Book Review
Title: Allison's Adventures in Underland (Harem of Hearts Book 1) by C.M. Stunich
Genre: Dark, Romance
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Allison’s Adventure in Underland came up as a recommended read for me and the synopsis was interesting so I decided to give it a go. We are introduced to Allison who is being dragged to a party by her sister, Edith even though she would rather be at home reading because her crush is going to be there. She ends up having a run in with a man who wears rabbit ears who ends up shooting her crush, wanting to do the right thing Allison follows him and ends up falling down the rabbit hole where he disappears. She ends coming across a room containing a very naked pair of twins and she realises she must be in some fucked up version of Alice in Wonderland but I have a feeling this is going to be a very dark and erotic retelling of the classic tale and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
The first people Allison meets in Underland are Tee and Dee, and they are meant to be Tweedledum and Tweedledee but they are very erotically charged twins. Tee and Dee inform Allison that she is the Alice and they are gifts for her from the King of Hearts. They also inform her that Rab, or the White Rabbit killed Brandon because he was an assassin for the King of Clubs sent to spy on the Alice and keep an eye on her which makes a little bit of sense to Allison. However, their journey to the castle is stalled, not only because the looking glass is the only way out of Underland but because Rab destroyed all the drink me potions on the only other way Allison can shrink isn’t something she is prepared to do yet so the trio begin the long way around. They go to The Pool hoping to hire a boat but they won’t be given one until the morning so they spend the night in a room but before then they end up getting Allison high to the point she passes out which doesn’t bode well for their relationship unless it drastically improves. One twin is obviously more conscious of Allison and what she wants and needs than the other which balances them out a little but I can’t wait to see where this goes.
As Allison gets to know the twins she realises that Dee is the cocky type while Tee is chivalrous type and she does find herself attracted to the pair of them but nothing has come of this yet. They begin their journey in earnest by renting a cabin aboard a boat but this leg of the journey is going to take over two days and the journey in total might take more than two weeks before they reach the castle. The twins also begins to tell her the history of Underland and how she is going to change the world, we learn that the Queen of Hearts used to rule but when the Riving happened and destroyed most of the magic, the women either died or where turned into men including the Queen of Hearts and her daughter. The current King of Hearts is the grandson of the original Queen of Hearts and while he isn’t a tyrant like his father was he isn’t perfect either and this might be why Allison is needed but we don’t know what her purpose is yet. However, the twins have mentioned a prophecy even though we haven’t heard it yet but I have the feeling that it is going to take a while to convince Allison to help Underland because she has no attachment to the place yet but that might change if she begins to fall for the twins or someone else while she is stuck in Underland.
As Allison and the twins get dropped off from their boat journey in the middle of the woods they head to find Rab, the murderer Allison chased down the rabbit hole to get an escort to the castle. The first proper meeting with Rab doesn’t go well as Allison takes an immediate dislike to him but he offers Allison information that the twins have withheld from her. He explains that no escort will be coming that way for weeks and the only way to get to the castle is to get their themselves but he might be willing to help. Rab also explains he killed Brandon because he was going to rape and kill Allison that night if he hadn’t have been there which Allison doesn’t believe but they haven’t outright lied to her yet. He also tells her that the King of Hearts will never allow her to use the looking glass because he intends to take her as a bride and he won’t let her leave Underland, the only way out would be for the twins to sneak her through the looking glass as escape with her which might have been their plan all along. During their boat trip Allison learnt a lot about the twins including the fact that they might be angels, the last of their race and they also seem to be some form of exiled royalty which would explain their dislike of Underland as it currently is. As this is a reverse harem I believe the twin and Rab are part of the harem but we haven’t seen much in the way of romantic development yet.
That night Rab takes Allison to meet the caterpillar, Lar, the prophet of Underland. Lar convinces her to smoke some of what is in his hookah in order to get a vision about her but before he can discuss it with them, Tee and Dee turn up letting Rab know something has breached his garden before they are set upon by a jubjub bird. Lar flies Allison to safety and they wait for the others when things get worse as a jabberwocky shows up, Allison almost kills the jabberwocky but is stopped at the last minute because the others know it is the Duke. The Duke, North ends up shifting back to his human form and so does Rab who shifts into a Bandersnatch and Allison thought it couldn’t get any weirder. North knows that the King is waiting for Allison and they decide to widen their group and travel together to the Duke’s estate before planning their next move through Underland. It seems the harem is growing and my favourite characters so far would have to be Lar and North although I have taken a liking to the twins and Rab.
After reaching the Duke’s estate, Allison has come to understand her companions quite well at this point and she is getting to understand Underland the magic it contains even if it has the power to curse people. After spending the night there she ends up speaking to Dee and Tee about their tattoos and Dee shows her how with her touch and kiss she can free their wings which were bound by the previous King of Hearts. Allison also uses her magic to see the twin’s horrific past and she realises if they can’t leave Underland with her then they will be sold to highest bidders which isn’t something she wants for them. She ends up falling into bed with Dee and this makes sense since she has known the twins the longest since arriving in Underland and she does it to release his wings. However, she soon realise that she has to give the same treatment to Tee because he looks envious and sad when he sees his twin’s wings. They are interrupted by the Duke though as he wants to give Allison the Vorpal Sword and she has also had a run in with the Cheshire Cat at this point to so the harem seems to be expanding all the time but she still has to confront the King.
In the final section of the novel, we see Allison starting to develop feelings for the twins and coming to terms with her growing attraction towards Lar, Rab and North especially when North is training her to use the Vorpal Blade. However, they have to wait for the storm to pass before they head to the Castle and that night Allison’s nightmares about her own bloody past keep her from sleep. This soon becomes a dangerous situation as she is essentially being kidnapped by The Mad Hatter, The March Hare and the Dormouse although they are all as twisted as the other characters. However, these characters aren’t nice as they attacked North and Allison believes him to be dead before they intend to drag her off to the King of Clubs who ordered her assassination in the first place. Overall, I really enjoyed Allison’s Adventures in Underland and I would recommend it for fans of Ensnared by A. G. Howard who want a more adult, dark version of Alice in Wonderland.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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