I went into this without any expectations- I've never read anything (or heard) of Heather Lyons, and I've never really been all that interested or amused by Alice in wonderland tales. But this book simply took my breath away. It's beautifully written, carefully crafted and concisely told. The characters are charismatic and unique to themselves, despite being imagined by one author. The love story is believable and hopeful. But best of all, in the midst of the hopefulness and tender hearted moments, there is darkness and brutality- bloody fights, running action and tense alignments. Something for everyone! I will most definitely be grabbing the next and last book. 
 My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is mostly because I'm not a fan of time travel in books, simply because it confuses the hell out of me. This instance was no exception, but I was more than able to overlook this and enjoy everything else about this book.