Red Queen (Chronicles of Alice)

by Christina Henry

[Beth C.]

Alice and the Red Queen. Two women on opposite sides, one an interloper and one demanding everything - right? Or...could it be that maybe there is more to the story? As with "Alice", Christina Henry has taken what we know about Alice and the Red Queen, and turned it upside down at the same time she twisted it inside out. But then again - things are never as they seem when Alice is around, are they?
Alice and Hatcher have made it out of the city, and are united in their quest to find the daughter that Hatcher only recently remembered he has...but they have no idea where to begin searching, or even if his daughter is still alive. But before they get terribly far in their journey, the come across a forest where goblins are real and men might be giants and queens kill for the fun of it. When Hatcher disappears, it will be up to Alice to find him - and try to keep him.
I have been a huge fan of Henry's "Alice" since I was lucky enough to read an ARC to review before it came out. As I said then, and as I continue to say now - redoing a story that is a beloved classic can either go very wrong, or it can go very right. Henry did justice to the original in a way that was honest, powerful, twisted, and yes - very, very bloody. With "Red Queen", she has done no less than the same thing. It is less bloody, this book, but no less twisted.
In this book, Alice begins to lose the “lost little girl” she always was in the traditional story – and in “Alice” – and starts to figure out who she is…and who she wants to be. Most of the story revolved around her this time, and it is interesting to see how she functions without Hatcher by her side. As for the Red Queen, well…she may have something to say about all of this as well.
I highly recommend “Red Queen” – and “Alice” before it – and I cannot wait to see what Henry does with Captain Hook, which will be coming soon!