Alice: A Fantasy Horror — Book Review

Like most books I come across nowadays, this one was a recommendation by a fellow bookstie in one book club.

A dark and gritty horror that is an unhinged, vague retelling of Alice in Wonderland.

If you know me, you know I love unhinged and figuring out vague. So, looking for an excuse to read it despite my TBR, I recommended it in my traditional book club and it got voted in as a 2026 read.

I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did because my expectations of horror are very much formed by the horror movies and creepypastas I consume. Nevertheless, the story hit me on a literary level that I deeply respect and enjoy. Most in my book club liked it, too. But, a few were not about it all, and I understand why.

What you need to know.

Plot & Premise

In the forefront, this story is about two mental asylum patients escaping into a seedy city where they seek revenge and retribution on their past tormentors. However, there is an element of magic and memory at play where both patients are remembering their past and abilities as they go along, only adding to their strength to continue when fear gets the best of them. Along with that, there is also a creature they unwittingly released that hunts them because they are the only ones who can stop it.

Even though three plots can be interpreted, they are seamlessly integrated, build on one another, and develop together to create a cohesive and intriguing store.

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My thoughts on the story.

Objectively…

This is not a traditional fantasy or horror, or retelling for that matter. More accurately, it is “grimdark” fiction, which is “a subgenre of speculative fiction with a tone, style, or setting that is particularly dystopian, amoral, and violent” (Wikipedia). It is horrific and tense, and there are elements of fantasy and magic; but neither of those are quite the focus as much as the dark motifs that dominate every crevice of the story. And, while it is considered a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the plot and conflicts stray distantly from the classic, and the characters are only memorialized in name.

Nevertheless, it does stay true to being a “curious” world that only spirals into senselessness (though not quite nonsense) as it makes us question, “can people really be that horrible?”. And, demonstrated throughout the book as the characters fight and dominate in order to maintain a status quo of personal comfort, the answer is yes. The people, especially the men, are more than willing to abandon all good nature in order to live oppression and responsibility-free. Even Alice’s family is willing to abandon her to avoid the responsibility of her trauma. And, while there are streaks of good and hope in the story, it is only claimed by those traumatized and desperate enough to abandon their comforts to fight for what they imagine is peace and freedom.

With deep psychological thriller threads laced throughout the story, we also see a lot of fear. Fear of each other, fear of the future, fear of themselves, fear of their past, fear of the unknown. It is a deep and raw motif that, coupled with the constant intensity of the mood and situation, earns its place as a horror because it keeps us on our toes and drives us to fear for the characters as we start to accept that, yes, people indeed can be that horrible.

With an engaging plot, dynamic character arcs, and vivid writing style, this book is most definitely a 4+ star read.

Now, it didn’t quite make the 5 mark because there is a common reoccurrence in the plot that I and other readers have pointed out made the book fall flat at times because it didn’t quite reach the potential it had foreshadowed. And, I’ll go over that below.

Personally…

I loved this book. It was engaging and atmospheric the entire time; it shocked me, it horrified me, it kept me asking if it was really necessary to be that graphic and senselessly evil? I had to think about some truths in our world when it comes to sex-trafficking and rape survival that I never considered before. Not to mention, it really destroyed me as I fought to keep hope for the characters, but ultimately had to grasp that even if they physically survived, they were scarred with mental health issues that would forever haunt them–which hit home with my own diagnosis to hard.

My only gripe: each “boss fight” was lackluster. Each territory guardian is personified as evil incarnate, each seemingly worse than the last. But, as we trample through each one, they prove to put up little fight for various reasons and are way weaker than we hoped. Disappointed at first, I later realized that this is probably the point. I mentioned the fear developed in the book, and how it’s pervasive for the characters and readers. On a psychological level, Henry was making commentary on how even evil people are just…people. The people who instill fear in our daily lives and carve scars into our psyche are still just people like you and me. These men were put on pedastools and bathed in lights of horror; but when approached by someone who had nothing left to be afraid of, they were completely disarmed because the whole game was based on fear. For us as women, as targets of most assaults of any kind, that’s such an empowering message:

Don’t be afraid; they’re just men. You can fight back.

But, even despite this, I still only gave this book 4 stars.

Between the weak battles, and the ending (which I won’t spoil, as I’ve spoiled enough), I can’t give this book 5 stars in good conscience. However, I do recommend it all the time, and would love to reread it one day.

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Is this book for me?

I recommend this book if you like:

• Truly morally grey characters
• Super dark and traumatic motifs
• Fractured retellings* that kill your childhood
• Endearing romance between broken people

*NOTE: Even though this is considered a “retelling”, if you actually want something like the classic story, this is not it by any means.

If you’re interested in buying a copy, you can order a new one and support my small bookshop (Fulfillity Books & More) by purchasing it here.

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So, what do you expect when you read retellings? What is a book you love, but are still disappointed by?

Let us know in the comments below.

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