Hello everyone! Welcome to my tour stop for Madness Solver in Wonderland and Madness Solver in Wonderland 2 by E. E. Rawls! I’m a sucker for an Alice in Wonderland re-telling, so I was thrilled to read and review these books! Keep reading for more information about this lovely duology, my reviews, and purchase links!
Isn’t this cover just gorgeous?!
Synopsis:
Teenage Madnes Hatter wants more to life than what his island hometown has to offer—and he definitely doesn’t want a boring future in hat-making, like his parents. But he sure doesn’t expect a well-dressed cat named Cheshire to suddenly pop into his life and make everything worse—giving him the power of the Madness Solver and making him the guardian and peacekeeper between Wonderland and Earth.
What the heck? When he said he wanted more to life, this wasn’t what he meant! Now, he’s the only one who can see Wonderland creatures as they walk the streets, and when there’s trouble, it’s his job to solve it. His friends, Alice and Harrey, think he’s going crazy.
But when a problem arises with the portals linking Wonderland to Earth, an old mystery is brought to light—the case of the death of the previous Madness Solver. Will Madnes meet the same fate, with the guardian power sapping away at his life? Wonderland’s ruler, the Red King, has cast a dangerous spell, and an ancient evil is rising. Madnes may not have long to save his friends and both worlds before it’s too late…
My Review for Madness Solver in Wonderland:
4/5 stars
I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Madnes Hatter is bored with the uninteresting life he is living on his island hometown. He never expected a talking cat to show up and wreak havoc on his life! The cat informs Madnes that he is the new Madness Solver, a person entrusted to keep both Earth and Wonderland peaceful. Madnes is suddenly forced to handle problems between the worlds, learn to use his newfound powers, and hide all of this from his friends. But the power comes with a price: it slowly is sucking away his life. And then a bigger problem surfaces—the Red King is using a dangerous spell that poses a threat to both of the worlds.
This was such a pleasant and fun read! I’m not sure what the intended age group is, but I would highly recommend it for middle-grade readers! The shenanigans of Madnes and his friends and the craziness of Wonderland would definitely appeal to younger readers! I also think YA readers would enjoy this! This unique take on Wonderland and the way it crosses over with Earth is so cool! I also really liked the author’s writing style—it strikes me as rather clever and witty. This is a fun tale of adventure and friendship with interesting world-building and enjoyable characters! It is also a clean read which is why I have no problem suggesting it to younger readers. Fans of Alice in Wonderland and readers looking for a short and amusing read should give this book a shot!
My Review of Madness Solver in Wonderland 2:
5/5 stars
I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review. (If you have not read book one, this review might spoil it for you, so proceed with caution.)
With Earth at stake, Madnes and friends split into teams to destroy the crystals. New friends and foes are introduced, secrets are revealed, and Madnes’s time continues to run out. Will they manage to stop Earth from turning into another Wonderland? And will Madnes save them all at the cost of his own life?
I enjoyed the first book a lot, but I enjoyed this one even more! The world-building here was spectacular! Many different parts on Wonderland are explored, and I loved all the unique settings and characters! It was also really interesting to follow each of the different teams as they searched for crystals. Madnes and the gang are such a fun group to read about! I honestly wanted to visit this version of Wonderland after reading this! Once again, I would highly recommend this to middle-grade readers as it is clean, fun, and easy-to-read! Also, readers who enjoy clean re-tellings would probably also enjoy this book!
Interesting, right? Here, I’ll even give you an excerpt from book 1!
Book Excerpt:
Something short entered the office, and Madnes had to lean over the counter to see who or what it was.
The most pristine woman approached them both, wearing red-frame glasses and a matching red handbag, complete with a fancy bonnet on her graceful head. Only, she had a beak for a nose, and a long white neck. In fact, despite her pristine attire and snooty aura, she was a goose. A rather large goose, compared to regular gooses in Oswick; she reached well above his waist. Her wingtip feathers like fingers adjusted the glasses perched above her beak as she eyed the human and debonair cat.
“This is the Madness Solver Office, if I am not mistaken?” Her voice matched her pristine looks, and a flowery perfume hung in the air.
“Indeed it is, Madam Mother Goose!” Cheshire swiped his hat off and gave a bow.
“Mother…Goose?” Madnes wanted to exclaim, but a sharp cat-boot heel met his big toe, silencing him.
“What can we do for you, madam?” offered Cheshire.
“It’s my precious yet so naughty son, Ugly,” she replied, resting her handbag on the counter. “He’s gone and disappeared. I need you to find him and bring him back to me. But safely, mind you—not a feather on his head may be harmed!” A handkerchief that she suddenly held dabbed at her bird eyes—much larger and more eyelashed than normal Earth birds.
“What is his full name?”
“Ugly Duckling Goose.”
“Where was he last seen?”
“Last night, at our home in the Shoe. I tucked him into bed.”
“Hmm.” Cheshire looked to be taking notes. “Any ideas as to where he might have gone? Does he have a favorite hiding place, or a secret getaway?”
“None that I know of.” She frowned as bitterly as her bill would allow. “Are you done questioning me? This valuable time should be spent searching for him, not lollygagging around with questions!” She blew into her handkerchief. “Ohhhh, my poor Ugly. Poor, poor naughty Ugly!”
Madnes bit his cheek. Lollygagging? What a demanding, snooty fowl… He wanted to snatch that handkerchief away.
“Yes, well, I think we have enough to start on, then,” said Cheshire, taking care to ignore Madnes’s incredulous expression. “We’ll get on the case, straight away, madam. We’ll find your Ugly, don’t you worry about a thing!”
“Oh.” The handkerchief vanished and the tears stopped; the goose returned to her pristine self now that she’d gotten what she wanted. “Good, very good. I expect to hear from you soon.” She walked—waddled—to the door. “Remember: not a feather harmed!” she emphasized, as if she were the queen herself.
“Of course.” Cheshire bowed again, and the bell jingled her exit.
“Mother Goose from the nursery rhyme? And a snooty one, at that?” Madnes was finally able to exclaim.
Want to know more about E. E. Rawls? Or grab your own copy of these charming books? Read on!
Author Bio:
The product of a traveling family, who even lived in Italy for 6 years, Rawls loves to explore the unknown, whether it be in a forest, inside a forgotten castle, or within the pages of a book. She runs on coffee, cuddly cats and the beauty of nature to keep the story wheels of her mind turning as she crafts tales that will both entertain and inspire, creating worlds one can explore and quickly become lost within. Beware, you might not find your way back out again. Visit her online at:
Purchase Links:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Thank you for following along with me today! I hope you enjoyed this tour stop! Happy reading, everyone!
The Bookish Raven 