Bahahaha! <---- (Me insanely laughing to myself over the beauty of Wonderland.) 
 Alice in Wonderland was a childhood favourite of mine. I have this lovely older edition from my Grandparent's house that has this amazing old-book smell.It also has annoying yellow marker scribbles on all of the illustrations, courtesy of either my aunts or uncles, or cousins. Hard to say, since many Siemenses have read this book in the past. Obviously, it's a well-loved volume. 
 As a child, not only did I read the book, but I also watched the movie, oh... maybe once a week or every two weeks. To this day my siblings and I quote it. "Seeeerpeeeent!" "We'll smoke the monster out!" "Whoo, are yo-ou?" 
 Quickly, before I got lost in nostalgia and start talking about my childhood instead of the book, someone, pinch me! Or hit me on the head with a hard-covered book! 
 Okay, sorry, got a bit carried away there. 
 The whole point of that up there ^^^ was to show how the story has been a part of my life. Since I'm so attached to the original story you'd think I might dislike Howard's "funkier and darker tribute." On the contrary, I adored it. I may have loved the original when I was little, but now my older self is completely taken away by the darker retellings (such as The Looking Glass Wars. So good.) 
 What this story did that surprised me, was that the main character wasn't Alice. It was Alyssa, great-great-great-great granddaughter to the famous Alice Liddell. This shows the utter horrific consequences that Alice's trip to Wonderland had on her to come family. This book is filled with madness. Two kinds, the kind of insanity that sends you to an Asylum with straight jackets and padded walls, as well as the typical, non-sensical madness that we affectionately relate to the Mad-Hatter, and the other lovable characters of the original story (speaking of affectionate Mad-Hatters, can I briefly mention Johnny Depp's Mad-Hatter in the Tim Burton movie. That right there is one sadly adorable insane Hatter.) 
 This book shows the darker side of the story, it has a vibe that kind of reminded me of the older faerie tales- the creepier ones. 
 The characters in this book were also marvelously crafted. Alyssa is torn between two worlds, torn between two selves, and (sigh) torn between two guys. Why? Love triangles are the worst. 
 The fight in her is obvious, and as she grows both in strength, understanding, and into her self she becomes more and more likable, and less like that creepy girl who kills bugs and uses them as art. 
 The boys were, well, the typical boys you'd find in a love triangle. Great guy she's grown up with, and then the new, mysterious, possibly magical jerk who has more allure and is hot. Yeah, yeah, seen it all before. 
 However, despite the stereotypes, Jeb and Morpheus did have their differences. At least enough that I didn't hate either of them completely, and kind of liked them both. Though if I had to choose a side, I'd probably choose Team Jeb. What can I say? I like stability, and nice people. Jerks are jerks and that's an end of it. 
 But, if you love Wonderland, have a pull towards darker and creepier stories, love magical places under the ground with twists and turns all over, then you should read this book. It was nothing, if not twisty and turny, and utterly mad.