For Alice to become a fully-fledged witch, she must complete a tradition known as the Serve, in which she aids her chosen city with her powers for three years. As the new private investigator to the city of Coral Meadows, Alice is eager to solve mysteries with her magic.

Her first big case is clearing the name of Dorian Tweed, the biggest businessman in the city, who has been implicated as a thief by witnesses and on camera, but continues to claim innocence. The more evidence Alice finds, the more she suspects that something from Wonderland has escaped to Earth. Then buildings and roads start exploding and finding the culprit becomes much more than an entertaining puzzle.

Alice knows she has the powers to stop the escaped monster, but her spells have a cost; if she uses the magic needed to win, she’ll be risking The Madness, an affliction that exhausts Alice and distorts her thoughts. If she doesn’t, she’ll be leaving her Earthers hopelessly undefended – and returning to Wonderland as a failure.