

COMING AUGUST 2018!

LISTEN TO AN AUDIO EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE!

HALL WAYS REVIEW: When I saw the fabulous cover of Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles, I was immediately drawn-in for the read. Finding out it was a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (but with zombie-like creatures), the deal was sealed.  In this could-be-now world where a plague has horribly altered or wiped-out many humans, readers are in for a wild ride as main character Alice races the clock – and a white-haired doctor – as she navigates a ravaged Phoenix in search of an antidote. 

Author J.M. Sullivan does a great job describing both Alice’s feelings as well as the setting, both which put readers right into the midst of the scenes as they unfold. With the vivid and detailed descriptions, it is easy to feel immersed in this dangerous, desperate world and to feel Alice’s fierce determination to overcome adversity from both man, woman, and monerath.  I am proud of my active imagination and appreciate that Sullivan respects her readers and doesn’t get overly graphic with her descriptions of the battles or carnage.  It is sufficiently gross, but not over-the-top, and never sugar-coated. 

Another aspect I appreciate is that there isn’t any insta-love or love triangles or even much of a romance element. HOORAY! Alice is clearly interested and intrigued by two characters, as are they with her, but it's natural instead of rushed. If there's a sequel (and there should be since this one is called “Book One,”), I imagine readers will see these relationships continue to progress as they have so far -- where characters’ emotions evolve as they discover more about each other. Fingers crossed!  

I like the science behind the origins of the monerath virus and how people and corporations often get so blinded they forget about humanity and the bigger picture.  I could see how there could be a very interesting prequel or companion book, which would be a great way to fill in the significant plot holes and a way to explain some of the characters’ connections, gifts, and limitations.

Despite the book being categorized as a fairy tale retelling, I don't really see many parallels between Sullivan’s Wanderland Chronicles and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and it's really not a re-imagining of that story. I enjoyed the references, quotations, and some of the clever names and personality traits that were inspired by Carroll’s AIW, though. Rather than a re-telling, readers familiar with Carroll’s AIW will smile and think of Sullivan’s Wanderland more in an "Oh, I see what you did there" kind of thing. It mostly works as a fun element though at times, it’s a little cheesy or cliché in an otherwise unique story. Happily, the book is very cleanly edited with just a few errors that caught my eye. This was almost as refreshing as the unique premise and plot.

“Returning library books might have been completely irrelevant,

but it gave her guilty conscience a reprieve.”

Library Bonus Points Awarded for the main character’s bookish tendencies, use of the library, and a most excellent library scene. (Yeah, readers know it’s coming but it’s still pretty awesome.) I love that despite their being in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, and that the library hasn't been functional in ages, Alice not only keeps reading, but she still returns the books she "borrows." Thank you to Unbound Book Tours for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 

J.M. Sullivan is a science teacher by day and an author by night. Although known to dabble in adulting, J.M. is a big kid at heart who still believes in true love, magic, and most of all, the power of coffee.  If you would like to connect with her for a healthy dose of sparkle, positivity, and a touch of crazy, you can find her on online!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | YouTube

July 23rd

Hall Ways Blog | Review w/ Audio Excerpt 1

A New Look On Books | Guest Post 1

The Faerie Review | Review

July 24th

Just Books | Audio Excerpt 2

The Page Unbound | Comparison Review

Ishiee's Book Blog | Author Interview

July 25th

Books and Ravens | Guest Post 2

Everywhere and Nowhere | Author Interview 2

Rebecca R. Cahill | Audio Excerpt 3

July 26th

Descendant of Poseidon Reads | Review

A Million And One Magazine | Author Interview 3

July 27th

Turn The Page | Review

Queen Of My Fairytale | Review

Book Tour Organized By

Arabian Nights & Arabian Nights ~ ~ ~ Promo Tour & Giveaway!

ARABIAN NIGHTS & ARABIAN NIGHTS Tradional Tales from a Thousand and One Nights, Contemporary Tales for Adults by Clive Johnson

Egg and Spoon

Maguire, G. (2014). Egg and Spoon. Candlewick on Brilliance Audio.

All Ages / Fairy Tales / Folk Lore / Fantasy

I give this audio book 4 out of 5 stars

Blurb: Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. Her brothers have been conscripted into the Tsar's army and taken as servants in the house of the local wealthy landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in St. Petersburg - a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena's age. When the two girls' lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an adventure that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and - in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured - Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian folklore, in her moving house perched on chicken legs.

*****************************************

HALL WAYS REVIEW: I don't have much patience for regular speed on audio books, so as usual, I listened at 1.25x, which was perfect. 

A monk, the narrator of the story, is amusing with his asides and humor in telling the story. Couple this with the outstanding voice narration of Michael Page, and the story is taken to a higher level of enjoyment. Page seamlessly voices the numerous characters where males sound male, females sound female, and witches sound witchy!

Speaking of witches, Baba Yaga steals the show. What a hoot she is! She is a perfect counter to the prim and proper-ness expected in civilized society, and her character made the book for me. 

There are so many different levels to this story -- there is the fantastical and the the practical, smoothly woven together by Maguire to create something for everyone to enjoy. Folk tales and fairy tales are good for all ages, and though this is categorized young adult, there is definitely adult appeal in Egg and Spoon. 

While the reading could be challenging for some younger readers, the richly drawn characters and setting, along with a basic plot that's highly unusual and interesting, are going to keep readers engaged. Advanced readers are likely to get a different experience from others because it's really quite a complex story with statements on social injustice and inequality, the environment, the life, death, and more.

The book goes longer than it needs to with some extraneous and seemingly random parts which could have been left on the cutting room floor. I feel like had I read this instead of listened, there definitely would have been some skimming. Even so, it's a wonderfully creative story and listening was time well spent. I have several of Gregory Maguire's books on my TBR shelf, and Egg and Spoon is incentive for me to move them to the top of the pile.

Thank you to Audiofile / SYNC Audiobooks for Teens free summer audio book program for providing this download with absolutely no strings attached. As always, my honest opinion is the only kind I give.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gregory Maguire is an American author, whose novels are revisionist retellings of children's stories (such as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz into Wicked). He received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England (a non-profit educational charity).

Maguire has served as artist-in-residence at the Blue Mountain Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Hambidge Center. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts. Learn more about the author and his books on his website, http://www.gregorymaguire.com/.