Alice in the Country of Hearts 2 by QuinRose and Soumei Hoshino: B

From the back cover:
As Alice grows accustomed to life in Wonderland, she begins to understand the inner workings of this mysterious world. Everyone desires to get close to her, and Alice’s life lights up with little moments of happiness. But she soon discovers the truth behind all the bliss… and wasted lives. And how will Alice react when the greatest secret is revealed by Julius, the one and only clock repairer?!

Review:
In this second volume, Alice spends more time with the bishounen inhabitants of Wonderland and learns more about them, like the fact that Elliot, who came across so unkindly on their first meeting, is actually friendly and a big fan of carrot dishes (he protests that he cannot be a rabbit, despite his long ears, because rabbits only enjoy plain carrots), and that Ace, who originally seemed more normal than most, is actually downright creepy. Despite the fact that there are all these guys around, romance is definitely not in the air, as Alice learns some disturbing things about how the world works and the reader glimpses even more.

This series continues to be much better than one would expect. I chalk this up entirely to Alice, who is an extremely likable protagonist. She’s sensible without being boring, curious without abandoning all caution, and kindhearted without being cloying. The male residents of Wonderland are still pretty much types—owing to their game origins, one supposes—but they do help provide Alice with valuable clues as to what’s really going on in Wonderland and why she is so special. Ace and Julius, the clock fixer, are the most interesting so far, I think. Even Peter White—the one who forced her to play “the game”—comes off a little more sympathetically, though he’s the instigator for the two gunfights that account for the most tiresome moments in the volume.

I never expected to get hooked on Alice in the Country of Hearts, but I really do want to keep following it. While I’m happy that TOKYOPOP opted to release volumes one and two only a month apart, with volume three scheduled for June, I am concerned about what’s going to happen when we catch up to Japan. There are only four volumes available there so far, so it looks like we’re all going to be in for some protracted waiting at some point down the line.

Review copy provided by the publisher.