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1016anon · 3 years ago

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Title: Random Vampire AU Author: 1016anon Fandom: Bridgerton Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton/Kathani Sharma Summary: Vauxhall

A/N -- A reminder that Anthony is not human, is thousands of years old, and drinks human blood. Morals are for mortals.

-6-

Of all the balls hosted by various members of the ton, Anthony liked Vauxhall best. It reminded him somewhat of the carnivals in Italy, particularly Venice, for the simple fact they had to be ferried to the site and the celebrations, held outdoors, seemed to loosen some of the aristocracy's stuffiness. Truly, the inflexible societal structure of the English was astounding in its rigidity (rather like the Venetians had been a few centuries ago, come to think of it).

Best of all, the grounds were surrounded by extensive gardens.

Anthony would have liked take the same boat as Simon and Daphne, but Daphne pointed out that it would make an unnecessarily grand entrance, drawing the eyes of the ton and therefore guaranteeing them prize of place in the next issue of Whistledown. While it was generally known that the Viscount Bridgerton was good friends with the Duke of Hastings, the Duke and Duchess were rather reclusive and attended balls only sporadically.

They were there to support Miss Edwina, not recreate the infamous scene in Don Giovanni of three masked strangers suddenly appearing at the ball. Thus, it was best for Anthony to arrive with someone from Bridgerton House; undoubtedly Colin and Violet would want to attend, perhaps Benedict might want to partake in the revelries.

It was a beautiful night-- perfect for the occasion. The heat of the day receded, leaving behind sun-warmed earth and cool air with an occasional breeze. The sun had already set when the rower pushed off; Colin was safely ensconced under a ridiculous red canopy complete with gold tassels in case the sun decided to reverse course and rise again.

But the sky was a beautiful pink which turned lavender, then mauve, and finally a deep purple. It reminded him of one of his favorite dresses that his wife used to wear. He might not have been able to go out into the sun, but he could see her perfectly well when he sat in the dark corner of his study and she stood in front of the window, bathed in deep summer's morning light. Anthony loved her in any color, but he hoped she wore something which would glow in the amber torchlight.

By design, Simon and Daphne had arrived first, then quickly sought out Lady Danbury. Introductions were made, pleasantries exchanged, and Edwina was immediately taken under Daphne's wing. Simon offered his arm to Lady Mary, leaving Kate with Lady Danbury (also by design).

It was not long before Lady Danbury saw him approach. She cleared her throat and gave Kate an eyebrow, causing her to turn around right as Anthony stopped, a little too close.

"Lady Danbury," he tilted his head.

"Lord Bridgerton," she smirked. "You are being most attentive towards Miss Sharma."

"Lord Bridgerton," Kathani curtsied, gaze lingering on his open collar.

This was precisely the reason why he chose to forego a cravat-- or rather, tie it a bit loosely. When he had demanded Owen, his valet, to dress him in something with a bit more color, the man had stared at Anthony as though he'd eaten a bluebird and was surrounded by feathers. As it happened, Anthony only had waistcoats which were either shades of ivory, ivory with light gold accents (good god), or dark blues and greens. Similarly, his evening jackets were midnight blue, navy blue, blue, or black.

Immensely irritated by this discovery and still more annoyed that there was no time to have another tailored, Anthony decided he would wear his darkest blues. Going to Vauxhall entirely in black would make him look like a member of the clergy and Anthony was vain enough to draw a line, no matter how traditional (i.e. practical) it might be for vampires to skulk around in all black ensembles.

He ordered Owen to have new waistcoats and evening jackets made in more fashionable cuts and brighter colors; his valet knew his preferences. When asked what colors he would like, Anthony thought back to his wife's elaborate gowns at court: things that complement purple, and dark pink tulips. He remembered her in spring, standing in one of the court gardens amidst those very tulips. They hadn't been introduced yet, though he already knew her to be his flame.

She had been smiling up at the clear sky whilst one of her many suitors trailed behind her. Anthony, who had always been a bit of a perfectionist and more than a little competitive, wanted their first meeting to not only be memorable, but sweet and happy. Something she would cherish. It was no effort for him to be charming and amorous; his centuries of fucking men and women of every race, creed, and color meant he wore seduction as his second skin.

That wasn't what he wanted with her. There were plenty of people in court exactly like him; they played their bedroom games and swapped partners, pleasure flowing generously from one lover to another. Perhaps it was more honest to say: he wanted his memories of their first meeting to be sweet and happy.

Anthony had far too many introductions charged with lust and the rawness of desire; most largely hit the same keynotes of similar melodies. That was not to say the song and dance preceding the affair was meaningless-- far from it. Just because one must eat every day did not mean every meal was rendered stale.

But Kathani was different.

He had no blood running through his veins and his heart did not hold its own rhythm. Anthony had entirely forgotten what it was like, to have his own blood-- the richness of red made from his own marrow-- filling every corner and crevice and capillary of his body.

With her, he remembered.

It was terrifying. And he wanted, more than anything, to do this right.

Of course, habits of a century are not erased even with the most careful plans and it all went to hell. His reputation preceded him; his habit of disappearing at odd intervals was well known. The court liked to speculate he was some sort of spy; it was a rumor he encouraged. And sometimes he did engage in espionage, to break up the monotony of existence.

He was known to be a generous lover, which was good; also a bit capricious, which was bad. Certainly intelligent and a bit mysterious; most definitely patronizing and secretive. Easily amused, easily annoyed, easily angered, easily assuaged. As a vampire, Anthony had already done all his serious living a few centuries ago; he was now at that stage in life (such as it was) where he was content to flit about and float on the surface. Everyone who knew his face would be dead before they reached fifty years of age (earlier, if a plague swept through) and there were no real consequences to any of his actions.

It was not true that vampires would turn to dust if impaled on a pointy stick. Certainly they would die-- but so did humans. Having an object driven through one's heart, living or undead, generally had that effect on creatures.

When Kathani came into his life, Anthony felt like a moon moth drawn to the opaline pearls pinned in her hair.

Perhaps... it was good that Kathani did not have her memories. At the time, it had felt like disaster after disaster of heartbreak and misunderstanding. Looking back, it looked a lot more like a comedy of errors.

Tonight, at Vauxhall, she was wearing a gown the shade of late summer plums, the ones freshly picked that were just a little too ripe; when she bit into them, the juice spilled over her lips and he'd kissed her as though he could taste sunlight on her tongue.

Whatever expression was on his face, it was enough to make Kathani blush-- visible even in the low light-- and Lady Danbury make a very loud noise of disapproval. Anthony attempted to rearrange his features to something more befitting a Viscount, instead of playing the part of a moth circling the moon; it took far more effort than was usual. Every time he caught her eye, his lips tilted up in a small smile. Anthony managed to make the right noises and say the right words out of pure habit-- those idiotic Parliamentary sessions were good for something after all.

He hadn't noticed that he'd slipped into French, and that Kate had replied in kind. It was only when Lady Danbury whacked his shins that he reverted back to English. The way the people around him were sneaking disapproving glances, one would think he was Napoleon's greatest general come to invade the ton.

They had missed the first few dances, one of which looked rather... lively, from the sounds of all the jumping to and fro. Kathani seemed content to take a turn along the colonnade then along the party's grounds, occasionally making a comment on some poor girl's pestering mama, some poor man being pestered, or some boor pestering a girl. She spoke to him quietly, once again slipping into French; he was most grateful for it gave him the perfect excuse to hold her closer to him so he could hear her over the din of the crowd.

For the most part, however, her bright eyes took in the spectacle whilst Anthony stared at her. There were scattered comments among the ton that the Viscount and the elder Miss Sharma made an unexpectedly handsome couple, which annoyed him because they had always been a handsome couple.

"My Lord?"

"Yes?"

"I asked you a question, my Lord."

"Forgive me, Miss Sharma. Would you mind repeating what you said?"

She smirked.

"I said we are quite close to the gardens, and thence further the Dark Walk. Might we make our way back to the pavilion?"

"You are safe with me."

"I am far from safe with you, Lord Bridgerton. I should like to find Edwina."

"She is in the able hands of the Duchess of Hastings," Anthony craned his head. "Your sister is dancing with Baron Argyle now."

"Do your kind have enhanced senses also?"

"Most have better night vision and can see further, though the degree to which our vision is augmented varies with each person. Similarly for hearing and smell."

"What of taste?"

"Blunted, unfortunately," he said as he walked them back to the main area. "Or fortunately, from a certain perspective."

"How so?"

The voice was all curiosity and the question was innocent, but they were dangerously close now to the topic of conversation Anthony wanted to avoid. He would not lie to her, but he hoped that returning to the crowd would quell, at least for the rest of the night, any other inquiries she had.

"It takes some time before the taste of blood becomes appetizing."

"But the newly turned of your kind go on wanton killing sprees to satisfy their bloodlust-- we have stories of your kind in India too."

"I assure you, Miss Sharma, it is not because of the taste."

When his wife had learned what it meant to be turned, she refused outright. It was a fundamental, unspoken, not fully fought division between them that they were content to keep dormant until the topic could no longer be avoided.

He wanted to be better prepared; he wanted to make... more palatable... what came after the turning. Present it to its best advantage.

"Here-- it looks like they're going to have some sort of spectacle soon."

Anthony pulled her towards the copse of trees where many were gathered. He saw Daphne and Simon ahead, with Miss Edwina, Lady Mary, and Lady Danbury, but chose to remain where they were on the edges. If Anthony had so desired, he would not have hesitated make a path; he had that effect on people.

But he was unrepentantly greedy and kept Kathani close. As soon as she was reunited with her sister, all her attention would shift.

Reminded of this and suddenly possessive, he drew her flush to him, back to front, and put his arm around her waist. It was dark; no one could see.

"It is with great privilege I present Vauxhall's newest spectacle of illumination!"

Anthony heard someone light a spark and he shuddered, inhaling her deeply to keep himself grounded.

"Feast your eyes above!"

She was here with him. These were members of the ton, not newly turned vampires. She was warm and alive in his arms.

"And allow all that is radiant--"

Then Kathani surprised him by leaning back and kissing the hinge of his jaw.

"-- to overwhelm you!"

The bulbs hanging above them flared with light as everyone looked up and gasped, the light spreading like an unfurling carpet.

Everyone stared up, exclaiming and not noticing Anthony pressing his forehead to her nape. He let go once the spectacle of illumination was complete, then stepped away under the pretense of clapping.

"Wonderful light!"

He kept getting lost in the past. Her head was tilted up to look at the lights, a radiant smile on her face as though nothing had happened.

And nothing had happened-- not to her, not in her memory. Anthony was the one who couldn't keep the past from overwhelming him. It was getting in the way of courting Kathani; while she had an uncanny knack for knowing when he needed comfort and the reassurance of her presence, she was not quite the same woman.

There was nothing which made this clearer than watching Kathani look after her sister and mother.

His wife, four hundred years ago, had grown up with both parents. She was their only child and the apple of their eye. Kathani wanted for nothing and in so many ways was such a pure, young soul. Anthony himself had never had any responsibilities until he married her. He might have been over a thousand years old, but he had not much aged.

It was often said that a vampire was frozen at the age they were turned; that vampirism was not death, but an arresting of all life. There was some credence to the idea that vampires were magic's strange way of preserving different pieces of human history.

No matter how many millennia passed, Anthony and Simon still considered themselves Romans and were most comfortable speaking Latin. They remembered where the roads actually led (and no, not all of them led to Rome), what the aqueducts actually looked like, how the forum was actually laid out, who the most famous orators actually were, how the army actually worked.

Just as Daphne would always consider the bizarre combination of vulgar Latin, Gaulish, and Frankish spoken during the Carolingian Renaissance under Charlemagne to be her native language. (Simon truly did learn Middle French to impress Daphne, but also because her Latin was so horrendous, he preferred to learn another language altogether than try to hold conversations in was he and Anthony considered True Latin.)

But vampires did change.

Anthony had changed profoundly after Kathani's death and taking on the responsibilities of leading the coven. It made him pause and wonder whether she, as she was now, would have fallen in love with him, as he had been then. That after four hundred years of separation, their character and personality still fit perfectly together was only more evidence that she was his flame and he was hers.

It demonstrated-- powerfully-- what it truly meant to be a twinned flame: That no matter what time or distance separated two souls, no matter the changes to psyche and hardships in life endured, they would always fit whenever it was they met again. They may not be the same people, but they would always be the same people to each other.

And he kept getting lost in a past she did not recall; a past with a history and a life made of two different people.

So Anthony smiled as he watched Kathani and Edwina, doing his best not to catalog the differences, but to learn her anew. How could he ever truly fall in love with her-- the Kathani who stood before him now-- if the shade of her forgotten past lingered with unspoken comparisons.

What better way to learn her again than through dance?

Because his Kathani, in the here and now, was a sublime dancer, who never failed to take his breath away.

He could not stop staring at her and was pleased to note: she stared back at him.

Perhaps the English were onto something. All the repression and waiting heightened desire. By the time the dance finished, it was all he could not to lean in and devour her then and there.

Anthony was quite proud of himself for keeping his breathing even, even as he smelled the beginnings of arousal threading into her scent.

He quickly handed her off to Simon, who gave Anthony an all-too-knowing eyebrow.

He danced with the Duchess of Hastings, who always loved matchmaking schemes and told him of all the eligible young gentlemen she had lined up for Miss Edwina. Simon had, for the most part, weeded out the most unsuitable, but Anthony narrowed the list a little further.

He danced with Miss Edwina, who looked up at him with guileless eyes which disguised a terrifically sharp cleverness. She, of course, relentlessly interrogated him with a soft voice and a gentle smile, managing to pull from him admissions he'd had no idea how or why he was giving. None of them were damning or revealing, but she certainly knew when to press into a question to which he'd given a non-response.

What was his intent? To court and marry her, of course.

Did he love her? Yes.

Why did he love her? Could anyone truly explain the nature of love?

A philosophical answer to an uncomfortable question. Then, if he could not name the reasons for love, could he name the qualities he saw in her?

And he gave Miss Edwina an unexpectedly long list; longer than one would have imagined a suitor could give after a few conversations at society events.

Lord Bridgerton was most observant, to see all of Kate's best qualities and recognize their true worth.

Perhaps that was what scholars might call love, he'd teased.

When the Duke of Amberley, the prize catch of the season (according to Daphne) and on her list of approved suitors, approached Miss Edwina asking for her last dance, Anthony made his excuses to claim his dance with Kathani.

As the fireworks exploded and towers raining down sparks lit up the dance floor, all were distracted by Miss Edwina Sharma dancing with Lord Amberley.

Anthony relished this dance.

Unlike some dances, it did not require a complex sequence of movements which necessitated a tedious two hours with the dance master to memorize and perfect. This dance was repetitive-- a single set of movements executed on each of the four sides of a square. Not his favorite dance, not the most intimate by far, but pleasant enough as far as dances went.

What he loved about this simple dance was the opportunity to bring his hand up to her back as he pulled her in, then feel--every time he dipped her-- her relax as she trusted his inhuman strength; until by the final turn, the last of the tension had dissipated and she committed her body entirely to his arms. She did not even need to hold his shoulder. Instead, she transformed it to a sweet caress: another sign of her trust.

When the dance was over and the lights were doused, Anthony pulled her slowly to the Dark Walk, giving her plenty of opportunity to tug him back the other way.

There were already several couples who had the same idea, but Anthony knew a place-- too deep in the gardens and therefore too dark to be seen by humans. He was aware that Kathani was essentially blind as she followed him; it threatened to undo him, how much trust she gave.

Which was why, when they finally found the corner Anthony sought, he helped Kathani take off his evening jacket, unbutton his waistcoat, and pull at the open collar of his shirt. He didn't undress her because this was her hunger-- her self control hanging by a thread. She had been thinking all night about what it was feel like, to kiss him along his exposed neck, feel his bare arms, put her hands on his naked back.

It was improper for a lady to make such advances and have such appetites, or so said society. All those thoughts were nothing compared to her sliding her hands under his shirt and learning in complete darkness each part; a learning which felt like relearning; a darkness which felt strangely familiar.

How did she know to press that spot to make his breath hitch? Why wasn't she surprised by the coolness of his body? How did she know the exact way he liked her to rake her nails down his body, why did she feel triumphant to have elicited the sound?

That was for later; he was here now. Even when it felt like she was nothing but a pair of hands and arms, body only defined by the press of his, otherwise dissolving into the darkness; even when she could not see yet felt his eyes on her, his body taut with hunger and tortured with the desire to unleash his self control; even when she sucked what should have been bruises into the skin under his jaw, at the curve of his neck, but would remain unmarked; she felt like a fire had been lit within and that same fire burned steadily in him for her.

He had been admirable in his restraint and quite well behaved tonight. But the moment he felt her get on her knees and reach for his trousers, he pulled her back up.

We will do this in a bed

Do you understand me

We will wait, because if we do this now, if I take you now, I will never let you go.

Do you understand, Kathani?

Once I have you, you belong to me and I will hunt you down before I allow you to leave me.

You need to understand what this means-- what this truly means

Because if you give yourself to me now--

I won't let you say no

He never claimed to be a good man, whether alive or undead.

Changed, yes. In love, absolutely. Insane, highly probable.

Because the truth was, and they had both known--

Four hundred years ago in that unresolved argument, Kathani had known that Anthony was inhuman enough that he did not care about her choice. Whether she wanted it or not, he would turn her. It was likely she would forgive him after some centuries passed, because even in eternal unlife, she imagined it was exhausting to hang onto a grudge for that long.

She would eventually forgive him and take him back.

But she wanted a child.

She wanted to see her child grow, a human, and understand what it meant to live a mortal life.

She wanted to see her child marry and have their own children.

Anthony would never let it get that far.

He would turn her; she wasn't certain if he would turn their child because he was jealous and possessive to the point of mania. It was no coincidence that the house he'd gotten for them was in the middle of the country, half a day's ride from anyone else. It was beautifully built, had all kinds of fruit trees, had fresh food delivered twice a week. She wanted for nothing.

Nothing but other people. He was literally her entire world. It was done in the name of safety, but it was also done in the name of keeping her bound to him in more than blood and marriage. If she were to ever try to run away-- and she never wanted to run away, but this fact surfaced at random intervals during their marriage-- if she ever tried to run away, he would catch her within a single night.

She was half a day's ride from any other human being. And that human being, Anthony had made certain, did not have another horse-- only a mean old mule who'd been mistreated so badly, it trusted no one.

Half a day's ride. Which meant Anthony could find her within half a night, and bring her back home before dawn.

So she didn't know whether-- if they had a child-- if Anthony was insane enough to be jealous of the baby.

They never had a chance to find out; when she was pregnant, he only took the baby in her body as another sign she belonged to him. That he had indelibly marked her by completing the ritual and successfully planting his seed.

But none of this Kathani knew, and none of this Kathani remembered because she and Anthony were different people now; she had come to him having lived a different life.

Still.

It did not mean Anthony was a good man; only that he was smarter, wiser, and cannier.

Yet the strange nature of twin flames was:

He was selfish enough to keep her with chains.

And she was selfish enough to want to be kept.

#bridgerton #kathony #fanfiction #vampire au

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randomsofmine · 8 years ago

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March Wrap Up 2017

A good reading month. There were a few ok books but that was balanced by some excellent books. In total I read 16 books and completed 1 book carried over from February. That worked out to 4586 pages read, which makes March my second best reading month so far. I also completed my Goodreads reading goal of 50 books. I don’t think I want to change the number, I might just keep it at 50 and see how far above my goal I get. My reading is going to change soon as my job role will be changing which means less time to listen to audiobooks so that will affect my years total. I also plan on spending April reading all my biggest books on my tbr pile. This is inspired by Tome Topple, a readathon created by @thoughtsontomes which will be taking place this month (for more information please see here). Looking forward to diving into some really chunky books.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach I am a science geek. My degree is in forensic science. So this sort of book is endlessly interesting to me. And it was brilliant. Scientific to satisfy my geek side but also extremely approachable and with a bit of humor. It looks at how cadavers are used for science (currently and historically). There were some bits that were gross (don’t eat while reading some parts of this) but overall it was fascinating and gave me a lot to think about. I will definitely be picking up more of her books. 4/5

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly I don’t think this needs explanation. I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie. These women's contributions not only to science but also to the different communities around them are truly inspiring. The book itself was very good, the jumps in timelines were a little jarring but I was always able to pick up what was going on. Ad it had some excellent space science information. 3.5/5

Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum This was way darker than I remembered.I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did when I was younger or as much as the Judy Garland adaptation.Dorothy was a tad annoying. 3/5

The Bridgertons by Julia Quinn

The Viscount Who Loved Me 4/5

The Viscount Who Loved Me: The Epilogue II 3.5/5

Continuing my read through of Julia Quins works.Sweet and funny,romance candy.

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands Urban paranormal romance.I picked this up as a re-read (according to Goodreads) and thought I knew what this was about. I think Goodreads is wrong.I do not believe I have ever read this book before.It was not the book I thought it was (which I now need to find). It was ok. Not great. Some of the dialogue was a bit cringe worthy. 2.5/5

The Lady Helen Mysteries by Alison Goodman

Lusus Naturae: A Lord Carlston Story 3/5

The Dark Days Pact 4/5

A novella and sequel to last years The Dark Days Club. The novella was fine, I don’t think it added anything. It was the meeting between the two main characters, from Lord Carlston’s prospective. The Dark Days Pact was an excellent sequel. Just as on the edge of your seat as the first book. Lady Helen is still learning her role, what that really means and how to live with it within respectable society. It ended on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait till next year for the 3rd book.

Hope and Red (Empire of Storms, book 1) by Jon Skovron This was amazing and will definitely be going on my favourite list for this year. Its a sci-fi fantasy with pirates and science experiments. Thats the easiest way to describe it. Its dark and a bit bloody and fast paced. Theres a lot of in-built slang but you can pick up the meaning quite easy. The characters are fascinating and I felt the main characters were quite unique. 5/5

Star Wars Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide by Pablo Hidalgo I picked this up at the Star Wars Identity exhibition. Its a coffee table book about Rogue One. It’s incredibly detailed. You get minute details about characters, worlds, ships and weapons. There were character details about characters that appeared for a minute or two in the movie. A prefect gift for the Star Wars nerd. I enjoyed it so much. 5/5

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K Rowling This was the audio version of the book, as read by Eddie Redmayne. This was just pure comfort reading. He is an excellent narrator and the book was full of interesting tidbits about the creatures from the Harry Potter world. 4/5

The Truth (Discworld, book ) by Terry Pratchett Newspapers and journalists come to the Discworld! This was another fun adventure with a tongue in cheek poke at journalism. We had the opportunity to view the Night Watch from the outside and met a few new characters that I think come back in later books. 4/5

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green This was another re-read (although via an audiobook this time). The first time I read this I loved it and was an emotional mess by the end. This time round I still enjoyed it nut knowing what was going to happen and being able to recognise the books flaws did diminish my enjoyment a bit 3.5/5

The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien

The Two Towers 5/5

The Return of The King 5/5

Continuing my re-read of Tolkiens work, I carried over Two Towers from the previous month and completed Return of The KIng. I always forget exactly how long Return of the King takes to end. That would be my only complaint. The world building and the writing are beautifully done. I will be reading The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales this year but I’m putting them on hold to read The Complete Sherlock Holmes stories with a friend.

Vampire Academy 10th Anniversary Edition (Vampire Academy series, book 1.5) by Richelle Mead This was a bind up of the first book in the series and 3 novelleas. I read the novellas as I only finished the series last year and wasn’t in the mood for a re-read. They were all pretty good. I think the 3rd one was my favourite because... well of Dimitri. 3.5/5

After Alice by Gregory Maguire I still have no idea of what to make of this book. It really should have been in two parts. One part the elder sister of Alice’s story and the other Ada’s adventures. I could have done with being able to skip the elder sisters story which was hard to do as the chapters alternated sometimes. I didn’t really enjoy that bit, it made the book drag for me and was a bit pointless. Ada’s adventures were pure Carroll-esque. They were bonkers and zany and full of known characters. I don’t know if this books adds anything to the Wonderland world, like Wicked did for the Oz world, but it was an interesting read.3/5

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