Maddie

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes when I saw *another* Wonderland retelling. But *Maddie* won me over by the second chapter—not with whimsy, but with a protagonist who’s spent two years *failing* to save her sister, and whose desperation is so palpable it claws at you. Robinson’s writing excels in the details: the way Maddie’s hands shake when she lies, how the Queen’s palace smells like roses and blood, or the quiet moments where Kellan’s outsider status isn’t just a plot device but a *liability*. This isn’t insta-love; it’s a slow, suspicious burn, and the tension between them feels earned. Eva Caine’s performance is mostly stellar, though I’ll dock half a point for her occasional over-emphasis on Maddie’s internal monologues—some lines land like a hammer when a scalpel would’ve sufficed. That said, her ability to voice the Queen’s chilling sweetness or the Cheshire Cat’s unnerving grin (yes, *he* shows up, and he’s terrifying) elevates the audiobook beyond the page. The pacing stumbles slightly in the middle during a prolonged palace infiltration sequence, but the final act’s twists make up for it. My biggest critique? The romance’s resolution feels rushed compared to the meticulous buildup. Still, if you love antiheroes with morals, enemies-to-lovers with actual stakes, and a Wonderland that’s more *Game of Thrones* than Disney, this is your audiobook. Just don’t expect to root for the white rabbit.