So first and foremost, Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond is not at all an Alice in Wonderland story. That’s what I was expecting, some sort of steampunk reimagining of the classic following along with maybe the Mad Hatter’s daughter. So before we get too far into it, this is not that.
What we have instead is a murder mystery where we follow intrepid reporter and steam lord’s daughter in hiding Maddie Hatter as she tried to solve the case so that she can finally earn her byline and escape the world of fashionista reporting. A mysterious mask has been uncovered and stolen, the dead man washing up on shore and what follows is intrigue as Maddie tried to get into as many places as she’s not supposed to in order to figure out what’s happening and report the story back to London while not being recognized by the upper crust of society.
One of the things that I had trouble adjusting to in this book was the language. There’s a certain flavour to steampunk that always takes me a little longer to adjust to. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting it, but it surprised me nonetheless and it took me a fair few chapters before I properly fell into the rhythm of the story to start trying to pick out the clues along with our heroine.
Maddie is a lot of fun to follow through her journey. She’s witty and insightful, quick and eager to try new things. She had an interesting perspective on the world she is living in and watching her try to puzzle together the pieces of the mystery’s been great.
I did like this story, though it wasn’t what I was expecting. I think a younger audience would likely enjoy it a lot more. There’s a lot of great stuff in here, from the touches of world building throughout to the mystery itself. You feel for the character and there’s a good story underneath it all.