After Alice

Just in time for the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, comes this novel After Alice from Gregory Maguire, (author of Wicked), who picks up the story after Alice falls down the proverbial rabbit hole. The title itself can be a bit misleading, because I had the notion it would be a sequel of sorts about what happened "after Alice" came back from Wonderland, but it is the story of Alice's best friend, Ada Boyce, who readers get a brief glimpse of in the original book. This is highlighted in the opening to this book where we find an excerpt from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland where Ada is mentioned.

This novel on the other hand is what happens when Ada follows Alice quite unfortunately in an attempt to find Alice, thus the fitting of the title "After Alice" comes into play. She wasn't intentionally looking for her, but was headed out exploring and trying to avoid her nanny of sorts, Mrs. Armstrong, whom Ada refers to as Mrs. Armstrong Headstrong, who has lost sight of Ada and fears the repercussions from Ada's father when she returns without her. Mrs. Armstrong doesn't know quite where Ada has run off and spends the length of the novel attempting to find her as the chapters toggle between Ada's adventures in trying to find Alice while she herself is lost in the many wonders in Wonderland, and Mrs. Armstrong's attempt to find her with little help from Lydia, Alice's older sister.

As Ada struggles to understand what is happening to her, we catch a sneak peek at some of our beloved characters from Wonderland like the Cheshire Cat, the Walrus and the Oysters, the talking roses and more as Wonderland rushes to make preparations for the Queen of Hearts garden party. Ada finds herself always a step behind where Alice has traveled and even finds herself accused of stealing a spoon from the Mad Hatter and March Hare when she sits down for tea, failing to realize she had the spoon in her pocket when she was in her home, trying to console her sickly baby brother.

I received After Alice by Gregory Maguire compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review aside from the free copy of the novel and the opinions contained here are my own personal ones. While I wished this book would have stayed focused on Wonderland, I found the alternating chapters involving Alice's sister Lydia a bit distracting from the story. It was like having two very different stories in one book but alternating them. It was not something I preferred, but did enjoy the those chapters in which Ada's exploration into the mysterious world of Wonderland come to life again. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion and fans of Gregory Maguire's novels such as Wicked would love this one as well.

For more information about After Alice, Gregory Maguire or where you can preorder a copy of this novel which is released in October of 2015, please click on the links below:

After Alice by Gregory Maguire

You can find Gregory Maguire on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

To read more reviews on After Alice, please visit William Morrow's website. 

You can preorder a copy of this novel at Amazon.com.

Out of Oz

Once peaceful and prosperous, the spectacular Land of Oz is knotted with social unrest: The Emerald City is mounting an invasion of Munchkinland, Glinda is under house arrest, and the Cowardly Lion is on the run from the law. And look who's knocking at the door. It's none other than Dorothy. Yes. That Dorothy.

Yet amidst all this chaos, Elphaba's granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of A Witch, has come of age. Now it is up to Rain to take up her broom - and her legacy - in an Oz wracked by war.

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire is the stirring, long-awaited conclusion to the best selling series begun with Wicked. This is a magical journey rife with revelations and reversals, reprisals and surprises - the hallmarks of the unique imagination of Gregory Maguire.

My Review:

Having never read any of the series except for the movie, The Wizard of Oz, I was immediately brought up to speed in the books with a brief recap of the synopsis of each of the subsequent books in this series, and this was a beautiful conclusion to the story to all the characters we've come to love and adore and wondered just what became of them when they all returned at the end of the movie. I personally have been a fan of Dorothy's since the beginning and it was nice to know what happened after she returns to Kansas. Just what did she have to say to Auntie Em? Did they think it was all a bad dream or was she able to convince them that a place called Oz actually exists?

To find out you'll have to pick up a copy of Out of Oz, the concluding novel in the Wicked series. I received this beautifully illustrated hardcover copy compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and have to say this one rates a 5 out of 5 in my book! To anyone who has loved the Wizard of Oz or the Wicked Series, this is a MUST READ for you fans!

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy please click on the links below:

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

You can also find out more at Gregory Maguire's website by clicking here.
He's on Facebook as well by clicking here.

The Next Queen of Heaven

As the new millennium approaches, the eccentric town of Thebes grows even stranger. Clocked by a Catholic statuette, Mrs. Leontina Scales begins speaking in tongues. Her daughter, Tabitha Scales, and her sons scheme to save their mother or surrender her to Jesus - whatever comes first. Meanwhile, choir director Jeremy Carr, caught between lust and ambition, fumbles his way toward Y2K.

Only a modern master like Gregory Maguire can spin a tale this frantic, funny, and farcical. The ancient Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries join with a gay singing group. The Radical Radiants battle the Catholics. A Christmas pageant hoes horribly awry. And a child is born. (excerpt back cover).

Yes, all this is included in the 347 pages in the latest novel The Next Queen of Heaven, from Gregory Maguire, who is the best selling author of such books as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, Matchless, and Wicked.

I had to say this was one of the most challenging books for me to attempt to get through as a reviewer and have no particular preference for any genre of book, however this one had me struggling to get through the first half of the books, with harsh profanity from the character of Tabitha who seems to think that such behavior is a shock value for her mom despite all her attempts at prayer to save her. Her pastor at the church suggests that she role model appropriate behavior for her to follow while praying for her to change. When Tabitha disappears in a store to purchase a CD, her mother waits and then shows up screaming profanity at the top of her voice while making a huge scene in front of Tabitha's friends.

When Tabitha hurries to make her purchase and later condemns her moms behavior, her mother is more than happy to point out how uncomfortable Tabitha makes it for her. So much for role model behavior. There are so many characters introduced throughout the book, that it's hard to maintain focus on just a handful. What disappoints me the most besides the language and references to Tabitha's many sexual encounters is that the book didn't do much to hold my interest. This was a huge let down for me after expecting a better book from Maguire after writing such hits like Wicked, Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men.

While this book may appeal to some readers, it did not appeal to me. I had the most difficult time attempting to read this book in its entirety to provide an honest review. Trust me when I say that the excerpt on the back does lay the story out for you and tell you the general content of the book, but let the buyer beware.

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and have to say this one is a 2 out of 5 stars. For more information on the book, the author and where to read more reviews about this book, click on the title below:

The Next Queen of Heaven