Lovely Creature
The first story is called Lovely Creature and centers around a 9 year-old blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl named Elizabeth who lives in a privileged family in the New City. Elizabeth is a vain young thing who spends her days playing under her mother's rose bushes and "wishing" for things that then happen. You see, Elizabeth has a touch of magic and this will serve her well when she embarks on an adventure that she never meant to take. While at the town square for the Giving Day celebration with her family, Elizabeth becomes distracted by a man who has the tail of a bird, and when she follows him, she soon finds that she has been led to the very dark and dangerous Old City. Elizabeth will meet several people, some who mean to do her harm and others who aim to help, but she will soon realize that the only one who can save her is herself... with perhaps a little help from Alice, who is connected to her. Throughout this horrible day, Elizabeth will learn just who Alice is and what they mean to each other.
Girl in Amber
This story directly follows the first and begins with Alice awakening from what she thinks is a dream. She and Hatcher are living rough in the woods, since he loves to run wild as a wolf pretty often and the local villagers really don't take kindly to it. They are searching for someplace to permanently call home, having escaped the Old City some time earlier, but with winter fast approaching, they don't have much time. When a terrible blizzard hits them out of nowhere, Hatcher decides to scout ahead, making Alice promise him that she won't stop to rest, lest she freeze to death. She soon spies a young boy with white hair and red eyes, giggling and beckoning her to follow (does she never learn?), and when she does, she comes upon a grand but frightening house where she hopes to take shelter. Once she gets inside, she finds unimaginable horrors and she will have to fight with all of her wits and magic if she has any hope of escape.
When I First Came to Town
This story gives us the much needed backstory of Hatcher AKA Nicholas, the axe-wielding wolf-man that Alice now calls her mate. Once upon a time, he was a young man named Nicholas, who had a rough upbringing with a grandmother who didn't want him. He made money by fighting in a ring for a gangster named Dagger Dan, and although he didn't realize it, he had "the Sight" which allowed him to always deftly anticipate his opponents' move such that he became Dan's best fighter. One day, Dan asks him to fight a beast of a man known as "The Grinder" because his gigantic and powerful fists turn his opponents into, well, ground meat. It will be a huge payoff if Nicholas can only last 10 minutes in the ring with him, enough to make a new life for him, should he survive it. When The Grinder's manager comes to visit the gym to check out this young upstart willing to fight his man, Nicholas becomes smitten by the sad young girl he keeps tied to his wrist. Her name is Hattie and his name is The Rabbit, and if you've read Alice's previous adventures, both names will be familiar. Determined to win this fight after meeting Hattie, Nicholas is desperate for any edge he can get, and Dagger Dan invites a man named Cheshire to come assist. Nicholas' life will forever be altered going forward.
The Mercy Seat
The last story is my least favorite, and although it isn't bad by any means, it just didn't grab me as much as the others. It once again surrounds Alice and Hatcher and, at this point, winter has ended. It is time to find that cottage by the lake that Alice has often dreamed of, and while she spent the past winter in a cottage in the woods owned by a kind witch, she is ready to move on. The witch warns her of impending danger on their path and Alice senses it too, more keenly since she is now pregnant. As she and Hatcher travel towards a looming mountain, they realize that they are being followed by scouts from an upcoming village. When Alice has visions of a young girl being tortured by a woman calling down lightning to burn her to death, she realizes that the settlement they are approaching is not a friendly one and they just might not make it out of The Village of the Pure. Can Alice and Hatcher play it cool and not reveal their magic? Well, let's just say it's not their strong suit.
Overall, I loved this series of short stories. Christina Henry is one of my favorite authors and I love it when she delves into this universe. Although it has been quite a while since I read Alice and Red Queen, she does enough explaining that you'll be reminded of what you need to know. If you've read the other books in the series, grab this one up immediately. Highly recommended.
