Book Review: Unbirthday by Liz Braswell

Hey friends!

If you know me, you know I'm a big Disney fan. My blog theme is inspired by my love for The Little Mermaid after all. I'm super lucky that I recently got a chance to receive a copy of a book inspired by a Disney movie in exchange for an honest review. The book is called Unbirthday by Liz Braswell and it's the latest book in the Twisted Tales series. Each book in this series takes a familiar Disney story and gives it a bit of a remix. As you may have guessed, Unbirthday is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It's out now if you'd like to read it!

Goodreads

Summary

Years after Alice first went to Wonderland, she is now a young adult more focused on photography than finding a husband. However, one day, some of her photos start to show citizens of Wonderland instead of their 'true' subjects. It seems like a cry for help, but is Alice still able to get to Wonderland?

Review

I've seen these books around before, but I never picked one up because I was unsure about their reading level. Were they just going to read like those movie tie-in editions I loved in elementary school? The answer is: NOPE! It was just as thrilling and at the same level of reading/action as the other young adult novels I've read. (I'm sure I'm going to go back and pick up some of the other books in the series.)

I've both watched and read Alice in Wonderland a few times, so I'm pretty familiar with the story. I think this book really captures the whimsical spirit. When you're reading Alice in Wonderland, it really does feel like you don't know which way is up and which is down. I also liked the idea that people and things had counterparts in Wonderland, it was a great tie-in. I will say, sometimes there were some parts of the journey where it did seem like the author was kind of just looking for something generically silly instead of being extremely imaginative, but this was infrequent.

In addition, I liked the commentary that the book had on politics. The main villain in the 'real world' is a xenophobic politician that Alice's family and friends have various connections to and it was great seeing Alice trying to do something about it. There was a big focus on perspective and it didn't seem too preachy. I also liked how there was a conflict in each world, it promised excitement. Sometimes, this excitement wasn't delivered, as there were some slow moments, but overall, I raced through the book.

I would recommend this book if you are a Disney or Alice in Wonderland fan or in the mood for a whimsical read.

I rate this book 3 stars!

As the summer comes to a close, be sure to be on the lookout for my July/August wrap-up coming soon to celebrate Labor Day!

Kyra