Red Queen Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Christina Henry (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)

532 ratings

See all formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Kindle Edition

"Please retry"

$13.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Paperback

"Please retry"

$22.77

$18.06

$12.66

The author of Alice takes listeners back down the rabbit hole to a dark, twisted, and fascinating world based on the works of Lewis Carroll.

The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. A place where Alice could finally rest, no longer the plaything of the Rabbit, the pawn of Cheshire, or the prey of the Jabberwocky. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash - and hope is nowhere to be found.

Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter, a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen and her goblin or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King. The pieces are set, and the game has already begun. Each move brings Alice closer to her destiny. But to win she will need to harness her newfound abilities and ally herself with someone even more powerful - the mysterious and vengeful Red Queen.

Listening Length

8 hours and 38 minutes
Author

Christina Henry
Narrator

Jenny Sterlin
Audible release date

July 12 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Recorded Books
ASIN

B072JJMVTP
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

1 credit a month good for any title of your choice, yours to keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
Access to exclusive member-only sales, as well as 30% off your purchases of any additional titles.
After 30 days Audible is $14.95/month + applicable taxes. Renews automatically.

Learn more about membership

List Price: ~~$32.41~~

You Save: $4.05 (12%)

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Alice
Christina Henry
1,794
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Looking Glass: The Chronicles of Alice, Book 1
Christina Henry
1,006
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Cursed
Marie O’Regan - editor
510
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow
Christina Henry
405
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
The Mermaid
Christina Henry
688
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Product details

Listening Length	8 hours and 38 minutes
Author	Christina Henry
Narrator	Jenny Sterlin
Audible.ca Release Date	July 12 2016
Publisher	Recorded Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B072JJMVTP
Best Sellers Rank	#52,274 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #470 in Historical Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #718 in Dark Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #1,637 in Classic Literature (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		16%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Amazon Customer

Red Queen by Christina Henry

Reviewed in Canada on October 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

I wish this was a hardback because I love these books so much. Otherwise I have nothing but good things to say.

Helpful

Bee-Me

Short and fun

Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

I really wish this could be a longer series, the reading is fun and takes interesting turns. I recommend this book

Helpful

Angel7

Actually found it even better than the first book

Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

Actually found it even better than the first book. Despite the shadow and pain elements of the story the ending was very satisfying.

Helpful

Catherine

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

Loved it.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

good read

Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

Interesting take on the whole Alice in Wonderland story.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Too much of the same, over and over again.

Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2017

After reading Alice I was hooked on the series and was excited to get my hands on the second instalment. I was however, quite disappointed with this novel. The plot was interesting and fit very well into the world Henry created for her Alice characters; my issue lies with the writing rather than the plot elements. Henry wrote as if she had to fit in every single thought she had for the story regardless of whether the thoughts fit into the story. There is an abundance of asides that Henry writes as Alice's ongoing internal monologue but she wrote so many on the same topics ie. The Jabberwocky, Cheshire, The Rabbit, The Walrus, the kidnapped women, and her own experience in the first novel - that it became tedious to read them all. I found myself shouting at the book "I get it - stop going on about it" in reference to Alice's non-stop reference to Cheshire being banished, or so she thought, from her mind. So much of what Henry wrote was redundant and I became quite frustrated with reading the same thoughts (only with different similes and metaphors) over and over again that honestly, the novel was a rather uninspiring read.
The plot was very good and had Henry vetted a little bit more of her writing and cut some of the repetition I do believe the novel could have succeeded.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Caitie

Still she haunts me, phantomwise

Reviewed in Canada on April 9, 2017

“I have seen, Alice thought, more than my fair share of monsters. When I was a child I feared the shadows in the corners and the creaking under the bed, and my mother or nurserymaid would always tell me not to be silly, that there was nothing really there. Of course there was nothing really there, because the monsters were out in the wild world, and nobody told me to watch out for them…”
Before I get this review under way I just need to start by having a minor freak out moment… HOLY GUACAMOLE WHAT THE HECK DID I JUST READ?! MY MIND CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS!!!
Ok, now that that’s out of the way, I can give a proper review of this book. Let’s start with a little definition lesson of mind-bending, shall we?
Your Dictionary defines it by the following:
adjective
Something very confusing or surprising or that you just can’t wrap your head around and understand.
Some examples of what could be classified as mind-bending movies could include: Inception, Memento, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Looper and Donnie Darko, among others.
I am not 100% sure I agree with the dictionary’s definition, so I will supply my own and what it means to me. In my opinion, the story (book, movie or tv show) will start out like normal, usually at a slower pace then all of a sudden things get shifted and do a complete 180 and if you aren’t paying close enough attention you could miss it. As the story progresses and picks up speed, you can’t always tell reality from fiction or what is real and what is going on in a character’s mind. You get caught up in the story as a dream-like state and are left a little bewildered as to what is really going on and where the story will end up. It will go in a totally different direction than you expected and have a very different outcome than the beginning of the story lead you to believe.
Red Queen was no exception to mind-bending. The first 60 or so pages started out very slow paced and methodical, to the point where I was a little bored. Alice and Hatcher arrived in the land outside of the Old City, but everything was mysteriously burned, and the story kept to its dark side as they started to make their way East. All the green fields were burned to ash, including any living creature that was in the way, which unfortunately that meant some characters from the first book were burned in the wake of the destruction. Alice and Hatcher had assumed they would get their happy ending out here too, but it didn’t look like it anymore.
“The world gobbles us and chews us and swallows us. I think happy endings must be accidents. But we hope for them all the same, and above all, we hope not to die in terror.”
As they continued their journey, a few odd things happened along the way, but nothing that grabbed my attention like in the first book. I was honestly a little disappointed at the beginning of this story, even after they discovered the odd deserted village, my intrigue wasn’t there. It wasn’t until after they entered the forest that things got a little loopy. In a matter of a few sentences, everything got flipped on it’s head and all of sudden I was sucked into a psychological game of I don’t even know what! (crazy and crazier? haha). Things started to quickly spiral out of control, including Hatcher being separated from Alice in the middle of the night and her having to fend and think for herself for the majority of the story.
This is where the character development comes into play and I am actually really happy the author chose to focus so much on Alice in this story. In the first book, Alice’s character is a bit weak in the beginning. She sees everything as hopeless and doesn’t look toward the future at all, but she still holds on to some of her morals and values. The interesting thing about her character is that even though she comes off as a follower (most of the time), you can still tell she has some sparkle in her eyes. After they escaped the asylum, she basically followed Hatcher’s lead most of the book and while she has a few moments where she is smart and brave, it’s definitely lacking. But with that being said and after reading the whole book, she is portrayed a certain way for a reason, which makes sense in the end. In this book the reader gets a really good glimpse into her thoughts and feelings, mainly because this is the first time in 10 years she is completely on her own. Even in the asylum, she had Hatcher in the cell next door to talk too. She has to think for herself and make decisions on her own and based solely on her own knowledge and experience. She does a lot of questioning and rationalizing about situations, which some readers may find overbearing, but I always like reading into a character’s thought process.
“Really, Alice, and you were just thinking with some pride that this place wouldn’t affect you. It was best not to let strange fancies take hold. The real world was quite frightening enough without adding her imagination to it.”
I really want to commend the author for this next part and I hope everyone who reads this book (and my review) will understand how important I feel this is. In all the stories/movies/tv shows I have ever read or watched with a main female character who comes off as “mousy” or “plain jane”, the story takes her and makes her “pretty”. This concept bothers me to no end, mainly because I feel that the story is saying: no matter how smart you are, how independent you are, how brave you are and whatever else, you will not be noticed or succeed until you look good. And until you look good, you are not worthy of anyone’s time (usually a male or someone in a place of significant power). Alice and Red Queen take the concept of “pretty” and go in the complete opposite direction. Sure, Alice thinks about her appearance every now and then (I mean, she IS a 26 year old female sort of trapped in a 16 year old’s mind–and what teen girl doesn’t think about their appearance?), but it isn’t the main focus of the book and it certainly isn’t what the book is about. This book is NOT about having to look pretty for a prince or anyone else to succeed or show self-worth, it’s about a broken girl getting her revenge and being a survivor. The author did not describe Alice as “mousy” or “plain jane” and she even went as far as to describe her by the very visible and grotesque scar on her face, but the author seems to say that’s ok, because Alice is smart and brave and a survivor. Now I would like everyone to take note of this next passage and I really hope other stories start heading in this direction as well.
“The scar was something else Alice hardly ever thought of anymore, now that the Rabbit was gone. He had marked her, and now he was dead, and his mark meant nothing. Nothing except that Alice wasn’t pretty anymore, and it wasn’t just the scar. There was the cut on her forehead that had been stitched up and the little pinch marks from the bites of the goose. Alice could feel the hollowness of her cheeks, the fullness of youth and good feeding disappeared long ago. No, she was not pretty, but pretty was not going to save her life, or Hatcher’s, or anyone else’s.”
Thank you, for not writing a fairy tale based on looks or a makeover and focusing solely on the characters mind.
As I was reading through, I kept wondering if the author would describe the scenes as a game of chess. After all, Through The Looking Glass is somewhat based on a game of chess with each main character representing a notable chess piece, including Alice herself. The author very briefly describes the following near the end of the book:
“This is rather like a game of chess, isn’t it? A White Queen and a Black King and all the little pieces-me and Hatcher and the children from the village-moving in between, trying not to get swiped.”
I also wondered if the author would divide the book into sections (either by water or woods) to signify the squares on the chess board and when moving from section to section would signify a move in chess. The book was divided into desert and woods, but it was too difficult to tell how it related to a chess board. There was a Red and White Queen as well as a Black King. I was thinking that maybe the Goblin would represent a Rook, since he was the White Queen’s henchman, but in chess there are 2 rooks and there was only 1 Goblin. I also thought that maybe the 3 giants would represent bishops, but again the numbers were off. Then I thought that the kids would represent pawns, because they were the weakest characters. I guess it’s better that the author didn’t devote more of the book to mirror a game of chess, I am not sure my mental capacity could take it!
I feel the need to do a compare and contrast of the two books. The first one was action-driven and male dominated. Right from the get-go there was a lot of violence and a sense of urgency, a sense of Alice and Hatcher having to move quickly through the Old City and find what they are looking for. It also has no powerful female characters, besides Alice. All the other females are mediocre at best, or victims. The males really over power this book in the way that they are in total control and women are just objects to be used and sold. There is a bit of psychological games going on, but nothing too heavy, nothing too intense and overwhelming.
Now, this book was very psychological and female empowered, with less action. This book played a lot of mind games and played up on fears/concerns of Alice. Since she was alone for the majority of the book, part of what was going on used her loss of Hatcher to try and trick her. She would hear things and see things that weren’t actually there and her mind would play tricks on her, sometimes blurring reality and fiction. The White Queen was a very powerful character who controlled most of the story and controlled certain characters in the story, but Alice had also grown to be powerful in her own right as well. The story line was slower and more methodical than the first, but the psychological aspect made the book a page turner.
As with the first book, this one is a story within a story within a story (yay! more bookception!) and the author does an amazing job weaving together story lines so effortlessly and each story has a significant purpose that brings the reader closer to the conclusion. There is little-to-no filler with these books and everything holds a meaning that eventually makes sense in the end.
Whether intentional or not, I feel Alice and Red Queen have a bit of a yin and yang effect going on here. They seemed to be pretty opposite in the story, but they are actually quite complimentary to each other, in the sense that they balance each other out and showcase what a talented and multi-faceted author Christina Henry is. The books just worked for me and I cannot wait until the next one comes out!

Helpful

Dman

Disappointing

Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2017

I loved the first book, Alice. This sequel was a major letdown.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Kate P

Book looks pretty much like brand new

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

Book looks pretty much like brand new!
I'm really happy to get cover that matches 1st part as it is printed with different cover in UK now. So now it's on the shelf waiting for me to finish my current read

Liz James

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Fantastic read - love all of her books

ISABEL ALONSO

——

Reviewed in Spain on December 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

Justo lo esperado, ni mas ni menos. Tardo en llegar.

Translate review to English

Miranda Good

A Disappointment

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed author Henry's first book in this series which reimagines the fabulous Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I thought her attempt to do so was both original and most satisfying, as she manages to integrate Lewis Carroll's characters into an entirely new setting while maintaining Alice's persnickety personality and the phantasmagorical tone of the original. I gobbled down "Alice" with the same relish as Alice herself approaches a tea tray of iced cakes. Based on her thoroughly successful and entertaining first recreation, I awaited its sequel with much anticipation. Unfortunately, Henry is unable to replicate her earlier success. Red Queen somehow fails to retain the delicate balance of whimsy and horror she previously achieved. In this one, the captivating relationship between Alice and her Hatcher is lost as he is transformed into a wolf and disappears for long portions of the narrative. Also, Henry introduces a subtext which not so subtly editorializes about her theories of magic and human emotions. The humor is mostly lost, whereas the gore and suffering of the characters encountered is magnified. I grew increasingly impatient with all the tricks played on Alice by her imagination and the wickedness of the name character as she attempts to settle old scores. I thought the conclusion was both maudlin and unsatisfying. I found myself reading faster and faster, not in excitement, but in a hurry to get it over with. For those who loved Alice, I fear its sequel will be a disappointment.

22 people found this helpful

Anne C.

A good book, but not in Alice's league...

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

I waited a long, long time to read this book and I think that may have colored my expectations a bit, but if I'm trying really hard to be objective, this is a good read. But it honestly can't compare to its predecessor, Alice.

One of the things that made Alice so compelling was the interaction of the characters, especially Hatcher and Alice. There isn't a whole lot of that going on in Red Queen, and I missed it. The new characters are interesting, but their backstories are sad and seem incomplete, somehow.

The settings are great and the language is finely honed. There isn't any wandering or excessive wordiness to the narrative. It's clean and clear and easy to follow. The plot doesn't really meander, but it's mostly centered on a long journey, which isn't my favorite.

All in all, I'd have to say that I enjoyed this book and read it almost straight through, but I felt sort of empty when I was finished. There was something lacking - some details or the chutzpah that was present in Alice or perhaps just a more satisfying ending. I'm not sure, but I just wanted more from this story.

TL;DR: Enjoyable and recommended, but lacking something of what made Alice so outrageously fantastic.

3 people found this helpful

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	Amazon Business Everything for your business	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust	Blink Smart Security for Every Home

Red Queen Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Free with an Audible trial $0.00

Buy with 1-Click $28.36

People who bought this also bought

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Free with an Audible trial

$0.00

Buy with 1-Click

$28.36