Curiouser and Curiouser - Melanie Karsak

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Alice follows the boy who stole her employers pocket watch, Rabbit, back into the life she left behind. Into the rough part of town she returns, summoned. The love she once felt for William surfaces as the man he is now needs her help. Blackmailed into helping to save her sisters love, The Hatter, from his debt, Alice agrees to help Caterpillar.

Lesley's tone when speaking as Alice feels to fit her curiosity, which is the feel we get from Alice in many stories of her adventure. She has an opinion that she voices, not mean or rude, just a thought to add to the discussion.

Melanie writes Alice with the feel we would expect. A curious young lady with thoughts of her own to share. The story isn't as much falling down a literal hole like in the original story. But Alice living in a world full of wonder, and following a boy nicknamed Rabbit. The world created is full of steamwork and clockwork items. This blended with the steam and smoke draws a world of danger and mystery in which Alice is pulled back into. This is a talent as Melanie very craftily wrote the story in the actual living of the characters.

We see the world full of clockwork and steampunk from the beginning. There is a darkness to the story as well, particularly with one of the characters. Creepy, dark. But fits in the harsh life of the characters here. There is even a touch of magic present. Just a touch. Mostly the world is steam and clockwork.

There is a feel of double meaning to words, it's not confusing but tricky. Listen closely to catch it. I love how people have two names; real name and a nickname. Like William who's known as Caterpillar in town. Each name goes with a different part of his life. Which person is he when talking to Alice? William or Caterpillar? Both are of a different nature and are known for different things to Alice. This gives the twisty feel that we get from Wonderland.

Melanie touches on all the main characters from Alice in Wonderland in her remake. It was a nice game for me to see about spotting them all, though their names do give them away.

I was pleasantly surprised with Melanie's creation here. She captured so many important elements from Alice in Wonderland yet wrote a different story that feels true to the world. So well done!

Curiouser and Curiouser - Melanie Karsak Alice and her sister Bess was taken in by Jabberwocky who gave them a home and took care of them in return Alice was taught to steal. Alice along with other kids that Jabberwocky took all lived a life of crime with Jabberwocky being their boss. Alice and Bess didn’t like living a life crime and wanted out so when Jabberwocky is killed Alice and Bess take the opportunity to leave behind the life of crime and start a new better life for themselves.

Alice is love with one of the guys living in Jabberwocky’s home, William and when Alice leaves she tries to get William to go with her but William chooses not to leave.

Alice thinks she has left that life behind but how wrong she is when a friend gets in a little trouble and Alice is the only one who can save him. Her friend owes William a debt and Alice must do one more job for him to save her friend.

I have truly enjoyed reading Curiouser and Curiouser with a mix of Alice in Wonderland and Oliver Twist. Alice is a very strong female lead and very good at what she does. Alice has spent her life taken care of others and putting others before herself. She will do whatever she has to do to keep the people she loves and cares about safe and happy no matter what the cost to herself.

I loved the world the author created for Curiouser and Curiouser with the airships and the clockwork cats. I loved the mix between Alice in Wonderland and Oliver Twist. I can’t wait to check out more of Melanie Karsak’s Steampunk Fairy Tales worlds.

If you love Fairy Tales and Steampunk stories then you are going to love Curiouser and Curiouser. Pick up your copy today to start your adventure into the world of Bandersnatch, Caterpillar, Jabberwocky, Hatter, The Queen of Hearts, The White Queen and more.

very good read, pictures could have been bigger and I really need book 2

Curiouser and Curiouser - Melanie Karsak I received this from the author for a review.


I loved it. I wish it had been longer, but I still enjoyed it.

Alice has got away from a life of crime and is working for a Lord. When her sisters suitor is beaten up for gambling Alice ends up doing a job to save him, which puts her back in the fold with her true love. She ends up doing one last job for the man she loves .

The story starts with the theft of a pocket watch and Alice finds herself once again down the rabbit hole. From start to finish this book just kept coming. It never let up once.
Alice is conflicted through most of the book and you feel for her. She walked away from the life of crime and the man she loved only to be dragged back in. All the feelings she tries to hide just burst out. I liked Alice. She was a strong female lead who, has much has she loved William, she didn't need him either.

William was a scoundrel that you have to love. Gets himself in trouble, has men do and is saved by Alice.

I really liked how the characters from Alice in wonderland are portrayed has everyday people and how well it worked. Most retellings take Alice back to wonderland, this one didn't and it worked great.

I do wish the steampunk elements had been in depth. They were only hinted at in small doses. Maybe if the book had been longer then more could have been explored.

My final thoughts are great book and I hope there's a book two

All of this gives me a migraine.  And, it's just plain depressing, frustrating, infuriating, add feeling/adjectives here ...

Do ya'll think this will eventually be resolved to everyone's liking?    A happy medium, maybe?  I'm feeling skeptical. And, that's very unlike me, which makes me even more sad.  Goodreads used to represent happiness, community, friendship, like-minds, discovery, exploration, laughter.  *sad*so very, very sad*

On GR, I've never bashed anyone or been bashed, for that matter.  I count myself lucky.  Bullying and censorship are disgusting and unacceptable.  

Whenever I try to stop and think about all I'm reading on the chaos, I can't help but wonder how GR/TPTB won't/can't admit that book buying (and by default reading and reviewing) is often based on more than an appealing cover and blurb.  At times, the author(s), the publisher, the marketer are consideration factors as well.  If you don't support those entities you won't buy the book.  

-- This makes me think of the  tuna boycotts in the '80s when Sam La Budde films dolphins being caught and killed while netting for tuna. 

 

As a result, "In 1990, the three largest tuna companies in the world - StarKist, Bumblebee, and Chicken of the Sea - agreed to stop purchasing, processing, and selling tuna caught by intentional chasing and netting of dolphins.

Due to legislation in the U.S. Congress, supported by IMMP and the tuna industry, this standard of "non-encirclement" of dolphins became the U.S. legal standard for the "Dolphin Safe" tuna label."

 

Authors cannot expect readers to create "author's feelings safe" review labels.  Surely, the majority do not intentionally seek to hurt the feelings of an author.  However, honest reviews and ratings will sometimes do just that.  And, if a person chose to avoid an author because of their improper, impolite, unappealing behavior and their shelves are there to sort their books, it's not surprising shelves such as "author to avoid" or "will not read" would begin to appear.  The fact that others share their opinion and chose to create similar shelves should also be no big surprise.  Why do they (GR/TPTB) think they have enough similar shelving habits to create a "Top shelves" list in the first place.  

I read an article someplace that remarked on the behaviors of self-published authors (those who do not have -a brain- or a publicist or such to -teach them manners- help them navigate the waters of good and bad reviews to know when to -keep negative thoughts between themselves and their therapist/partner/family- refrain from engaging in direct and inflammatory communication with or about their readers).  And, the influx of self-published authors, due in large part to the ease of doing so, has led to (or at the very least contributed greatly) the author/reviewer battles of late.  

I can see that.  I can see that some may find it difficult to turn away from the screen, focus on the good vs. bad, and just accept that not everyone will love what they've put out there for the world to read.  But, why should the reader/review be punished?  

Like it or not, authors and readers have a symbiotic relationship - albeit a sometimes parasitic one.  If authors do not write books, we do not have books to read.  During my time on GR, I have learned the power a book review can have when it is shared with another person.  That said, I still have a mind of my own.  If I love Coke and you love Pepsi, no matter how well you describe your love for the taste or the color of its pretty blue can, I will still avoid Pepsi and drink Coke.  That does not mean, I cannot enjoy your montage about the joys of crackin' open a can of Pepsi and your drinking experience.

I truly and sincerely hope that this is not the beginning of the end of GR.  I trusted the TPTB  when they said,

 

It's important to be clear that Goodreads and the awesome team behind it are not going away. Goodreads will continue to be the wonderful community that we all cherish. We plan to continue offering you everything that you love about the site—the ability to track what you read, discover great books, discuss and share them with fellow book lovers, and connect directly with your favorite authors—and your reviews and ratings will remain here on Goodreads.

 

Well, some of that is already proving false.  Here's hoping wrongs can be righted before all those who made GR GReat are gone.

Thus ends my cry and rant.  Apologies for anything that doesn't quite make sense outside of my rattled brain; thank you for listening!  (((GR friends)))