The Red Queen

Wonderland University #1

by K.N. Lee

Prepare for an epic paranormal romance series that flips fairy-tales and dives into the world of our favorite villains.

Graduating highschool was a piece of cake. Try surviving a college where fairies make up the cheerleading squad, doorways open to other worlds, and finals are life or death. Literally.

Welcome to Wonderland University.

Iracebeth has four years until she sits on the throne as the Red Queen of Wonderland. But, four years with her arch nemesis, Alice proves to be more of a brutal eternity when her life starts to systematically fall apart. Did she have to steal her boyfriend, friends, and every hope for happiness?

For once, Beth is tired of being the perfect princess. This year, she's going to fight back. Poor little Alice has no idea what's coming.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Magic, Romance

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2017

About the author

K.N. Lee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. When she is not writing twisted tales, fantasy novels, and dark poetry, she does a great deal of traveling and promotes other authors. Wannabe rockstar, foreign language enthusiast, and anime geek, K.N. Lee also enjoys helping others reach their writing and publishing goals. She is a winner of the Elevate Lifestyle Top 30 Under 30 "Future Leaders of Charlotte" award for her success as a writer, business owner, and for community service.

She is signed with Captive Quill Press and Patchwork Press.

K.N. Lee loves hearing from fans and readers. Connect with her!

www.knlee.com

www.WriteLikeAWizard.com

www.Facebook.com/knycolelee

www.twitter.com/knycole_lee

www.wattpad.com/user/KNycoleLee

Reviews

[Christina Nørgård Lauritsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

May contain Spoiler

Once again, it looks like I'm the odd one out. Seems like everyone loved this book.
And for some reason i disliked this soooooo much.

I wanted to like it, wanted to love it, because I absolutely love the idea of the book.

Unfortunately i found it weak.. Just... Weak...

When i read the blurb " Alice wouln't know what hit her, or was coming" or something like that, I imagined our heroine turning into this badass magic beast, clever, strong and so ready for revenge and retribution. I was SO disappointed.. She lost her friends, did nothing. lost her boyfriend of 3 years, did nothing.. All because of Alice... did she do anything to fight back?? no.... she went and got herself a magical potion... thats it... Alice is ruining her life and she does nothin... zero... zilch... nada!!!!!!!!!!! Can you feel my frustration???

The ending was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fucking anti-climatic, it's ridiculous. I expected this big fallout between Alice and our Heroine... It's like the air went out of the balloon... so ... anti-climatic...

more ranting and spoiler of the ending
I was so disappointed.. Alice was a plant for the finals... And then she just disappears as if she never existed, everything is back in it's place... what about the hot professor and their kiss?? what about her years at the school where alice ruined everything, it's just undone and gone and forgotten, because Alice never existed??

I'm sorry, but the ending was SO flat and boring. i never get angry at books.. but im mad.. it's been a couple days since i've read the book, and when i see it on my e-reader or in my read/to-read list, i get all frustrated all over again. This book had so much potential, so many stories and adventures to tell and it just fell flat with that ending. It was building up nicely with Alice being a menace and taking everything and everyone our heroine held dear and it fell. Imagine standing at the stove, you're making pancakes and you make one of those flying pancake flips and it falls flat on the floor. That was the middle and ending for me. Flat, frustrating and disappointing..

I'm sorry, i just didn't like it. And from the looks of it, I'm the only one xD

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am alway up for a good retelling and this was really fun. Iracebeth is going to be the future Red Queen of Wonderland but first she must pass her test. How can things go wrong when you have two pretty awesome friends and are dating the Handsome Cheshire Cat shifter. When school starts things start to go wrong for Beth and it all has to do with a girl names Alice.

This was an interesting retelling and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. As always with her books I was hoping for a little more World Build and Character background but overall I thought it was a really fun and easy read. The characters are fun and at times you get so frustrated with Beth because of all the things that are falling apart for her. I did love the little twist at the end, I wasn't expecting that!

Overall, a cute quick read. I look forward to read the rest of the stores in the series! Totally recommend!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my review.

Have a great day and Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Because reading is better than real life

[Laura Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the many twists and turns and look forward to continuing this series.

#BeatTheBacklist

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Red Queen is the first book in the Wonderland University series. This can be read as a standalone but the ending is open the next book in the series.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. I love the familiar characters with a new and refreshing setting. There are clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what will be revealed next. It definitely kept me reading. Overall it is an interesting storyline and worth taking the time to read. I received a copy of this book from the author and chose to leave a review for other readers. I look forward to reading more of KN Lee's books.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first in this series, I was completely blown away! I knew the blurb, the characters fell into place, yet I got sucked into this highly entertaining tale so smoothly it was great! It’s like a reading time warp grabbed me and I love when that happens! Flipping these pages just to find out what happens and when you reach the answer….so did not predict that! Love it and can’t wait for the next!

[Meri · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are a ton of mistakes in this book that make the story very confusing.
Examples are:
"It wasn’t a rumor that students died during their finals. It was fact. Her older sister’s best friend had did during a duel. She’d attended the funeral."
Especially this one:
""Constance shrugged. “Just saying.” With long white hair and peaches and cream colored skin, she resembled both the mermaids of her kingdom and the humans who lived above the sea. That was her unique lineage that made her stand out from nearly everyone on campus. That, and her shimmering silver eyes. Constance, on the other hand, was human just like Beth. Her long blue hair reached the back of her knees, and her pale skin refused to tan no matter how hot the sun became or how long they lay under it."

Wait a second. I thought Constance had white hair? Now she has blue hair? Or maybe there's two Constances?

Either there was no editor to read through or if there was one, they didn't do a very good job.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really curious about this one. And although I did like the reveal at the end of the novel, I didn't really enjoy reading this book as much as I thought I would. Mostly because the characters weren't really fleshed out. It was therefore hard to really care about them or to get attached to them. I also think that the author could have gone into much more detail. If the book had been longer, with more time for emotions, flashbacks and really getting to know these characters and what they're going through, I think it would have worked much better. However, I might check out the sequels, if they're ever released. I'm still curious enough to read the stories of other familiar fairytale characters.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was alright

I'm not sure, I kind of liked it, I kind of didn't. I like when authors try to put a different spin inn the classic fairytale characters, sometimes it works. This time, it mostly did, for me anyway. I'll still read the rest of this series though

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice intro to a new series with a look at the characters. It's a fast read as we have com to expect from this author with loads of action and angst. The heroine is not what I expect for a magical future queen but maybe we will learn more about her and the other characters as the series progresses. Not exactly what I expected from this author but it was a good read.

[Marie Tzem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short for me but very good.

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Red Queen

A fast-paced short story that introduces this new magical world. I would've loved to see more depth to the story and characters.
Overall it wasn't bad but I was hoping for more.

[Glenna Maynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short story that reminded me of the descendants movies I watch with my daughter.

[Katrina Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Red Queen by K.N. Lee is Book 1 of the Wonderland University Series. This is the first to a brand new dark young adult fantasy/paranormal series that incorporates a twist on the fairytales that we grew up on.

This was a fast-paced read of about 87'ish pages. The overall idea was very interesting, however when I sat down and actually started reading it I found it lacking, didn’t hold my attention and I just really couldn’t get into it. The book description was of more interest to me than the actual book and I find that a shame as there was so much potential for this story. I won’t be reading anything further in this series.

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Red Queen by K.N. Lee is book one in her Wonderland University series. In this book we are introduced to the future Red Queen, Iracebeth or Beth to those around her. She’s looking forward to her final year at University before she moves on to becoming Queen. She is preparing for the finals that will come because as they all know that finals are no joke. Beth is dealing with a lot. Her boyfriend, Chess, was absent all summer long. When he shows up on the arm of her “rival” Alice, her heart is broken into pieces. Strange things start happening and it all surrounds Alice. Beth becomes determined to have her revenge and put things to rights with the world. The trick is that nothing is really what it seems.
The Red Queen engaged me from the very beginning. I wanted to know more about Beth and her friends. They are all royalty and destined for paths that will have them ruling various kingdoms. Each girl is beautiful and unique in their own way. Red Queen focuses on Iracebeth as she deals with Alice who seems to be bent on taking everything that she can away from Beth. They share an advisor, Professor Hatter, who is helping them both with their thesis. He is also preparing Beth for her final duel. There are things going on beneath the surface and Beth must be prepare herself for whatever may come her way.
While this is a short story it is hard to put down. There are some spelling errors here and there that caught my eye but none of them were to the point that it seriously detracted from the story itself. I honestly just wanted more. I wanted to know more about Beth, Chess, Professor Hatter and her friends. I wanted more of the story over all.
I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series. I love that all of the princesses will be queens over different areas and so I look forward to reading each of their stories. I hope to read more about the Red Queen in the future as well. For now, I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars.

[Lene Blackthorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced, dark YA novella with a definitely deadly twist on college life and studies.
Beth is in her senior year, but she does not look forward to it - not when her personal arch-nemesis, Alice, poisons every aspect of her life. Not only she stole her boyfriend and ruined her reputation, she even made her best friends Lora and Constance turn their backs to Beth, finally separating the three princesses. Beth is slowly falling into depression, and with her final match approaching fast, her only solace is her thesis advisor, a very hot professor Mr. Hutter. But even this sweet dream turns into nightmare she must fight.
If you read this type of YA books about college life and problems, you rarely expect finals that might cost the students their lives and everyone is ok with that. Certain darkness bubbled under the surface for the whole time, building the tension and helping to project the solemn feelings to the reader. It would also help establishing a connection to the characters, if we were given more space to get to know them . I would truly welcome the story a bit longer. Otherwise, I enjoyed it and will be interested to read the next installment, I received a review copy from the author and all opinions are my own.

[Linda Hamonou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of The Red Queen by K. N. Lee.
I got this book for free on Instafreebie.
The Red Queen is the first book of the Wonderland University series.
I didn't know what to expect from this book when I started reading it. I sort of thought it was going to be a bit darker since the red queen is the main character but it was actually rather light.
This book is a spin-off Alice in Wonderland where the characters are mostly students at the university. I kind of like the fact that it gives the story a little more grown-up feel even though the characters still behave quite young.
It was a nice and crazy read. There are some inconsistencies which don't disturb the story all that much and might have been placed on purpose because of the craziness of Wonderland as a clue for the reader to guess the ending (which you won't guess really).
I would have loved the book to be a lot longer with more details about the classes and the settings.
Anyway, it was a fun read. Go grab it while you can!

You can check my video review here: https://youtu.be/Q5-yzD4Re1Y

[Karen Voitik · Rating 4 out of 5]

>Book review – The Red Queen

>I am an independent reviewer. This book is the 1st book in the Wonderland University series and ends in an HEA for this round of angst. This book is the 1st in the series, but I felt like I missed a book with some previous action. Beth and her 2 friends are in their senior year at this magical university. This school is hardcore with finals that can literally kill you.

>Beth's rival, Alice, steals everything from Beth, including her boyfriend, Chase. Chase is really shown in a negative light due to a lot of magic and angst. Once the truth is known, I had a hard time feeling any chemistry between Beth and Chase.

>The story goes all over the place with nods to Mean Girls and taboo teacher romances. The university aspect of the story felt so real, with descriptions of day to day behavior at a college. This college is full of magical creatures and crazy classes, but the students seem relatable.

>This book is appropriate for a young adult (16+) audience. I am giving the book 4 stars. A few plot points seemed too easily settled using magic. Even magic needs to make sense in order for the book to flow.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprising twist on Alice in Wonderland

I was pleasantly surprised by this twist on Alice in Wonderland. The Red Queen as the main character: I really liked that vantage point. There’s more to the Red Queen than we all knew. Beth is the future Queen of the Red Throne. And Alice is not the sweet and innocent girl you’d expect. She is performing black magic. Pitch black. She’s a leech, a pest, a menace, wanting everything that Beth has, stealing everything that Beth has, making her life hell. And the Mad Hatter is Professor Hatter who teaches Dark Arts.

Beth is starting her senior year at the University. The Finals are so tough some students actually die at the duel. Beth is not the kind of girl to use dark magic against another, but when Alice destroys her life, all she wants is revenge.

Alice in Wonderland is NOT my favorite fairy tale, but I really liked this take on it! The end was very surprising yet satisfying. No cliffhanger :)

I received a complimentary copy of this book and voluntarily posted an honest review.

[Skyqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beth is a senior at Wonderland University. She lives in a magical realm and will be the future queen of the Red Throne. She wants to become valedictorian and must pass Dark Arts 101, a course so dangerous that at least fifteen percent of each class flunks or dies. As she begins her classes, her personal life starts to fall apart; her boyfriend deserts her, she begins to have nightmares and even her close friends abandon her. These catastrophes all seem to be caused by her nemesis, Alice. She'll need to figure out who or what is causing these problems and keep up with her classes.

This is book one of a new series and a good, short introduction. With its magical theme, it will be interesting to see where this goes. There are sea witches, fairies, Cheshire cat shifters and more. The main character of this book, Beth, is likable but the other characters are mostly given brief introductions. She has two close friends, her boyfriend, the handsome Dark Arts 101 professor/wizard, her nemesis, Alice and a few others. This series show a lot of potential and I would check out book two.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was an excellent idea, brilliantly written and full of wonderful characters that really bring the action to life. I loved the premise of the Wonderland characters in their younger (mostly teenage) years, set at magical uni - kind of like a cross between Harry Potter and the best shifter stories all combined with Wonderland to create a cool new world. Whilst the story itself was good - and so familiar in its basic human tale of love, loss, bullying and schoolyard antics - the best thing for me was seeing where and how all the wonderland references would appear.
I'd definitely recommend this book for all lovers of fantasy stories, fairytale retellings, and myths and magic. It's suitable for everyone from young adults upwards, and I for one am definitely looking forward to the next instalment in the series!
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions

[Elizabeth Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Alice in Wonderland retold, with Alice as the evil ingenue, is definitely unexpected. I was beginning to think I might find out why the Red Queen had become such a monster, demanding “off with her head” or “off with his head” all the time, but she never really did become evil. Rather, she showed great compassion and restraint.

The beginning was a bit slow, but once I'd been drawn into the story, I found the characters to be interesting and the plot intriguing. Then, I reached the end and was ready to throw my Kindle across the room. I was reminded of stories I'd written as a kid where weird things keep happening and then the main character wakes up realizing, “It was just a dream all along." That's not exactly what happens in this book but it was close enough to annoy me. I can't decide whether the good outweighs the bad.

[Ksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 Stars

This was an interesting twist on not only the Alice in Wonderland fairy tale, but other fairy tales as well. We follow Beth as she navigates her senior year at Wonderland University before she has to take the throne as the Red Queen.

I loved the story line, but there wasn't much character development. That was quite unfortunate, especially since the characters, though recognizable, were changed. I wanted more about them rather than just a plot and angst filled novel.

Overall, it was an intriguing concept and I'm interested in seeing where the next book goes.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[O'Livia Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Red Queen Book 1 of Wonderland University by K.N. Lee, is an amazing book and a wonderful start to the Wonderland University series. I love the characters and I can’t wait to see how they grow as this series continues on. I would definitely recommend that you get The Red Queen if you want to find out how Iracebeth navigates through trying to be the perfect princess while her arch nemesis, Alice steal her boyfriend, friends, and every hope for happiness that she has. This is definitely a page turner because once I started reading I didn’t put it down until I was finished with it. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth will become Queen of Wonderland in 4 years, but in the meantime she needs to finish University. Problem is she has to cope with her nemesis Alice who has stolen her boyfriend, friends,etc - pretty much everything. Could life be any more miserable and how can she last 4 years like this? So she decides to stop being the perfect Princess and take Alice's attacks no more.

Great story. There was lots of danger and drama with plenty of twists (especially the large one at the end!). The writing was good and I could feel all the thoughts, emotions and fears being experienced by Beth in the story. It was definitely a great start to the series and promises something great going forward. I wonder if there is a magic potion so I can get the author to write faster?

[Jessica Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Red Queen is a short novella that reminded me of an adult Descendants. If you have kids then you will probably know what I am referring to. At Wonderland University, Beth, princess of the red throne and her cohort evil princesses rule the school laden with fairy tale characters. Beth's ex is Chessy the cheshire cat shifter and her new advisor is the Mad Hatter. Then there's Alice, full of malice and fake cheer, reeking havoc in Beth's life. With a lot of drama and twists, the story quickly unfolds and quickly ends. A pretty good short story that begins a new series that looks promising. My voluntary review is based upon a review copy.

[Rishika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on a retelling of Alice in wonderland, But definitely this book is the first part of the wonderland series by K.N, Lee, I really liked the book, and this was really an fun book to read, i would really recommend to all of you all to read this.

I would like to know the characters more in this book, I really liked the character Beth and Chess, I really related to them, and how Beth was nearly about to graduate from University and be a red queen, i found that there was a lot of black magic in this book, which was really good, I want to read the book 2 in this series, looking forward for the next series.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a awesome retelling of Alice and the different take on Wonderland. I usuallt do not bother with re-telling of fairy tales but I thought the idea was good so gave it a try. I have to say having the story start as Beth is at the beginning of her senior year at Wonderland University was different but worked. I thought it was well written and enough character for the characters of a short story/novella. Once I started reading I read it in one sitting as I just had to see how it ended and if Alice would get what she deserved. I loved the twist at the end. I cannot wait for the next one to see who or what shows up next. I thought it was just a fun book to read.

[C. Erani Kole · Rating 2 out of 5]

*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received from the author*

It's like a 2.5 for me. I'd rate it 3 stars but...

So I loved the idea and the world that was set up, but the story itself, the novella? I don't know. I was expecting something else but overall, it felt like there was a lot of drama for a very small binding. Beth and her friends, Alice's part in it all. That bit was amazing, but I personally felt like everything was too compacted. The story would've been amazing if it'd been given more room and space to fold out.

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ain't your Momma's "Alice in Wonderland". When KN Lee does reverse fairy takes she goes to the extreme. I love the Wonderland world she built and just how well done are Beth, soon to be the Red Queen, her teachers and friends (especially "Professor Hatter" and boyfriend Chess), and even her enemy, Alice. For someone who adores both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, the well-written plot here is a pure, twisted, riot of fun.

Highly recommended.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the book had a lot of potential that was snuffed out by how short it was. They ignored the obvious chemistry between Beth & Hatter. Choosing instead to end that without any acknowledgment whatsoever even though her EX of three years just dropped her like a fly just because Alice put a spell on him. I mean really, at least make him work for it. Smh

This book was so short & lacking reading it was like a short nap.