Everything you’ve heard about Wonderland is wrong.
Instead of falling through the looking glass, I’ve entered a cursed world where the tarot deck has come alive, there are impossible creatures that talk, and the high seas are deadly and filled with pirates.
My name’s Soren, and I’m not innocent. But my sister is and I’ll do anything to protect her. When my final con goes wrong and I steal a golden tarot card from a fortune teller that can open portals, I’m whisked away like Alice and the white rabbit, only it’s a spider who beckons me and Tarotland makes Wonderland look like a walk in the park.
I wake up on the ship of the Devil himself who brands me a spy, trading one jail for another. He has a darkness in him that sends shivers down my spine. Still, there’s something about him that piques my curiosity.
All I want is to get back home to my sister, but the only way to do that is to get the Devil to release me, and steal the Ace of Wands, a weapon of great power inside of this world. Unfortunately, it’s being protected by the Empress’s magic, and she wants my head on a platter.
Unless I can steal the Ace of Wands, there’s no escape from this world, and I’ll never see my sister again.
When the opportunity to dive into an alternative take on Alice in Wonderland came my way, I couldn’t resist! I’ve loved Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ever since I was a little girl. At first, though, I didn’t see much of a connection between the two. In fact, for the first few chapters, I was struggling to find any resemblance at all. But then it hit me—it wasn’t so much about direct parallels, but more like an Easter egg hunt (think hidden gems you spot in DVD menus). As I read on, I began picking up on subtle references to other stories, and that made it a fun, unexpected adventure.
The mystical spider Soren follows actually gave me Charlotte’s Web vibes in a strange way, but it was clear that Wolf was taking the White Rabbit route with Soren’s journey. The pirates she falls in with initially come off as, well, pesky, but as the story unfolds, they start to grow on you! I loved how the characters had their own backstories, and the sudden twists in their motivations kept me on my toes. The story was full of those whip-lash-inducing moments that really made you question who to trust.
Now, as for the book—wow, it’s BIG. And I’m glad I went for the digital copy because sometimes huge books can feel a little intimidating at first. But once I got lost in Soren’s world, I forgot all about the book’s size. However, given that this is part of a series, I did find myself wondering if it could’ve been condensed just a bit. As much as I loved Soren’s journey, I’m not sure if I can commit to following an entire series if each book is this massive—it takes up a lot of time!
The characters were incredibly well-written, and the descriptions were beautiful. There was a touch of sadness, too. You could really feel the betrayal when characters you believed were on Soren’s side turned out to have their own hidden agendas. It added a layer of depth to the story that I wasn’t expecting.
Author Bio
Killian Wolf is a Miami native with a passion for pirates, rum, skulls, and weaving tales of dark magick and sorcerers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology, along with a Master of Science in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy.
Killian’s books delve into the pursuit of magical powers and the exploration of other dimensions. She now lives in England with her husband, a whirlwind of a cat, and the shyest snake you’ll ever meet.
When she’s not writing, you might find her on an archaeological dig, rock climbing, or sipping dark spiced rum while working on her latest painting.
Thank you to ZooLoo’s Book Tours for offering me this chance to read a book I’d never thought to read before.
Morelli’s Reads 
Thank you so much for taking part in the tour and for sharing your review 🙂 x
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