Wonderland Academy re-imagines the fantastical world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland for a fresh, new adventure. Combining whimsy, magic, and a splash of steampunk, New York Times best-selling author Melanie Karsak invites you into this beautifully re-envisioned fairy tale adventure.

Welcome to Wonderland Academy. Don’t lose your head.

Getting into Wonderland Academy is

easy:

You must be a little mad.

You must follow the white rabbit.

You must find the key to enter Wonderland.

You must not be named Alice or risk being beheaded by order of the Queen of Hearts.

We might have an issue with that last one.

My name may be Alice, but Wonderland Academy is everything my real life isn’t. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to ride a jabberwocky, train with a vorpal sword, cast spells using a teacup, or shapeshift into a fairy? As long as no one figures out my real name, I should be fine.

The only problem? Aden, the Queen of Hearts’ son, is quickly becoming my best friend. And then there’s Corbin. Brooding, surly, tattooed, and definitely not my type, I can’t stop thinking about him. But Corbin has secrets of his own, and Wonderland and secrets don’t mix.

How I’m going to pass my classes and protect my secret like my life depends on it is beyond me. But I better find a way. Because in Wonderland, no Alice is safe.

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Fly Girl’s Review:

So most of you already know how much I dislike Alice in Wonderland stories. Usually when I find out it is a retelling of it, I put it down and move on. Not that Alice in Wonderland isn’t a great story, but it is just too complicated and too much symbolism for me sort through when I usually read to escape real life. Also, there is just something about the original that can’t be beat…Until NOW!!!

You ask, “how did you pick this one up then?” So I had been following Melanie for quite sometime and actually picked up one of her Harvesting Series books, not knowing it was a zombie thriller…What a mistake. I didn’t listen to more than may 45 minutes of that one. But I really wanted to read or listen to a book of hers so when I saw she was coming out with Wonderland Academy, I picked it up on Audible with one of my credits. I just told myself, it can’t be that bad and the story actually sounded intriguing. The narrator is awesome–I binge listened to this one through work, house cleaning and driving to and from places. It was great, it kept me entertained and I was dying to know all the secrets the rabbit knew. I felt kind of like a kid again.

Melanie gives us a rich cast of characters with slight twists from the original version and new ones to bring some more relevance to the story. Also, there is symbolism around each corner; whether it’s a reference to Alice in Wonderland or to something else, she brings it alive and makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about the tale. Finally, the scenery is so lush and well described I felt like I was right in the middle of this fantastical campus learning all these amazing tea cup spells. I want to start carrying a teacup around just in case I get pulled into Wonderland.

Alice comes to Wonderland Academy because of her relationship to the first Alice and at a time when she is vulnerable and not sure of how worthwhile her life is since she lost the love of her life. Yes she’s in her teens, but still he was her soulmate. So she suddenly finds herself whisked away to this mysterious school where time and space seem to mean nothing and where people often lose their heads for their lineage. Alice finds herself quite popular in this new world and is a bit mystified by it all. Then the Heir to Hearts and a handsome bad boy both start taking notice of her. It’s definitely hard to say “No” to either of them even though she is heartbroken. She begins to find solace with them both and thinks she’s finally going to be able to move on.

Unfortunately, as all good things do, Alice realizes too late she is being used in a horrendous way that could get her head cut off. So we get a cliffhanger, of which I absolutely hate. I’m still giving this 5 of 5 and it may make my Top 10 List yet. We will have to wait and see. It has given me a new lease on happiness with Alice in Wonderland. It has all the intrigue, symbolism and make believe I remember from the first iteration. I hope Melanie is able to keep it up in future books because she is spot on with a winner!!

5 of 5 Propellers

 

Need more??? Here is what is out in the series so far…

Corbin Liddle has always known magic was real. His grandmother Alice raised him on stories of Wonderland. But with Wonderland on the brink of war, Corbin is called to perform an important duty. Alice Lacey Crane, a girl from our world who knows nothing of Wonderland, is the key to the magical kingdom’s future. It’s up to Corbin to protect her at all costs. Even if that means risking his heart.

Join Corbin in this flipped point of view story, Wonderland Academy: Corbin, Book 2 in the Hearts and Stars series.

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Connect with Melanie Karsak

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, The Celtic Blood Series, Steampunk Red Riding Hood, and Steampunk Fairy Tales. A steampunk connoisseur, zombie whisperer, and heir to the iron throne, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Assistant Professor of English at Eastern Florida State College.