Have I got a delightful story to share with you all today! It’s an Alice in Wonderland retelling! And not only that, a STEAMPUNK WONDERLAND story. YES. THAT IS CORRECT. Buckle in, because this one takes you on a wild ride!

It is no secret that Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories of all time. And by “favorite” I mean, if I whiff one inkling of Wonderland goodness within my vicinity, I transform into major ultra fangirl mode and break the sound barrier with my squealing. All perfectly normal things. It’s fine.

SO. When my friend and fellow Silmaril Awards host, E.E. Rawls, announced she was publishing a Wonderland tale, you can imagine I pounced on that thing like a rabid ninja banana (I promise that makes sense. Just read the book and you’ll see *grins*). This story swept me into a rip-roaring good time full of mishaps, mayhem, mysteries, and a delightful array of mad characters—all things a proper Wonderland story should contain. OH. And it’s also STEAMPUNK. Yes, steampunk Wonderland. Could there be anything better?

Madness Solver in Wonderland is technically a duology BUT it’s still very much one full story, just split into two bite-sized books which have released simultaneously. So no being left on dreaded cliffhangers. You can read the full story altogether! WOOT, WOOT.

I am honored today to be joining in the blog tour for this new release and sharing all my thoughts via a review. I’ll be reviewing both books in one because, like I said, it’s basically one story. So let’s get to it!

SYNOPSIS

Teenage Madnes Hatter wants more to life than what his island hometown has to offer—and he definitely doesn’t want a boring future in hat-making, like his parents. But he sure doesn’t expect a well-dressed cat named Cheshire to suddenly pop into his life and make everything worse—giving him the power of the Madness Solver and making him the guardian and peacekeeper between Wonderland and Earth.

What the heck? When he said he wanted more to life, this wasn’t what he meant! Now, he’s the only one who can see Wonderland creatures as they walk the streets, and when there’s trouble, it’s his job to solve it. His friends, Alice and Harrey, think he’s going crazy.

But when a problem arises with the portals linking Wonderland to Earth, an old mystery is brought to light—the case of the death of the previous Madness Solver. Will Madnes meet the same fate, with the guardian power sapping away at his life? Wonderland’s ruler, the Red King, has cast a dangerous spell, and an ancient evil is rising. Madnes may not have long to save his friends and both worlds before it’s too late…

AMAZON: BOOK 1 & BOOK 2 | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | GOODREADS | AUTHOR’S WEBSITE

THE PLOT

The story follows teenage Madnes Hatter, who lives in a heavily steampunkified version of Earth (WHICH I LOVED) with his parents in their hat-making shop. He’s not particular satisfied with his life in his boring island town. But when he’s approached by a talking cat in fine apparel and can suddenly see all sorts of bizarre things around him, and, oh yeah, is told he’s the new peacekeeper of both Earth and an entire world he didn’t even know existed, he begins to miss his boring ol’ normal life.

The “Madness Solver” power is a high responsibility, only bestowed to those worthy. It gives the person the ability to see Wonderlanders who have transported to Earth via portals, when the average eye cannot perceive such things. But it’s more than that. The Madness Solver is the guardian of both worlds, solving problems and keeping the peace whenever the worlds collide.

Madnes can’t imagine why Cheshire would give him this ability, but it seems he has no choice in the matter. Before he’s barely able to get accustomed to his new role, or accept the fact that there is a whole other world out there full of strange things and even stranger people, he uncovers a plot that threatens both Earth and Wonderland. And to make things worse, the Madness Solver power is slowly sucking away his life.

This whole story is just a wild ride, let me tell ya! When you’ve got chapters titled “Ninja Banana Problem” or “Let’s Go To The Drop!” you know you are in for one crazy treat.

Book #1 mostly focuses on Madnes getting accustomed to his new role as Madness Solver and uncovering a sinister plot, while being thrust into all sorts of mishaps and danger along the way. While book #2 is more of a classic quest-type of tale. Both of which were quite fun! Sometimes I did feel like all the events were pretty random and maybe didn’t always connect as closely as they could have. But, YA KNOW, this is a Wonderland book. Obviously there is going to be some crazy randomness! And it was all delightful to read about. Book #2 especially felt like a bunch of fun short stories as the characters traversed different parts of the world and encountered all sorts of wacky people and problems. It felt like some of the middle-grade books I used to read, and I very much enjoyed myself!

And I know what you’re asking. Are there really ninja bananas? Yes, yes there are. This story is worth reading for them alone.

THE CHARACTERS

This is where this story shone. I fell head-over-heels in love with this madcap crew!

Madnes Hatter is, of course, our main character, and I grew so fond of the Madness Solver. Madnes started out as a dissatisfied teen and grew into such a brave, selfless young man. Seeing his journey and growth made my heart swell. I’M SO PROUD OF MY BOY. What I loved about Madnes is that he really did feel like such a teenage boy. He’s awkward, he has a temper, he doesn’t know what’s happening 97% of the time, he can be so, so reckless, but his heart is always in the right place. Honestly I think he was my favorite character, which is saying something when you’ve got a crew of a talking cat, a DRAGON, an epic monster hunter, the adorkable comic relief character, and so many others. But I always found myself loving the scenes in Madnes’ point-of-view the most. He grew so very much, and I just loved him!

BUT YES. There were so many others to love as well! We’ve got…

• Harrey – Madnes’ best friend who is always there for a good joke and likes to invent strange machines, from a robot frog to a flying bicycle. Even if his inventions…don’t always work properly.
• Alice – Who was the calm voice amidst the chaos, and had SUCH a fascinating story.
• Cheshire – By the books, must-always-look-his-finest Cheshire was fantastic! Poor cat had quite a time trying to keep this motley crew in order. XD
• Cosmic – Madnes’ monster hunting uncle with his duster coat and wide-brim hat and belt full of knives was THE. BEST. I would have loved a story about him alone. (And the bits where he and Cheshire had to work together were GREAT. Gruff and tough Cosmic and prim and proper Cheshire together had my rolling.)
• Pelur the dragon – Another favorite! Not only was he a purple dragon but a SHAPESHIFTING one, able to go from human to dragon at will. Poor Pelur was a little bit…slow to the intake but such a dear. Plus he’s a DRAGON. So yeah. I instantly loved him.
• Ash and Drisel – These poor orphans were really fun additions to the gang as well. And that thing that happened to their friend just GAH.

AND OZ. I won’t say much because #spoilers. But Oz was basically the emo character, and you guys know I always fall for those snarky, standoffish fictional boys. I can’t help myself. Oz and Madnes’ story was probably my favorite bit of the whole thing. Again, I don’t need to say much but but but *FLAILS*. Let’s just say they gave me feels!

This tale definitely had a found family feel to it (WHICH IS MY FAVE OF EVER) as all these unlikely characters banded together to save the worlds. I just loved the diversity of them all, and how they each had different abilities. Stories with a large cast of characters that can each bring something unique to the table are some of my favorites. And these characters definitely each had unique qualities! What other story will throw together a talking cat, a monster hunter, a shapeshifting dragon, a bunch of teenagers with special powers, and brave orphan children and toss them into a mystery and epic quest? REALLY NOW. And it was great how they all grew and learned to rely on one another. Like, seriously, can I be part of the Madness Solver Crew???

Even the side characters were so, so engaging! I loved the Baa people and Man in Moon and the odd circus performers. There was such a wide diversity of characters and fantasy races. The imagination here was mindblowing!

OTHER THOUGHTS

Aside from the absolutely delightful characters, the biggest thing that struck me was the WORLDBUILDING. E.E. Rawls positively excels with worldbuilding. Every. single. page. introduced yet another strange and wondrous part of the world. From, yes, ninja bananas to dragon knights to a world beneath the ocean to a village of people with crow wings to sheep people to floating islands to magical circus performances. Seriously, it felt endless! And, of course, there was plenty of steampunk goodness, especially at the beginning, with the steam cars and goggles and airships

It’s one of those stories that fills you with wonder. You just never really knew where you’d end up next or what sort of characters you’d encounter. Which I think is the joy of Wonderland stories. The possibilities are endless. This take on Wonderland felt both true to the original and yet so fresh and new.

As mentioned before, some events did feel a little random. And it wasn’t as emotional as I personally like my books. Lol. Sometimes things moved too fast. I often wished it delved a bit deeper into the emotions of the characters and that the events were a little more streamlined. I would have also really liked to have gotten more of the villain and his motivations. BUT, with that said, this was just a fun book. Lighthearted and quick and full of such fun characters and crazy mishaps. It had a bit of a middle-grade flair to me. Nothing too, too deep and complex, but filled to the brim with zany characters and humorous situations and an utterly wondrous world.

CONTENT CAUTIONS

Very clean! As I said, this has a very middle-grade tone to the narrative. Though there is certainly plenty of dangers and perilous events, nothing ever gets graphic. At one point a male character almost catches sight of a female bathing, but it’s all very quick and I don’t think he actually saw anything. He was horrified after the fact as well. It all stayed very innocent.

There’s a bit of a Christian message woven throughout, though nothing too heavy-handed. And I really appreciated the themes of darkness vs. light, sacrifice, and redemption.

Overall though, it’s just a fun, lighthearted story that I think would be great for the 12+ age group.

CONCLUSION

From the delightful motley crew to Madnes’ growth to the crazy shenanigans to the absolutely wondrous and wild worldbuilding, this story brought me so many smiles! I already miss the Madness Solver gang, and do hope Rawls will continue their adventures one day! Though we got to explore so much of this Wonderland, I feel like there is still plenty to see, and I am here for it.

Plus, ya know, STEAMPUNK WONDERLAND STORY. What more could you ask for?

Also? THE COVERSSS. I may have been drooling over these covers for the past two months. JUST. I CAN’T.

If you’re looking for a zany read full of unique, dynamic characters, lots of laughs, a touch of heart, and PLENTY of fun, Madness Solver in Wonderland is for you!

BLOG TOUR

Don’t miss out on the others stops for this blog tour!

• June 1s – E.E. Rawls https://rawlse.wordpress.com/blog
• June 2nd – Spotlight @ https://www.instagram.com/brendajeancombs/
• June 7th – Review @ http://theworldofthewriter.wordpress.com
• June 7th – Spotlight @ https://www.lauraagrace.com/
• June 12th – Review @ https://www.rachaelritchey.com
• June 14th – Review @ https://christinesmithauthor.com/ (You are here!)
• June 15th – Review @ https://paperinklizard.wordpress.com/
• June 16th – Review @ http://jenelleschmidt.com
• June 19th – Review @ https://thebookishraven.news.blog

OKAY. Who here absolutely adores Wonderland stories? *waves hand wildly in the air* And who thinks a steampunk Wonderland tale is the best idea ever? Does this one sound up your alley? Give me all your thoughts!

NOTE: Huge thanks to the author for sending me an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.