{Synopsis} – They’re dreadfully fond of beheading people here…
Gwen, Pete, and the others have escaped from Everland. Except the safe haven they hoped to find at Alnwick Castle doesn’t exist. With the Queen of England on her deathbed, Duchess Alyssa has stepped in, but things have gotten worse as the cure Doc created for the Horologia virus has mutated into something even more deadly. The only possible solution he can think of is to go back to the virus’s origin: an extinct poisonous apple.
Legend has it, though, that a tree bearing the apple might be found at the center of an impossible labyrinth hidden deep within Germany. A place no one in their right mind enters. With no other options, Alyssa sets out with only her sword, her wits, and the help of Maddox Hadder, a wild boy who oversees the castle gardens. To get to the center of the maze, she’ll be forced to battle monsters more terrifying than her darkest nightmares.
But can anyone truly survive the madness of the maze? And what if there’s no apple to be found there?
{My thoughts} – I truly enjoyed reading this book and following Gwen, Jack, Bella, Pete and Hook into their newest adventure. There is a lot to be learned about the story within these pages and because of that I’d learned that there wasn’t a dull moment to be found.
It was packed with lots of emotion, adventure and indescribable lessons. Unlike the first book that was mostly based on the story of Peter Pan or Hook, this book was based on Alice in Wonderland.
I am a huge fan of retelling books and this series so far has not disappointed me. I look forward to reading the third book when it comes out early next year.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys retellings, however I do suggest reading the prequel and the first book first or you might be a bit lost in the storyline. It is a highly enjoyable series that I’m sure you won’t regret picking up and reading.
{Quotes I Enjoyed} –
{01} – “I realized that life never truly ends. How can it? How can good, kind people just cease to exist? Our bodies may wither away, but our souls don’t. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a dying person? Even though their body fails them, the sparkle in their eyes is more vibrant than the brightest star.”
{02} – Alnwick needs a leader. I’m just not all that sure that I’m the best choice-but I may be the only choice.
{03} – “Life isn’t meant to be fair, my dear. A fair is where you go to buy cotton candy, enjoy carnival rides, and pet smelly goats. Life, on the other hand, is often filled with the unexpected. Sometimes the cards we are dealt cause us to have to shift our own anticipated direction. And other times fate deals us a hand that we are pleasantly thankful for,” Maddox says meaningfully as he looks at me.
{04} – If I can only rest for a few minutes, maybe I’ll wake up to find this was all just a nightmare. A bad dream and this place will never have existed but in the darkest corners of my mind.
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
