Lady Catherine is destined for great things – or she will be if her ambitious mother has her say. As a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts, Catherine’s future as Queen seems determined. Unfortunately, Catherine has very different ambitions.
A curious mishmash of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Edgar Allen Poe poems this was an intriguing tale. From the outset we are plunged into a world of magic and mayhem, learning all about the life of the infamous Red Queen before she takes on her title.
There’s no doubt that when the story focused on the characters and events that we would expect to see in Lewis Carroll it was a riot. However, a substantial part of the story was focused on the romance between Catherine and Jest, the King’s fool (who isn’t quite what we think). For me there was just a little too much focus on the romance – but, perhaps on another day I’d have have found this more appealing.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy, but I’m not entirely convinced that this will win new fans.