Book Review: “Alice” by Christina Henry

Jan 11

Håfa adai! Welcome to my review of Alice, the first book in the Chronicles of Alice series by Christina Henry; a story about betrayal, repressed trauma, retribution, and what happens when reality is more horrifying than madness.

This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Fantasy bookshelf.

Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

Alice was from the New City. Now she is in an asylum, drugged and abused by her medical caretakers. She can remember the before and the after, but not the two weeks of what happened 10 years ago when she was only 16 years-old. A naïve Alice and her friend Dor snuck into the Old City, but only Alice would return wearing a dress that wasn’t hers and covered in blood and bruises. Alice does not remember exactly what happened, but she can remember the blue-green eyes of the one who gave her tea.

Hatcher was from the Old City. Now he speaks to Alice, his only friend, from the asylum room next to hers through a hole in the wall. A fire in the asylum gives them the opportunity to escape. And they are not the only ones now on the loose. Hatcher could sense it before the fire started. He knows it was no mistake. The Jabberwock is awake and has been set free. There is only one Hatcher knows of who can defeat this terrible entity: the Rabbit.

To find the Rabbit, Hatcher takes Alice with him into the darkest depths of the Old City. Together, they come across horrifying acts of injustice, are forced to deal with the Cheshire, and are must face adversaries like the Walrus and the Caterpillar. Every opponent is more terrifying than the last. But nothing could prepare Alice for who she would encounter once her and Hatcher enter the lair of the Rabbit.

Important Trigger Warning for Alice

Alice heavily depicts threats of sexual violence as well as sexual assault, human trafficking, animal cruelty, violence, and gore. These themes are essential to the plot. If these are themes that cause you distress or discomfort in any way, then please take steps to prepare and protect yourself before and after reading this book.

My Thoughts on Alice: 4.25 stars

Christina Henry presents a grotesque and blood-soaked blend of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and other works by Lewis Carroll in the first installment of her Chronicles of Alice series. Alice is classified into the sub genre of dark fantasy, blending fantasy worldbuilding with horror scenery. It explores graphic themes of repressed trauma, sexual violence and assault, human trafficking, and animal cruelty. And I would say that, because of the images and themes heavily depicted throughout each act of the story, it is a form of intense horror.

Alice takes place in a society divided into two parts: the New City, where the wealthiest and most privileged citizens reside, and the Old City, where the forgotten reign and where the hospital holding Alice and Hatcher resides. The imagery Christina Henry creates throughout this story was, in my interpretation, reminiscent of the 19th Century industrial cities of western Europe; dark, polluted, and unforgiving. The story’s main protagonists are Alice and Hatcher, two deeply traumatized hospital patients who go from next-cell neighbors to much more.

After escaping the hospital during a dangerous fire, Alice and Hatcher encounter characters that may sound familiar to readers of Lewis Carroll like the Cheshire, the Walrus, and the Caterpillar. And although these are characters originating from a children’s tale, what Alice and Hatcher experience and witness are definitely not meant to be read by children. Much of the storytelling and imagery within Alice centers sexual abuse, violence, and the effects of trauma. Characters that were silly tricksters in Lewis Carroll’s works are now violent and deranged mob bosses and gang leaders in Christina Henry’s retelling.

The momentum in Alice maintains a fast pace from start to finish. While this is impressive, I do wish at least one aspect of the story was slowed down: the romance. The romance part of Alice feels rushed to the point that I do not believe it for the first half of the book. I would have preferred if the first half of the book was showed strong growing chemistry between the two characters—building trust between the two deeply traumatized protagonists—before venturing into romantic feelings. I also felt unclear about the extent of their connection before the night of the fire. From Alice’s perspective, I got the impression she had heard Hatcher’s voice for the first time as the fire broke out. But Hatcher later mentions that Alice was his only friend/company during those years in the asylum. That confusion aside, and considering the age difference between Alice and Hatcher, their rush into romance felt more like trauma bonding.

I give Christina Henry’s Alice 4.25 out of 5 stars. I read this book in 2018 and knew I wanted to write a review of it for Bookmarks & Armchairs. This was the first book I read from Christina Henry and it is the story that influenced my return to the “fairy tale retold” sub genre of fiction. Alice twists a well-known children’s story to explore dark adult themes. There are some parts I would have preferred were handled differently, like the fast tracked romance. Also, I don’t know if the way a certain character is handled in Act III of the story really is the last time we see that character or is a setup for a future payoff, so I will reserve my judgement for that until I finish the Chronicles of Alice Series. Either way, Alice has a lot of staying power in my mind.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of Alice by Christina Henry.

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.

Post Date: 10 March 2025