As the title suggests, this is an Alice X Ace story. I like the theory of being lost. Given how unpredictable life can be, let alone love, it's hard to make the big decisions. Do I admit my feelings? Do I run away? Is he lying? Is he really thinking about us?

Overall, I find Ace to be a confusing character. I can't tell what he's thinking, but as best I can tell he's a bit of a sadist. He hates his role (find out why in 'Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar's Game) and he wishes he had a choice. He likes when Alice's attention is fixated on him which leads to jealousy when Alice talks to other characters. (For this story those poor, unfortunate souls are Gray and Pierce)

Note: Alice in the Country of Clover is the sequel to Alice in the Country of Hearts; both of which are based off Otome dating games. A phenomenon called 'moving' takes place, which is why the name of the country changes, and results in a few new characters appearing but a few old characters disappearing. The first dating sim resulted in a manga (by the same title) that spawned many different spinoffs. This is one of those stories.

This spinoff has 1 volume. This volume ends on page 118 and the rest of the book is composed of short stories from a series called Crimson Empire. ( )

After the move from the Country of Hearts to the Country of Clover happens, Ace finds himself pushed out of his chosen role as Julius's helper. Now he's just Vivaldi's knight, a role he hates. Alice wants to help him, but she's also nervous around him, because he keeps coming on weirdly strong. She's also upset, because he thinks the only reason she doesn't push him away is because she's kind and friendly to everyone, not because he's someone special to her. However, in the end she realizes she loves him. The volume also includes three Crimson Empire shorts: one with Prince Edvard, one with Bryon and a pregnancy scare, and a humorous one with Marshall.

This volume began just before the move to the Country of Clover – I was so confused when Julius showed up at the beginning, because I thought the story was already in Clover. We get a bit more detail about Pierce – he acts as the Hatter Family's “cleaner,” retrieving and hiding clocks so that Ace can't retrieve them, which of course puts him at odds with Ace.

Out of all the volumes I read during my Alice in the Country of binge, this one was my least favorite. It could have been a fascinating exploration of Ace, the only role holder who dealt with the constraints of Wonderland by choosing a role for himself. Instead, QuinRose gave readers an incredibly discomfiting romance with a guy Alice halfway expected might kill her (and who she would have let do it!). I'd have preferred seeing Alice end up with Gray, who kept warning her away from Ace, or Vivaldi, who even ended up in her bed at one point.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )