{Review+Giveaway} Unbirthday by @LizBraswell @DisneyBooks #TwistedTale

Posted September 9, 2020 by Michelle @ Book Briefs in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews, Young Adult / 29 Comments

Do you prefer your fairy tales with a twist?

Today, I  am partnering with Disney Book Group to bring you my review of the newest A Twisted Tale book based on Alice in Wonderland which asks, What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late?

So check out my review of Unbirthday, and then be sure to enter the giveaway, compliments of Disney Book Group, at the bottom of the post before you leave.

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{Review+Giveaway} Unbirthday by @LizBraswell @DisneyBooks #TwistedTaleUnbirthday by Liz Braswell
Pages: 512
Published by Disney-Hyperion on September 1, 2020
Series: A Twisted Tale #9
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
four-stars

What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late?Alice is different than other eighteen-year-old ladies in Kexford, which is perfectly fine with her. She'd rather spend golden afternoons with her trusty camera or in her aunt Vivian's lively salon, ignoring her sister's wishes that she stop all that "nonsense" and become a "respectable" member of society. Alice is happy to meander to Miss. Yao's teashop or to visit the children playing in the Square. She's also interested in learning more about the young lawyer she met there, but just because she's curious, of course, not because he was sweet and charming.
But when Alice develops photographs she has recently taken about town, familiar faces of old suddenly appear in the place of her actual subjects-the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar. There's something eerily off about them, even for Wonderland creatures. And as Alice develops a self-portrait, she finds the most disturbing image of all-a badly-injured dark-haired girl asking for Alice's help. Mary Ann.
Returning to the place of nonsense from her childhood, Alice finds herself on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts' tyrannical rule and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so . . . before the End of Time?

Also in this series: Conceal, Don't Feel, So This is Love, Go the Distance
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YA Review

My Thoughts

Unbirthday is the tenth book in the A Twisted Tale series and it is written by author Liz Braswell. I love the idea behind the A twisted tale series. Each of the books takes a different, and often times darker, spin on a classic Disney story. They are written by different authors and they can be read as standalone novels, but they are all so much fun that I would recommend reading them all. Unbirthday is a twist based on Alice in Wonderland. So This is Love takes the original Alice in Wonderland story line and adds a pretty big twist into the mix- What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late? Unbirthday felt different than some of the other books I have read in the series. Instead of it feeling like a twist on the original story, it felt more like a sequel to the wonderland tale that we know and love, which I was super excited to read. If you know me, you know I am a huge Wonderland fanatic! Bring on all the re-tellings, re-imaginging and all of the wonderland shenanigans!

In Unbirthday, we get to meet a more grown up 18 year old Alice, living back in “the real world” with her family. Alice is a budding photographer and she doesn’t go anywhere without her camera. When Wonderland characters start to pop up in the pictures she is taking, Alice decides it is time to pay her childhood fantasy land a visit again. I loved the way Liz Braswell decided to lure Alice back into Wonderland. I thought it was brilliant, and felt like a very natural progression and hook to the story. When Alice gets back to Wonderland, the Queen is just as evil as ever. Will Alice be able to save Wonderland, or did she arrive too late this time?

Unbirthday is told both in real world England as well as Wonderland, and there are different problems in both lands. I loved the zaniness of Wonderland, but it was juxtaposed but some very serious issues being tackled in real world England. That was an interesting side plot line for me. One that I wasn’t expecting, and while part of me wanted to stay lost in the fantasy world of Wonderland, I appreciated the messages that the author was incorporating on the real world side. We also have a minor romance plot woven into the story that I just adored! That was such a welcome surprise for me while I was reading Unbirthday! I also loved the more grown up Alice that we get to meet in Unbirthday. She is just as curious as ever, but she is also a strong and resilient young woman.

All in all- Liz Braswell did a great job with Unbirthday. I really enjoyed the story and it was a lot of fun revisiting Wonderland. She also managed to really surprise me with the direction that the story took as she wove in real world England into the plot. Unbirthday is a great addition to the Twisted Tales series, and I think by now you guys know what a big fan I am of these stories. I love that they are each standalones written by a variety of authors. I want to read the Mulan story- Reflections next, but really- bring on ALL OF THE TWISTED TALES. I love this series. If you have not read any of the books in this series, you are missing out.

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A Twisted Tale Series Order:

  • Book 1: A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
  • Book 2: Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell
  • Book 3: As Old as Time by Liz Braswell
  • Book 4: Reflection by Elizabeth Lim
  • Book 5: Part of Your World by Liz Braswell
  • Book 6: Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita
  • Book 7: Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita
  • Book 8: Straight On Till Morning by Liz Braswell
  • Book 9: So This Is Love by Elizabeth Lim
  • Book 10: Unbirthday by Liz Braswell

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Prefer your fairy tales with a twist? Enter my giveaway to win a copy of the new #TwistedTale book, #Unbirthday, thanks to my partner @DisneyBooks! Share on X

Giveaway

To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win (open to US only)

 

One (1) winner receives:

  • A Twisted Tale for the biggest Alice in Wonderland fans! One (1) winner receives a copy of Unbirthday and other Disney “Alice” goodies: a Mad Hatter mug and Wonderland charm.

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Prizing and samples provided by Disney Book Group.

Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies.  All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Liz Braswell

After the sort of introverted childhood you would expect from a writer, Liz earned a degree in Egyptology at Brown University and then promptly spent the next ten years producing video games. Finally she caved into fate and wrote Snow and Rx under the name Tracy Lynn, followed by The Nine Lives of Chloe King series under her real name, because by then the assassins hunting her were all dead. She also has short stories in Geektastic and Who Done It and a new series of reimagined fairy tales coming out, starting with A Whole New World—a retelling of Aladdin.

She lives in Brooklyn with a husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish and five coffee trees she insists will start producing beans any day. You can email her at me@lizbraswell.com.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2020 New Release Challenge
  • 2020 Retellings Reading Challenge
  • Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2020
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29 responses to “{Review+Giveaway} Unbirthday by @LizBraswell @DisneyBooks #TwistedTale

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