Author: A.G. Howard

DNF at 65% / ?On-Hold?

Ok….so. I don’t know. I don’t know whether I’m going to continue the book or not. It’s as simple as this:

I started this story and I was really excited. The cover was beautiful. The writing was imaginative and vivid. The characters….were not pretty, to say the least. OKAY, that sounds soooo bad, but it’s true. Now, I can deal with Alyssa’s goth-ish clothing and somewhat bad attitude, and even Jeb’s long hair (I hate long hair on guys, just do. I always chop it off….in my imagination-immediately.)

All those things are somehow easy to overlook or imagine over-because truly, the story was so cool at the beginning.

Then she got to wonderland aaaaanndddddd….and. I mean, come on, I’m not stupid. I knew shit would be weird, I did. I read reviews about how the situations Alyssa were in were amped up and kinda gruesome, but the recreation of the “Alice in Wonderland” like world in all honestly…well, they completely creeped me out. They just creeped. Me. Out. I have no other explanation than that. The funny white rabbit who is always, always late, was portrayed to be practically a boney skeleton with red eyes and antlers and eew. Just fuckin’ creepy-red eyes. Bones. Screeching at Alyssa. I don’t know. And I just can’t fathom reading about a dinner bird still being alive as they impale it while it runs frantically around the table. I’m sorry. I’m a girl who cries for the sad dog commercials every single time they come on TV. I’d save any animal on the side of the road and I just. Can’t. Read about shit like that. That was most likely the final straw for me. It wasn’t so bad I suppose, but for me, it disgusted me and turned me off despite the budding romance between Alyssa and Jeb.

For once the romance just wasn’t enough. I, again, didn’t look at book labels, and it turns out this rendition of a twisted AIW take is a fantasy. Big fat duurrrr, right? Well, I hate fantasy but have found quite a few I liked lately (well…two books in a continuing series. Whatever) but the fantasy factor bitch-slapped me in the face and left a stinging red mark, because I just can’t get past all the fantasy elements that kept arising and pulling the rug out from under me.

It’s a shame I’m such a wuss, because this was so creative and fun and could have been something great and different for me. The romance was actually very sweet and I actually found myself enjoying all parts Jeb and Alyssa. Then the fantasy elements with tests for Alyssa would resurface and I would sit looking at the Ipad with mild disinterest, becuase I’d have to skim if I didn’t want to be disgusted. I wanted to love it. I begged and I bargained with myself, but I just couldn’t do it. Too many books to try, and way too much fanatasy in this one. If only, if only….