This is a darker reworking of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In this version, the girl Alice that Carroll based the story on was actually from an alternate dimension in which her parents had been killed and she was the princess who must return to reclaim the throne from her evil aunt.

This is the first in a trilogy and I have little desire to read the rest of the stories. I can very much see that this book was attempting to attract teen readers based on the simplicity of the story line and the lack of sophistication in the characters. Was this really a New York Times Bestseller? To me that speaks to the lack of quality in books written for young readers. That said, the idea behind the story is neat. I like the parallel universe idea. And the way that Beddor proposed that imagination is a force within Wonderland that can shape reality is novel and interesting. I just wish that this novel was more a labor of love and less part of the "how do we market to the Harry Potter crowd" movement. Of course, there is already a spin off graphic novel and card game.

Anyone looking for a really good young adult series, check out Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series.