Madness in Wonderland is a tremendously imaginative retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Readers who enjoy Steampunk will relish this read. This new version centers on the Queen’s evil battle for supremacy. She’s created an automaton army, led by Alpha, a semi-human, partially engineered killing machine.

But Alpha doesn’t want to kill.

Alice and Hatter are trying to free Wonderland from Hart’s reigns and along the way, we learn more of what’s going in the fairytale land. Hart, given name Crimson, and her sister Ivory, were children of the King and Queen. Twins came along, a boy and girl, both tattooed on the shoulder to show their royal lineage. But in an attempt to grab power, Hart had her parents killed and, she thought, the twins.

This book covers what happens many years later. Ivory is hiding in her castle, far away and Crimson is ruling with cruelty. Hatter and Alice are battling to find his sister, Pippa. Pippa’s life is in danger, because Queen Hart is taking a generation into custody to protect her claim to the throne.

This book is very clever. And the steampunk is enough in evidence to make the plot more engaging, but not overdone, so readers who don’t adore that genre shouldn’t be put off. Definitely a fun read if you like fairy tale, steampunk, plot twist-y books or unusual love stories.