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Queen of Hearts Saga #3
War of the Cards
The final book in the twisted YA trilogy re-imagining of the origin story of the Queen of Hearts.
Dinah has lost everyone she ever loved. Her brother was brutally murdered. The wicked man she believed was her father betrayed her. Her loyal subjects have been devastated by war. And the boy she gave her heart to broke it completely.
Now a dark queen has risen out of the ashes of her former life. Fury is blooming inside Dinah, poisoning her soul and twisting her mind. All she has left is Wonderland and her crown, and her obsession to fight for both. But the war rages on, and Dinah could inherit a bloodstained throne. Can a leader filled with love and rage ever be the ruler her kingdom needs? Or will her all-consuming wrath bring Wonderland to its knees?
This is not a story of happily ever after.
This is the story of the Queen of Hearts.
Dinah has lost everyone she ever loved. Her brother was brutally murdered. The wicked man she believed was her father betrayed her. Her loyal subjects have been devastated by war. And the boy she gave her heart to broke it completely.
Now a dark queen has risen out of the ashes of her former life. Fury is blooming inside Dinah, poisoning her soul and twisting her mind. All she has left is Wonderland and her crown, and her obsession to fight for both. But the war rages on, and Dinah could inherit a bloodstained throne. Can a leader filled with love and rage ever be the ruler her kingdom needs? Or will her all-consuming wrath bring Wonderland to its knees?
This is not a story of happily ever after.
This is the story of the Queen of Hearts.
352 pages, ebook
First published November 7, 2017
90 people are currently reading
8095 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Oakes
18 books1,456 followersColleen Oakes is the bestselling author of books for both teens and adults, including the Queen of Hearts Series, the Wendy Darling Saga, The Black Coats, Sister of the Chosen One and Eleven Houses.
She recently moved to New England with her husband and son. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, forest strolling, traveling or immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is also a public librarian with a Master's Degree in Library Science and is currently working on an adult thriller.
You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.org, find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Instagram.
She recently moved to New England with her husband and son. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, forest strolling, traveling or immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is also a public librarian with a Master's Degree in Library Science and is currently working on an adult thriller.
You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.org, find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 591 reviews
November 15, 2019
Quisiera poder darle más estrellas.
Llegar hasta este punto, es todo un logro, ya que lo único que me inspiró a abrir este libro fue a la creatividad de la autora.
La vida de Dinah no ha sido nada fácil y encarar una batalla en la que está en juego su corona, e incluso su vida no es para menos, uno de los desafíos más terribles que debe cumplir.
La reina de corazones es un personaje que tiene mucho que contar, y Collen vaya qué sabe contarnos una buena historia.
Su reina es uno de los personajes que más me han atraído y que de verdad merece ser leída y reconocida. Aquí el gigantesco “pero” del libro es por desgracia su edición y traducción, que le bajan un montón a la calidad de la historia y eso desmotiva para seguir con su lectura. Ya no digamos aventurarnos hasta esta tercera y última parte.
Si tienes la oportunidad de leerlo en inglés es la mejor opción, porque lo tedioso que es seguir la traducción, que justo en este libro hace que te cuestiones más de una vez si deberías continuar la con lectura.
Bien por Dinah, porque fue un buen final, pero no les diré más para que sea sorpresa.
Llegar hasta este punto, es todo un logro, ya que lo único que me inspiró a abrir este libro fue a la creatividad de la autora.
La vida de Dinah no ha sido nada fácil y encarar una batalla en la que está en juego su corona, e incluso su vida no es para menos, uno de los desafíos más terribles que debe cumplir.
La reina de corazones es un personaje que tiene mucho que contar, y Collen vaya qué sabe contarnos una buena historia.
Su reina es uno de los personajes que más me han atraído y que de verdad merece ser leída y reconocida. Aquí el gigantesco “pero” del libro es por desgracia su edición y traducción, que le bajan un montón a la calidad de la historia y eso desmotiva para seguir con su lectura. Ya no digamos aventurarnos hasta esta tercera y última parte.
Si tienes la oportunidad de leerlo en inglés es la mejor opción, porque lo tedioso que es seguir la traducción, que justo en este libro hace que te cuestiones más de una vez si deberías continuar la con lectura.
Bien por Dinah, porque fue un buen final, pero no les diré más para que sea sorpresa.
February 28, 2018
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
ggggggggggggggooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddddddddddddddd
GUYS! WHAT AN ENDING TO THIS AMAZING AND WONDERFUL SERIES!
Warning: spoilers below.. probably... maybe..
okay there are..
read at your own risk.
I freaking love Dinah so freaking much and I was so happy that she finally became the queen that she was born to be. She slayed throughout the book and ended up marrying the man of her dreams.. even if he wasn't 100% into the whole thing. Anyhoo... they obviously, sort of, lived happily ever after.
However, they to face so many freaking obstacles throughout the book. Long story short: the people I wanted dead.. died. The things I wanted to happen.. happened. I cried when certain people I didn't want to die.. died. I cried happy tears when I read the last chapter of this book. Now I'm completely sad because it's over. Lucky for me.. I have alllllll three books so I can reread them whenever I freaking want.
Now the one thing I really liked about this book was the "black fury" inside of her. Plus this book sort of gave you a little, like teeny tiny, glimpse of the queen of hearts we see now.. however that queen didn't have a happy ending. I think that's why I liked this version so much because it was such a contrast from we are used to knowing about the Queen of Hearts. I also really liked getting a different version of the cards.
The battles/action were so freaking good. That's where you will get some sad and happy moments. Just trust me. Then there's the thing she has built for her brother - which was so freaking sweet.
Overall, I loved this book. I'm happy I finally got to read it. I'm sad that it's over.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
ggggggggggggggooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddddddddddddddd
GUYS! WHAT AN ENDING TO THIS AMAZING AND WONDERFUL SERIES!
Warning: spoilers below.. probably... maybe..
okay there are..
read at your own risk.
I freaking love Dinah so freaking much and I was so happy that she finally became the queen that she was born to be. She slayed throughout the book and ended up marrying the man of her dreams.. even if he wasn't 100% into the whole thing. Anyhoo... they obviously, sort of, lived happily ever after.
However, they to face so many freaking obstacles throughout the book. Long story short: the people I wanted dead.. died. The things I wanted to happen.. happened. I cried when certain people I didn't want to die.. died. I cried happy tears when I read the last chapter of this book. Now I'm completely sad because it's over. Lucky for me.. I have alllllll three books so I can reread them whenever I freaking want.
Now the one thing I really liked about this book was the "black fury" inside of her. Plus this book sort of gave you a little, like teeny tiny, glimpse of the queen of hearts we see now.. however that queen didn't have a happy ending. I think that's why I liked this version so much because it was such a contrast from we are used to knowing about the Queen of Hearts. I also really liked getting a different version of the cards.
The battles/action were so freaking good. That's where you will get some sad and happy moments. Just trust me. Then there's the thing she has built for her brother - which was so freaking sweet.
Overall, I loved this book. I'm happy I finally got to read it. I'm sad that it's over.
December 28, 2017
"I am your queen and you will listen to my command."
Dinah, the exiled princess of Wonderland, is marching to war with her army of Spades and Yurkei warriors. En route to Wonderland Palace, she has to deal with and settle the tensions in camp, while also trying to ignore the dark fury inside of her - and her broken heart. All of this is observed by her real father, Cheshire, who seems all too pleased with her dark mood. And as the war begins, secret upon secret is unravelled, turning Dinah's life upside-down once more.
I found this to be an interesting conclusion to this trilogy. I'm still not a fan of Alice in Wonderland and I have some serious trouble with Dinah as a character, but I do feel like she grew quite a bit during this story. And the little twists added to story made you interested in figuring out what was actually going on. Who the real bad guy was. So I give this an average rating. Out of the three books in this trilogy, I do believe this was my favourite, though.
March 9, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I didn't have high hopes going into it, but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. As with the other two, there's nothing that really stands out about this one, but I enjoyed the pacing, and I wasn't bored at times. I guessed the twist at the end in the first book, so I wasn't shocked by it, but I enjoyed having my thoughts confirmed. War of the Cards definitely redeemed this series for me, but not enough for me to consider rereading the series ever.
Dinah annoyed me in this one too, but I felt that she finally redeemed herself by the end. She learned some hard lessons, but it ultimately made her a better person.
Dinah annoyed me in this one too, but I felt that she finally redeemed herself by the end. She learned some hard lessons, but it ultimately made her a better person.
January 8, 2018
I only liked Morte. Thats about it
March 9, 2018
The book had a shitty-ish ending. The guy she's been obsessing over all this time was with the leftover girl, Victorrie (sp?), who had little impact on the story herself, and she ends up murdering the girl in so-called 'cold-blood'. Really, who cares? Victorrie was such a useless character. The war was just there. No really interesting. Cheshire turned out to be a piece of shit, but it wasn't a twist or surprise considering he's always been marked off as cunning, shrewd, and sly...whatever. He dies, too. Moron killed Charles, one of the few characters I actually liked back in book one. Dinah is a pretty good character besides her pointlessly stupid 'infatuation' with Wardley. Morte, her horse, takes forever to finally return to her at the end of the book for no reason. Oh, and she ends up with Wartley, pun intended, for no reason either. He's just there as a ways to tie up ends as her 'husband' even though she fucking murdered his lover. What a fucking shitty ending and disappointment this book was. The trilogy started out with such promise in the beginning, but then all of drama started and multiplied and nothing ever felt resolved in any good or at least decent way...fuck the ending.
December 27, 2017
Huge letdown. Wardley’s a jerk
January 21, 2018
Many characters fought and died but she did it. Dinah did it and I'm so happy! I loved Cheshire so much for everything! He truly was a genius through the end and I loved her kids. They were adorable! I loved this series so much; I'm happy I read it!
February 20, 2018
I thought this was a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. I loved how Colleen weaves her own story but included bits from Lewis’s Alice in Wonderland. I never get tired of Alice retelling’s and this is probably one of my favorites.
October 8, 2018
Such an amazing finale to a fantastic series!
Dinah is set to strike against the King of Hearts to regain her throne in this epic finale. Will she let the madness overcome and dictate her rule or will she learn to control it and be the strong but compassionate ruler that Wonderland needs?
This takes a well known villain in the Queen of Hearts and turns her into a relatable character that one can sympathize with. This story also took a character where most people think they know her ending and totally changes it to make it a very unique story with an ending I did not see coming.
I absolutely loved this book and can not wait to read more books by Colleen Oakes!
Dinah is set to strike against the King of Hearts to regain her throne in this epic finale. Will she let the madness overcome and dictate her rule or will she learn to control it and be the strong but compassionate ruler that Wonderland needs?
This takes a well known villain in the Queen of Hearts and turns her into a relatable character that one can sympathize with. This story also took a character where most people think they know her ending and totally changes it to make it a very unique story with an ending I did not see coming.
I absolutely loved this book and can not wait to read more books by Colleen Oakes!
December 8, 2017
So not impressed 75% of this book was drawn out and the last bit was the only remotely interesting part but nowhere near as good as the first 2 books.
Her choice of husband was severely disappointing too. She shouldn’t settle/force someone who doesn’t want her.
Her choice of husband was severely disappointing too. She shouldn’t settle/force someone who doesn’t want her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2022
Annnnnnnnnnnd its over. *cries*
I did like how that ending showed the morally gray character still getting a 'happy' ending, and it was perfectly....okay. Can't go wrong with that. Amazing series!!
I did like how that ending showed the morally gray character still getting a 'happy' ending, and it was perfectly....okay. Can't go wrong with that. Amazing series!!
December 11, 2018
This was the easiest five stars I have given too! I am so happy that I completed this series in 2018!(:
RTC!(:
RTC!(:
December 13, 2017
This trilogy started out so promising, but got more and more frustrating the further I read... The pacing, for one, was absolutely ridiculous. It felt like Oakes stretched out one story for 2.5 books, and then tried to cram another story (that could have launched a new book all on its own) in the last 20% of book 3. I was constantly looking at my progress through each book, confused because it never felt like I was in the right spot...
Also, this story would have stood up better, in my eyes, if it hadn't been forced into the Wonderland/Queen of Hearts mold. Everything about these books that has anything to do with the original Wonderland story feels incredibly forced. It feels like the Queen of Hearts spin was inserted in an attempt to differentiate this story from the thousands of other YA fantasy reads about a queen taking over her rightful throne. But in the end, it wasn't that different. And, at least in my opinion, the Wonderland connection detracted from the story more than it added. (Most significantly, the requirement for the Queen to become a villain resulted in some reeeeeaaaaaally illogical actions on the part of Dinah - it really just made her seem like a psychopath, rather than a villain for any understandable reason.)
Lastly, while I liked the spin on the Wonderland characters up front, they became less and less original as the story went. (Cheshire = Littlefinger)
Overall, I'm disappointed more than anything because the first book got my hopes up for something better. I finished this book confused as hell, and angry that I didn't get a better ending. Maybe the things that bothered me wouldn't be a big deal for someone else, but they were definite deal-breakers for me...not a fan of this series after all. Wouldn't recommend unless you have pretty low expectations. 2-2.5 stars
Also, this story would have stood up better, in my eyes, if it hadn't been forced into the Wonderland/Queen of Hearts mold. Everything about these books that has anything to do with the original Wonderland story feels incredibly forced. It feels like the Queen of Hearts spin was inserted in an attempt to differentiate this story from the thousands of other YA fantasy reads about a queen taking over her rightful throne. But in the end, it wasn't that different. And, at least in my opinion, the Wonderland connection detracted from the story more than it added. (Most significantly, the requirement for the Queen to become a villain resulted in some reeeeeaaaaaally illogical actions on the part of Dinah - it really just made her seem like a psychopath, rather than a villain for any understandable reason.)
Lastly, while I liked the spin on the Wonderland characters up front, they became less and less original as the story went. (Cheshire = Littlefinger)
Overall, I'm disappointed more than anything because the first book got my hopes up for something better. I finished this book confused as hell, and angry that I didn't get a better ending. Maybe the things that bothered me wouldn't be a big deal for someone else, but they were definite deal-breakers for me...not a fan of this series after all. Wouldn't recommend unless you have pretty low expectations. 2-2.5 stars
November 20, 2019
I finished this book this afternoon and wow, what a lovely and thrilling and wonderful read. I totally understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, especially because eventually the story does tie in with the Alice in Wonderland we know in an entirely different way than I, and probably others, expected. But, I really noticed how emotionally attached I've grown to Dinah and all the other familiar not so familiar faces.
This book starts where the previous one ended. After a long time of preparations Dinah and her army are now on their way to the heart of Wonderland to get her the crown that belongs on her head. We fall right into the action. Once the armies are in place there is a lengthy description of the fight, both from an action as from a tactical point of view. I normally don't like these scenes too much, but the writing of this one was well done and it never grew boring.
But, it was mostly the second part of the story that grabbed me. Not only because some emotional moments really managed to make me tear up, but also because the political and court affaires are much more interesting to me. I enjoyed watching Dinah figure out what has really been going on, how she was played and who played her. And I enjoyed watching her deal with the consequences of everything she has done.
I never thought it would happen after the first book, but while reading this book I really cared about Dinah. She's an amazing character, both bad ass and emotional, both fierce and strong and weak and sensitive. In a way she's simply a girl, a woman, with her wants and needs. But she's also truly a queen, willing to do whatever she has to to get that crown and bring Wonderland its rightful ruler.
The story truly needed to grow on me, but now I've finished reading it I wouldn't have wanted to miss it.
This book starts where the previous one ended. After a long time of preparations Dinah and her army are now on their way to the heart of Wonderland to get her the crown that belongs on her head. We fall right into the action. Once the armies are in place there is a lengthy description of the fight, both from an action as from a tactical point of view. I normally don't like these scenes too much, but the writing of this one was well done and it never grew boring.
But, it was mostly the second part of the story that grabbed me. Not only because some emotional moments really managed to make me tear up, but also because the political and court affaires are much more interesting to me. I enjoyed watching Dinah figure out what has really been going on, how she was played and who played her. And I enjoyed watching her deal with the consequences of everything she has done.
I never thought it would happen after the first book, but while reading this book I really cared about Dinah. She's an amazing character, both bad ass and emotional, both fierce and strong and weak and sensitive. In a way she's simply a girl, a woman, with her wants and needs. But she's also truly a queen, willing to do whatever she has to to get that crown and bring Wonderland its rightful ruler.
The story truly needed to grow on me, but now I've finished reading it I wouldn't have wanted to miss it.
December 29, 2017
Rating: 4.5
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Be aware this paragraph contains spoilers from a fangirl... Fangirling with her soul!!!
I can’t believe myself at this point! I read this whole entire series in 2 Days guys! 2!!! Days!!!! 😱😱😱🤭
Dinah Has to be one of the charcaters that will forever stay with me ... I connected with her so much! In ways beyond believable! 💕🙆🏻 I suffer and cry with her and when that stupid Wardeley [ Sorry 😐 I do not know how to spell his name because that’s how much I hated him😡] broke her heart compleately when he rejected her .... Even worst you guys😬 He was secretly seeing Vittiore [Alice 😑🤦🏻♀️]
I was so mad at him! Soo disappointed!!! Literally all Dinah wanted was love! and everyone just shut her out even the one she loved! I was super furious in that chapter. I know this makes me sound physco but am really glad Dinah killed her 🤷🏻♀️ however I was a bit upset because of that ending where she begged for his love! I was like common!!!! You do not need this stupid person in your life🤦🏻♀️ But it is what it is 🤷🏻♀️ The way Dinah took her throne !!! Hands down! She is so badass! 🙇🏻♀️🙌🏼 Overall this series will be added as one of my favorites! We need more characters like this !!! 💕💕♥️
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Be aware this paragraph contains spoilers from a fangirl... Fangirling with her soul!!!
I can’t believe myself at this point! I read this whole entire series in 2 Days guys! 2!!! Days!!!! 😱😱😱🤭
Dinah Has to be one of the charcaters that will forever stay with me ... I connected with her so much! In ways beyond believable! 💕🙆🏻 I suffer and cry with her and when that stupid Wardeley [ Sorry 😐 I do not know how to spell his name because that’s how much I hated him😡] broke her heart compleately when he rejected her .... Even worst you guys😬 He was secretly seeing Vittiore [Alice 😑🤦🏻♀️]
I was so mad at him! Soo disappointed!!! Literally all Dinah wanted was love! and everyone just shut her out even the one she loved! I was super furious in that chapter. I know this makes me sound physco but am really glad Dinah killed her 🤷🏻♀️ however I was a bit upset because of that ending where she begged for his love! I was like common!!!! You do not need this stupid person in your life🤦🏻♀️ But it is what it is 🤷🏻♀️ The way Dinah took her throne !!! Hands down! She is so badass! 🙇🏻♀️🙌🏼 Overall this series will be added as one of my favorites! We need more characters like this !!! 💕💕♥️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2021
i read this trilogy because i wanted a queen of hearts prequel story, not a queen of hearts retelling where the only thing that matches the original books is the character names (and my favourite character dies in the first book only to not get brought back like i expected because, you know, i thought this would be true to the original alice in wonderland storyline ????)
so yeah, i’m disappointed to say the least, but i enjoyed reading this book more than the second one so that’s good i guess.
so yeah, i’m disappointed to say the least, but i enjoyed reading this book more than the second one so that’s good i guess.
April 19, 2020
Dinah tiene preparado su ejército y está preparada para tomar el País de las Maravillas, ¿será capaz de dominar su ira y hacer lo necesario para convertirse en la reina que su pueblo necesita?
La verdad es que este es el libro que menos me ha gustado de los tres. La primera parte del libro es la que más me ha gustado, el viaje del ejército de Dinah hacia las puertas del castillo del País de las Maravillas, la tensión entre las dos facciones de su ejército, los yurkeys y las espadas y la parte del combate. Pero la última parte del libro no me ha gustado nada, se me ha hecho muy lenta y algunas cosas del todo innecesarias. En cuanto a los personajes no puedo decir mucho, Dinah apenas ha evolucionado, sigue sin controlar su rabia pero no puedo culparla por las decisiones que toma, ya que muchas veces la obligan a ello. Aunque me encanta su relación con Morte y algunos de sus consejeros. Del resto de personajes me han gustado todos, excepto Victoria y Wardley a quienes he odiado desde el primer libro, a ella por ser un personaje insulso e ir de no romper un plato cuando en realidad estaba rompiendo la confianza de Dinah, y a Wardley por jugar con los sentimientos de la princesa. Tampoco me gustó el final, me parece que podría haber acabado todo de otra manera sobre todo en lo que respecta al romance. Lo que si me gustó fue como adaptó la autora los personajes clásicos a su historia, me pareció muy original así como las distintas funciones de los naipes. La verdad es que sigo pensando que esta historia debería haber sido solo un libro pero aún así es un buen retelling de La reina de corazones.
La verdad es que este es el libro que menos me ha gustado de los tres. La primera parte del libro es la que más me ha gustado, el viaje del ejército de Dinah hacia las puertas del castillo del País de las Maravillas, la tensión entre las dos facciones de su ejército, los yurkeys y las espadas y la parte del combate. Pero la última parte del libro no me ha gustado nada, se me ha hecho muy lenta y algunas cosas del todo innecesarias. En cuanto a los personajes no puedo decir mucho, Dinah apenas ha evolucionado, sigue sin controlar su rabia pero no puedo culparla por las decisiones que toma, ya que muchas veces la obligan a ello. Aunque me encanta su relación con Morte y algunos de sus consejeros. Del resto de personajes me han gustado todos, excepto Victoria y Wardley a quienes he odiado desde el primer libro, a ella por ser un personaje insulso e ir de no romper un plato cuando en realidad estaba rompiendo la confianza de Dinah, y a Wardley por jugar con los sentimientos de la princesa. Tampoco me gustó el final, me parece que podría haber acabado todo de otra manera sobre todo en lo que respecta al romance. Lo que si me gustó fue como adaptó la autora los personajes clásicos a su historia, me pareció muy original así como las distintas funciones de los naipes. La verdad es que sigo pensando que esta historia debería haber sido solo un libro pero aún así es un buen retelling de La reina de corazones.
Read
December 11, 2017woah this was dark y’all.
probably the bloodiest out of all three books, and mama liked it.
Dinah was savage. that girl went through hell, and came out victorious. she wasn’t perfect, and had a hell of a lot of anger issues. can’t really blame her though, with parents like hers. but what she did to Wardley was straight up cruel, but hey she got the guy, and that’s all that really matters, right?
😉
probably the bloodiest out of all three books, and mama liked it.
Dinah was savage. that girl went through hell, and came out victorious. she wasn’t perfect, and had a hell of a lot of anger issues. can’t really blame her though, with parents like hers. but what she did to Wardley was straight up cruel, but hey she got the guy, and that’s all that really matters, right?
😉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2018
"May your broken hearts beat strong. #feels
The BEST out of the series. It was empowering and the way Lewis was included? Amazing! I find this conclusion very interesting. In terms of which turn of event and direction will the author takes us? And it delievered.
I always thought of abandoning the series. Glad I didn't.
The BEST out of the series. It was empowering and the way Lewis was included? Amazing! I find this conclusion very interesting. In terms of which turn of event and direction will the author takes us? And it delievered.
I always thought of abandoning the series. Glad I didn't.
February 26, 2018
Okay this book is my favorite in the series by far. I had my suspicions about the ending and although I'd start to push them aside ultimately I had foreseen what would happen. All in all this book was great. The ending where they tied together the well-loved version of Alice in Wonderland that we all know was really awesome. And it made me see the Red Queen in a completely different way.
March 11, 2018
The best ending !!
February 14, 2024
I was content with the ending, but it was a tad too gory for me. however, it was very interesting in giving different reasons why characters perhaps make certain decisions and how do they deal with with those decisions afterwards. I do think this is the best retelling of the queen of hearts story, lots of good references and use of symbolism from the original story!
December 28, 2017
I absolutely adore this series. I also love how the author reconciled how Lewis Carrol wrote a novelization of the event. Series well done!!!
November 5, 2017
I am speechless.
I can't believe that I found the book before the release date (which I have been counting down the days for)
I absolutely LOVED this book. It always stated interesting and was very fast. For sure one of my favorite retellings
I can't believe that I found the book before the release date (which I have been counting down the days for)
I absolutely LOVED this book. It always stated interesting and was very fast. For sure one of my favorite retellings
July 26, 2019
Some parts of this finale were great. Some parts of this finale were meh and quite predictable. I think War of the Cards was pretty engaging and such an easy and quick paced read. Maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I was closer to the target market's age. Honestly, if I was 18 I'd probably rate this one a 5-star.
January 1, 2018
Loved this series! My only regret about this book is I never had the audio book
August 3, 2022
A great ending to a great series!
February 11, 2021
Aun no estoy segura de si darle 4 o 4,5 pero que sepan que es un final que disfrute muchísimo. Este último libro cierra la historia de Dinah, quien sufrió y amó con todo su corazon, pero ahora solo queda su venganza por hacerse. Es una historia dura, un poco explicita, pero que finaliza de la mejor forma. Admito que sigue pareciéndomelo muy predecible pero se disfruta de todas formas.
January 9, 2018
It's a strange case, this book. I really don't know why I gave the first Queen of Hearts book five stars anymore - I mean, I liked the book, I thought it was fun, but five stars' worth of fun? More like four, maybe. Certainly not as down in quality as the sophomore slump that was Blood of Wonderland. And now, here we get the trilogy's conclusion in War of the Cards, which, like its predecessor, actually lacks a little in what its title promises...but overall doesn't lose the fast-moving, addictive quality that made me really power through the first two books.
What's really odd about this book is how much I like it, since it really plays with expectations perhaps a little too much. The way it links back to the original Alice in Wonderland story is...rather unexpected, especially when we find out that Lewis Carroll's Alice is nothing like the one in this "real" Wonderland. To be fair, though, that makes sense given how different some other characters are from their Carroll counterparts - Cheshire, especially, comes to mind. Like Blood of Wonderland, the Native American-esque Yurkei feature very prominently, and their function in the story does, again, feel a little too Daenerys-ally-ish...but thankfully, Oakes makes it a point of avoiding writing them into seriously problematic plotlines, one of which would have been potentially caused by the book's real villain. There's also a very surprising scene in which Dinah catches Wardley in bed with a woman - thus subverting how Blood implied that he was gay, and while I did feel a little bit queerbaited at first, checking back against Blood, it's clear that Wardley never actually said he was gay, just...not in love with Dinah. Reading between the lines is all well and good, but refrain from assuming, y'know? (That said, though, even though Queen of Hearts was one of the next books in my system of hand-selling choices for this day, I decided to put off the promotion for a bit.)
Maybe the ultimate ending that Oakes gives us feels a little too much like the unholy love child of Mockingjay and Gone Girl, but I have to give her credit where credit is due, and she deserves credit for flipping my expectations - almost all of them, in fact - on their heads.
To the Queen of Hearts trilogy, I now say ave atque vale.
What's really odd about this book is how much I like it, since it really plays with expectations perhaps a little too much. The way it links back to the original Alice in Wonderland story is...rather unexpected, especially when we find out that Lewis Carroll's Alice is nothing like the one in this "real" Wonderland. To be fair, though, that makes sense given how different some other characters are from their Carroll counterparts - Cheshire, especially, comes to mind. Like Blood of Wonderland, the Native American-esque Yurkei feature very prominently, and their function in the story does, again, feel a little too Daenerys-ally-ish...but thankfully, Oakes makes it a point of avoiding writing them into seriously problematic plotlines, one of which would have been potentially caused by the book's real villain. There's also a very surprising scene in which Dinah catches Wardley in bed with a woman - thus subverting how Blood implied that he was gay, and while I did feel a little bit queerbaited at first, checking back against Blood, it's clear that Wardley never actually said he was gay, just...not in love with Dinah. Reading between the lines is all well and good, but refrain from assuming, y'know? (That said, though, even though Queen of Hearts was one of the next books in my system of hand-selling choices for this day, I decided to put off the promotion for a bit.)
Maybe the ultimate ending that Oakes gives us feels a little too much like the unholy love child of Mockingjay and Gone Girl, but I have to give her credit where credit is due, and she deserves credit for flipping my expectations - almost all of them, in fact - on their heads.
To the Queen of Hearts trilogy, I now say ave atque vale.
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