Rating: 4 Stars
Description: This is the story of the Queen of Hearts before she was Queen, before she was mad and just as she's realizing everything is not quite as it seems in Wonderland. We first meet Dinah, Princess of Hearts when she is 15 and a strange girl is introduced into the Court. This is when Dinah first begins to question the world around her and it sends her on a twisted and exciting adventure.
Genre: YA/Fiction
My Impression: What a great story idea! It's like Wicked but for Alice in Wonderland. Seriously, why has no one thought of this before? The cover of this book was what first caught my eye and I was further intrigued when I read the summary. The actual book did not disappoint. The world of Wonderland is well drawn and Oakes does a good job of making Dinah a sympathetic if fairly unlikable character. The imagery is at times fairly dark so this is not a book geared towards young children though I think a 4th or 5th grader would enjoy it. I do have to confess that my only true knowledge of Alice in Wonderland is through the Disney movie and even that's been awhile. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I remembered more of the original story. I wasn't confused but I think I would have understood more of the references. My main problem with this book is that this is a continuing story which means I have to wait until Volume 2 comes out to see what happens.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes - Can't wait for the 2nd book.
Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!
Oh, I want to read this! I must go look it up. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it! It was definitely a bit on the odd side but it wouldn't be true to the original story if it wasn't!
DeleteKind of strange that I can't find it on anything but Goodreads considering it is out soon. I will keep my eyes open for it. :)
DeleteThat is definitely strange. The publisher is SparkPress (a BookSparks imprint). I've had some communication with the publicist so if I still can't find it after 2/14 I'll get in touch with her to see where it's available. I wouldn't mind buying a copy myself. I know a few people who would really enjoy it!
DeleteIt sounds like the author was able to come up with a believable and worthwhile story to read. Definite pluses! I will have to look for this one.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely an interesting mix of fantasy and reality. The balance for me was perfect. I'll be very interested to see how the story continues!
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