Death of the Mad Hatter by Sarah J Pepper World Tour

Join me today on a tour that will take you through a world of madness that is as delicious as it is maddening!

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.

Heads would Roll…Hearts would Break…In the end, would it matter who Reigned?  

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My Review

Ryley has moved around most of his life, never staying in one place for too long. Thinking that he and his mom could run from the craziness that haunts his father. But boy were they wrong. Turns out madness will haunt Ryley wherever he goes. 

Alice Mae lives a double life. One in a land where anything is possible especially the unexpected while living in a land where everything is mundane. She works for the Queen of Hearts and seeks the possible heir to the throne. She is a strange girl who has seen and lived through strange things and when she enters Ryley's life she stirs something inside him, makes him second guess everything he has ever believed. Now instead of running from madness he seems to be chasing it and will do anything to capture the one thing that is in danger of slipping through his fingers.

Death of a Mad Hatter has got to be the best telling of Alice in Wonderland that I have ever seen. From the second you open the book you are sucked into it's tale of madness, deceit and love. The story is always twisting and it often makes you feel like maybe you ate one of those cakes that causes you to shrink, but in a entirely good way, promise. This story will take you on an adventure that will have you wondering if maybe you have gone a little mad too. 

Sarah J. Pepper's characters are so incredibly inventive and creative and I absolutely love the twist she puts on the characters we all thought we knew from Wonderland. Of course I loved her characters from the topworld too, especially one Ryley Edgar--he is both dreamy and maddening, but in a very delicious way. In Death of the Mad Hatter Ryley is put through the ringer. His whole life he was made to believe that his father was a raving lunatic, but with the discovery of Alice Mae and the world of Wonderland he questions the truth of his father's madness. But as he seeks answers he finds himself becoming more and more mad himself. He wants to hate Alice Mae and her quirky behavior, but he can't get her out of his head. She is the one that may drive him to the madness that he has run from his whole life.  

Alice Mae is different from every Alice ever written. She is strong, manipulative, deceitful and dangerous. And she lives her whole life by the prophecy of the Jack that was written long before her time. It is because of the prophecy that Alice Mae decides to play a dangerous game with Ryley. But, when she sets her deadly plan in motion she doesn't realize that she will be ruining more than just his life, but her very own and when she realizes it--it may already be too late. 

Reading Death of the Mad Hatter is a lot like taking a trip down the proverbial rabbit hole. Once you start reading it you just can't stop, you no longer care which way is up, the only thing that matters is getting to the end of the twisting and maddening story. Sarah J. Pepper's world of Wonderland is definitely a world that can rival any Tim Burton film and telling of Alice in Wonderland. Death of the Mad Hatter is not only whimsical, but it is full of a delicious madness as sweet as any Wonderland treat.

"Every molecule in my body screams that you are dangerous and that I shouldn't trust you, but every time I look at you, I forget all logic and hope that you can't hear my heart beating out of my chest." (kindle, loc. 3440).

This is only one small part of what is one of my favorite parts of this book. Truth is this is part of an entire paragraph. It is beautiful and catches a lot of what I love about this book. Go read it so you can share in my love.

And now for a juicy little excerpt. This is one of my favorite moments too (there are a lot of those). Enjoy this moment would you.

Excerpt

“Out of all my ill-fitting hats, one has never given me a headache like you do.”

“I’ve only begun to give you a headache,” she whispered and turned around and walked down the steps.

She got to the landing before I was close enough to grab her wrist, stopping her escape. She wiggled, freeing her hand. When I refused to back off, she moved her leg like she was going to knee me in the groin, so I completely closed the gap between us, pressing my hips against hers. She had no movement to strike.

“I’m done with this charade!” I yelled even though we were millimeters away from each other. “Everything you say doesn’t make a lick of sense. Why did you come here? Surely it wasn’t just to annoy me.”

“Just because you don’t understand my way of thinking, it doesn’t mean that I don’t make sense!” she yelled. “You’re such a—”

“A what?” I interrupted. “An Otherworlder?”

She stepped closer, even though I hadn’t thought it possible, making it clear that I hadn’t intimidated her. Even though I was taller than her, she stood on her tip toes, making us closer to the same height.

“Actually, I was going to say that you are such a boy! What’s an Otherworlder, Ryley? I’m not sure that word even has a definition, or did you make it up? Now, who sounds crazy?” she said, spreading her arms wide.

I’d forgotten about everyone else in existence. Everyone was staring. Judging from the context spoken, I did sound more insane than she.

“What is Wonderland, Alice Mae?”

“Do you not remember anything?” She seemed genuinely frustrated.

“I’m not in the habit of remembering places I have never been, you stupid girl!”

“Don’t call me that!” She socked me in the gut. Normally, I would have thought it cute that she tried to attack me since she was so feeble, but today it only aggravated me.

“I was alerted that your father’s car had moved,” Alice Mae said. “Was he able to answer any of your questions?”

The hall got so quiet, not a single person coughed. I wanted to rip the damn rabbit’s head off, but it was in my backpack that I’d dropped when I noticed the hat carnage in my locker.

“My dad is not around,” I said.

“Interesting phrasing,” Alice Mae said, analyzing my comment. She tapped her finger on her chin like she was deep in thought. “You didn’t say he was dead, nor did you confirm it. Perchance you and your mom made up a series of lies about him?”

I had to shut her up before she told everyone the truth! I wanted to strangle her. I hated how she could completely destroy me with a few simple words. She knew my deepest secret, and now she was telling the whole school about my whacked-out dad!

“—where does he live Ryley? I can’t seem to remember its name. It was some kind—”

I slapped my free hand over her mouth. She bit down. I pulled my hand away. Teeth marks were embedded in my skin. Smirking at me, she licked her lips.

“You instigated this war!” she said. She spoke more loudly. She was right. Her voice did carry. “Your father isn’t dead. He’s insa—”

In a stated of extreme panic, I did the only logical thing I could think of to shut her up.

I kissed her. 

About the Author

I specialize in dark, paranormal romance – think “happy ever after” but with a twisted, dark chocolate center. Real-life romance isn't only filled with hugs, kisses, unicorns, and rainbows. True-love can be more thoroughly described in times of darkness and tribulation. It’s in those harsh moments where you see what a person is truly capable of – both the good and bad. Sometimes prince-charming isn't always on time, and the glass slipper is a little snug. However, it doesn't mean Charming is not Mr. Right, and who says every shoe is the perfect fit?

Find Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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