Official Description: An FGB novella for bookjunkie1975. She thought that falling down the hole was the worst part. But really, it’s only just the beginning. M because, with luck, there will be some maddening encounters of the citrus kind.

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Curiouser and Curiouser by Amelie Gray is not at all not at all the story I expected it to be when I opened it. It’s so much better, so much more.

I’d always thought that, in the event that I actually fell down a hole, it’d be a lot like that dream most people have as kids. You know the drill: tripping on something you never can remember, falling down through time and space, darkness pressing all around you, until all you want to do is open your mouth and scream until your vocal cords go hoarse –

And then you wake up.

But this is not a dream.

No, no it’s not.

A re-imagining of this classic tale told in a way that only Amelie could tell it, we don’t even know who we’re reading about. Is it Alice? It should be Alice. It’s totally Alice, right?

“You’re fifteen years late,” a crisp voice announces. “And you’re not Alice. I can’t tell which part of it is worse.”

Amelie isn’t just retelling the story, she plucks pieces and characters and makes them entirely her own. Where she could get carried away describing the fantastical details, she gives us only what is needed. Spare, but perfectly clear.

This is real.

There are a bunch of them, all different shapes and sizes – purple, blue, furry, sleek-skinned.

But the one who looks at me, and frowns as he speaks, is a large, fuzzy hare – long-eared, with a neat violet vest, and a top hat perched above his ears.

“Oh no. Don’t tell me it’s Not Alice again?”

While I wouldn’t exactly call this a fluff piece, Amelie’s humor shines through in the absurd moments she’s created, Bella’s inner monologue, and Bella’s acerbic public voice. Of course, what isn’t inherently funny about a talking hare?

“To be honest…erm, may I call you Bells?”

“No,” I say bluntly.

“Oh, well…to be honest, Bells…”

Edward is far from light-hearted, snapping at Bella like she’s supposed to know why she’s in Wonderland. His brusque tone towards her adds to the mystery of why Bella’s there and how everyone seems to know her.

“You’re in Wonderland,” he says briskly, reaching for his cup and downing it like I would a shot of tequila. “And as for going back home, right now that is out of the question.”

Now I stare at him. He seems completely unaffected, reaching for a cookie and demolishing that too.

I don’t want to kiss him anymore.

Now I just want to slap him.

I really want her to do both.

There’s a little of everything here, something to keep everyone reading. There’s whimsy, comedy, push and pull between plucky Bella and sexy Hatter Edward, and a bunch of little puzzle boxes to unlock along the way. It looks like it will be a wild ride with our (un) usual suspects and you need to be taking it with me!