I like retellings and Alice in Wonderland references and Gingell’s storytelling, so I was a bit surprised by how long I took to warm to this novella about a girl who can travel to Underland by jumping in puddles and becomes involved in a rebellion against the Queen of Hearts.

I think it’s because Mabel, who grows from a small child to young adult, changes so much so quickly -- in most scenes, there’s just not enough space to develop a nuanced sense of who she now is. But I liked the last section a lot.

(Her relationship with Jack felt very themes-and-variations on a relationship in Gingell’s Two Monarchies sequence, which struck me as amusing and also a tinsy bit repetitive.) ( )