My review on "Alice" by Christina Henry

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.

In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood…

Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.

Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful.

And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.

The book tells us a different story about Alice. She lives in a terrible world that amazes with its fabulously large abomination. Here live creatures, there is nothing bright in whose hearts. There is no place for girls here. And Alice kills all dangerous opponents and free the poor souls that have been bullied for a long time. Christina Henry makes the characters as negative as possible, clearly distinguishing the good from the bad. The book interested me. But right up to the moment I read it. In the end, the main problem is solved so simply that you just want to forget about it. Poof, and there is no that terribly dangerous creature that Alice has been running from throughout history. How convenient!

The one that disappointed me the most was the rabbit. This was the same character that completely ruined Alice's life. We were constantly shown flashbacks about it. I imagined a cruel and disgusting person who ired his strength. But in the end it was nothing. Absolutely no one.

I am unconditionally grateful to Christina Henry for this world. I would like to read other stories about it, but they were not translated into Russian. Despite the terrible plot, the false sense of danger, and the combo of disappointments at the end, I liked the Old City itself. I don't recommend reading "Alice" by Christina Henry unless you're a dark retelling crazy fan like me.