Off With Her Heart

I've read other Alice prequels but this one stands way above the rest in quality and in making sense of what made the characters the way they are in the Alice in Wonderland story.

First, this takes place some time before Alice herself gets to Wonderland. The story is about a young girl named Katy. Her parents pretty much ignore her. She's 12 and has very few friends, spending much of her time reading. There's a mirror in one of the rooms and somehow she gets pulled through that mirror, entering Wonderland pre-Red Queen.

There's a toothless snake who is becomes a friend to her. There's also an aphid which is a seer. It saw Katy coming to Wonderland so the Queen knows about her. Katy ends up living with the Queen and her other daughter, Eisley. Our reality is referred to as 'the land of shadows.'

Some time later she meets a boy in the forest. His name is Degrit and he becomes very important to her in her life. Lutwidge is another advisor. He stutters. (Lutwidge is Charles Dodgson's middle name.)

She also gets to meet very the Tweedle brothers when they are very young and a young Cheshire Cat.

Things are looking up with Eisley bcomes engaged but it turns out the guy is pure evil and things begin going downhill from there. Katy blames herself for what happened which proves to be a major burden for her. Her boyfriend is revealed to be a special person and he must help the community more than be a boyfriend.

We learn who became the Mad Hatter and why that person became that way. The origin of the March Hare is also covered. We also learn about the Knave of Hearts and the Duchess.

Most importantly, we learn why the Queen of Hearts of Alice's time was so vicious and we also learn what became of her.

One of the things I like most about this book is the way it explains just why the characters in Alice in Wonderland behaved in the way they do and it does that in a very logical manner with believable reasons for their transformations. The whole thing makes sense and is written in a style which makes the individuals involved very realistic.

An excellent book.

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