Everyone kept telling me this was the 'dark and twisted' Alice retelling, and I'll be honest—I went in skeptical. My seven-year-old is obsessed with Alice in Wonderland right now, and I thought maybe I'd find something we could eventually share. Nope. This is absolutely not that. This is the version where the white rabbit shows up as a skeleton at a feast and you find yourself gripping the steering wheel in the school pickup line wondering what exactly you just listened to.
And I loved every creepy minute of it.
When Wonderland Goes Genuinely Wrong
A.G. Howard doesn't mess around with the source material. Alyssa Gardner hears bugs and flowers whisper to her—the same curse that put her mother in a mental hospital. The family connection to the real Alice Liddell (yes, the actual girl who inspired Lewis Carroll) gives this whole thing a weight that surprised me. This isn't just 'Alice but make it edgy.' There's actual stakes here. Real mental illness. A mother-daughter relationship that had me tearing up during Sophie's nap time, which is saying something because usually I'm just grateful for the silence.
The Wonderland Alyssa discovers is genuinely unsettling. Draining an ocean of Alice's tears? Waking a slumbering tea party that's been frozen for centuries? Subduing a vicious bandersnatch? Each test felt like it could actually go wrong. And the book doesn't shy away from the darkness—there's violence, there's parental abuse themes, there's mental illness treated with actual weight rather than as a quirky character trait.
Rebecca Gibel Made Me Trust Morpheus (Which Is Probably A Mistake)
Okay, the narrator. Rebecca Gibel has this pleasantly raspy voice that works perfectly for Alyssa's narration—tired but determined, which honestly felt relatable. But here's the thing that got me: her English accent for Morpheus. This guy is supposed to be suspicious, potentially manipulative, definitely not entirely trustworthy. And yet every time he spoke, I found myself leaning in. She gives him this aristocratic edge that's both alluring and slightly threatening.
The character differentiation is solid across the board. Jeb (the best friend/crush) sounds completely different from Morpheus, which matters a lot when you're trying to track a love triangle while simultaneously making sure you didn't miss the turn into the elementary school parking lot. I've seen some complaints about the narration getting robotic in later books, but for this first installment? She's hitting the emotional beats. The creepy scenes feel creepy. The romantic tension feels tense.
Some listeners found her voice too high-pitched, and I can see that being an issue if you're sensitive to it. But at 1.25x speed (my survival setting), it evened out nicely.
The Love Triangle That Actually Works
I'm usually the first to roll my eyes at love triangles. They feel manufactured. Predictable. But Howard does something interesting here—she makes both options genuinely compelling AND genuinely flawed. Jeb is the safe choice, the gorgeous best friend who's been there all along. Morpheus is the dangerous unknown, the guide through Wonderland who definitely has his own agenda.
What I appreciated is that Alyssa isn't passive about any of this. She's making choices, questioning motives, trying to save her family while also figuring out who she can trust. It's not just 'which boy is dreamier.' It's 'which boy is actively trying to manipulate me and for what purpose.'
Survived 47 pauses and still made sense. That's my highest compliment.
Fair Warning Before You Download
This is not background listening material. At almost 13 hours, it's a commitment, and the plot requires actual attention. I tried listening while cleaning up after dinner once and completely lost track of what was happening during a crucial Wonderland scene. This one needs dedicated car time or focused nap time listening.
Content warnings are real here too. Mental illness, parental abuse, violence, genuinely dark themes. If you're looking for cozy, this isn't it. If you're looking for something that makes you feel things while sitting in your car in the garage avoiding going inside for just ten more minutes? Perfect. Such a Fun Age gave me that same 'just ten more minutes' feeling, though for completely different reasons—less dark fantasy, more uncomfortable social commentary that I couldn't stop thinking about.
Who Should Skip It (And Who Should Clear Their Schedule)
Skip if: You want something light. You're bothered by high-pitched narration. You need to be able to half-listen while managing chaos.
Clear your schedule if: You love dark fairy tale retellings. You're intrigued by the idea of Wonderland as genuinely threatening. You want a YA book that treats mental illness with actual respect. You're a mom who misses feeling slightly unsettled by fiction instead of just by your own life.
Crying at School Pickup: Worth It
Made me cry at school pickup. Worth it though. I'm already planning when I can start the sequel, which is the real test of any audiobook for me. If I'm actively scheming about how to carve out listening time, that means something worked. This worked.
