I really enjoyed this as a opening chapter in the Dream Walker series, it had that overall feel that I was looking for. It had that horror element that I was expecting and that the lack of memory was horrifying. Bruce Martin does a fantastic job in writing this and left me excited for more in this world.

Definitely not what I thought it was going to be but I loved it anyway! Loved the cover. It gives off spooky vibes which is great for spooky season

I was surprised to discover this is an Alice In Wonderland retelling since that wasn’t mentioned in the description. But I love classic retellings so this seemed to be right up my alley.
Unfortunately I ended up DNFing this book at 50%.
The first chapter didn’t really hook me in and then the second chapter contained a massive info dump. In my opinion the writing wasn’t the best and the story felt very weird and random and not in a good way. It was quite confusing. The dialogue didn’t feel very natural. There was a lot of telling instead of showing. I found it very difficult to become immersed in the story or really find any sense of place. I think the whole premise was really interesting but was poorly executed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc to review.

If you like your fairytales a bit darker, your characters deliciously crazy, and a story that takes you on an adventure of twists and turns, then Dream Walker is the novel for you. It is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, but rather than being the atypical mystical crazy but sweet fantasy take that a lot of authors do for this subgenre (and nothing wrong with this; I personally am a big fan of the classical retelling versions!), it presents a dark unsettled view of Wonderland. Imagine if all the characters and magical creatures that you expect to see in classic Wonderland, are just not quite right... like looking into a mirror and feeling your reflection is not quite your own... Dream Walker gives this vibes. It's an eyrie tale where Wonderland has become "Netherworld".

I would have enjoyed it more, if the author had taken it even darker, which from his writing style, I feel he could pull off really well, but I believe it is a young adult novel, so that wouldn't be an appropriate direction to take it in. I feel if you are a young adult reader, your rating for this novel would reflect on the higher side.

As typical of young adult novels, the characters were put into difficult situations were they had to rely on themselves and friendships to overcome the odds. It was quite heartwarming in these parts, and made the twists even more dramatic.

If you found the Cheshire Cat and co in Alice in Wonderland cute, and fancy a creepier version, then give this book a go. Perhaps a good way to ease yourself into the spooky season? - it releases perfectly 2 days before Halloween!

I really liked this book. It waz really a good experience to read it. Bruce Martin is an amazing author. I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

Just to be completely upfront on this due to the scoring, it's not a bad story or book by any means. I just personally due not like this type of story. I got sucked in by the cover, name and description and did not realise that this is essentially a classical retelling.

If you ever wanted Alice In Wonderland but with vampires and werewolves, then this is the perfect story for you. It is well written for what it is, but I just do not like the over-reliance on Lewis Carrol's characters and world. There are enough differences and changes to justify the usage but it's a trend that I personally hate in fantasy.

I do not want anyone to be put off by the low score but unfortunately I just plainly did not enjoy my read of this one.