Ethan Walker's Road to Wonderland

I know I keep reviewing the books in the Road to Wonderland series and saying that this is the best one yet, and I'm going to keep saying that until one of the authors proves me wrong. Ethan Walker's story is no less brilliant than Izzy's or Paris's, and it, sadly, kept me happier throughout the book than the other two. That doesn't mean this book is super happy. Not by any means. But Ethan made me laugh a lot more than Izzy's or Paris's story.

I guess we should start with what exactly this story is all about.

     At nineteen, the world has so many possibilities.

     Ethan Walker was a typical teenager in that respect. He was happy, living at home with his family and partying when the mood struck. He was in no rush to grow up. His life was a blank page just waiting to be written, but that couldn’t last forever.

     Unfortunately, reality came knocking at Ethan’s door, forcing him to face truths he’d never allowed himself to see in the past - truths that soon robbed him of his innocence and youth. With the life he’d always known gone forever, Ethan found himself battling demons in disguise, only to find his own weakness was his worst enemy.

     When temptation turned to indulgence, and the ghosts of his past encouraged him to dig deeper, Ethan sought salvation in the form of violence. His fists and fortitude became his bread and butter, but the new turn in his life rejected the familiar and opened the door to more evil.

     Inevitably, the darkness tried to sink him, and there was only one constant light that somehow seemed to shine brighter than the promise of escape: the mystery girl with the golden hair. 

     In order to survive, Ethan had to dig deep and find a strength in himself not even he was sure existed. Only when he found himself on a path to Wonderland did he start to see a future beyond his past. All he had to do to get there was learn to breathe and not get himself killed in the process.

It doesn't sound happy when I put it all out there, but trust me, it is. For the most part.

L.J. Stock does a wonderful job mixing in humor and sadness in this story, and she does an even better job weaving Ethan's story with Izzy's and Paris's. I love finding out new things about these characters and how long they've been in each other's lives, even if they didn't know it. Seeing the different perspectives (from different authors, no less) is fresh and exciting, and it's fun to see how the other person reacts in the same scene you've read before. And Ethan is such a great character: he's equal parts sweet, compassionate, brave, loyal, and clueless. You're cheering for him from the very beginning, and I found myself worried for all those he holds close to him, because Ethan tries so hard to keep everyone afloat. It seems like everything he does is to help someone else, and when he finally realizes that helping himself would be the best help for those around him, it's beautiful and inspirational. You fall in love instantly with Ethan because the way L.J. Stock writes him, you feel like he's a real person, making real choices, facing real consequences. I found myself putting the book aside during particularly tense or upsetting moments, because it all felt too close to home.

Want to know more about this awesome author, L.J. Stock? The you're in luck! Let's meet the author:

    From a young age L.J. Stock was led by her imagination. From the moment she could read she fell into worlds where trees could talk and little girls could move things with their minds.

    In no hurry to grow up, she found stories all around her, in the forests of Plym Bridge, the moss covered hills of Dartmoor, then, as she grew older, the wide spread city of Houston, where she currently resides and works. A constant daydreamer, she hopes that one day, her passion can become something more than just a hobby for her.

    Still led by her imagination, the worlds have slowly grown from childish adventures to urban fantasies and romances. With inspirational authors such as Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, John Grisham and Stephen King guiding her through her life so far, L.J. Stock has finally decided that it is time for her to go for gold and try land herself on someone else’s future list of favorites.

     Putting words on paper is as essential as breathing to her, but on the rare occasions that she isn’t writing, she can be found with a video game remote in hand or curled up on the couch with her pup and a good book. Music is also such an important part of her life, it’s a wonder there isn’t a background soundtrack playing wherever she goes.

     A good girl to most, a bad girl to a few, L.J. believes that every genre should be attempted and is more than likely to have tried to release three hundred series’ ranging from vampires and werewolves, to dystopian and even classic romance, before she reaches even middle age. At least, that’s the plan for now.

Want more information? Get in touch with her!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LJStockAuthor?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/L_J_Stock

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9833142.L_J_Stock

Wonderland Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RTWSeries?fref=ts

Also, as always, make sure you pick up the other books in the Road to Wonderland series:

Izzy Moffit’s Road to Wonderland  by Victoria L James (book 1)

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1IzpieJ

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1vO9Rde

Paris Hemsworth’s Road to Wonderland by Francesca Marlow (book 2)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1FBBKYm

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1aYe0nE

Then, if this wasn't enough, click on the link below to be entered to the things you see right here:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/95cb0282140/?

Seriously, get these books. They're absolutely delightful and I find myself rereading them more often than I probably should, considering my TBR list. Read them for me and you can thank me later.