I think I knew I was in trouble when there were two time skips, one three months and another a year, within the first 50 pages. We pass right by Alice's training to fight against Nightmares, as well as her learning more about Wonderland, which really didn't set the story off at a good pace. It also didn't help that the book opens with the protagonist immediately in danger, which is somewhat of a bookish pet peeve for me. Without the proper build-up, it makes the moment seem so much emptier and it's difficult to feel for the character that's still an absolute stranger to us.

I also wasn't a fan of the author skipping through what could have been great character development between Alice and Hatta and worldbuilding in favor of getting to the action faster. As a result, I felt forced into a world that felt like it was making itself up as it went along. I wanted to be learning about Wonderland and all its history and eccentricities alongside her, not in retrospect. I also didn't believe the attachment between Alice and Hatta because we don't see it develop naturally. Hatta goes from stranger, to mentor she has a crush on, to no way I don't have a crush on him but mayyyyybbeee and that's all we really see of their dynamic in the beginning. 

The fact that I have to wait 1/3 of a book to get to actual plot is kind of a breaking point here. I wish I liked it more, because it does sound like a cool concept, but I think it's all lost on me.