What do you think?
Rate this book
The Nightmare-Verse #2
A Dream so Dark
Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates), Alice must abandon her friends to complete her mission: find The Heart and prevent the Red Lady's rise. But the deeper she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wits end that she realizes—Wonderland is trying to save her.
There’s a new player on the board; a poet capable of using Nightmares to not only influence the living but raise the dead. This Poet is looking to claim the Black Queen’s power—and Alice's budding abilities—as their own.
Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope of defeating this mystery poet’s magic, Alice must confront the worst in herself, in the people she loves, and in the very nature of fear itself.
There’s a new player on the board; a poet capable of using Nightmares to not only influence the living but raise the dead. This Poet is looking to claim the Black Queen’s power—and Alice's budding abilities—as their own.
Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope of defeating this mystery poet’s magic, Alice must confront the worst in herself, in the people she loves, and in the very nature of fear itself.
432 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2019
146 people are currently reading
7122 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 427 reviews
September 23, 2025
Alice is awesomely authentic, but if Ms. McKinney ever felt like penning a spin-off featuring Alice's mom, I am here for it.
November 10, 2019
When I read and reviewed A Blade so Black, I was left with some mixed feelings. While there were elements to the first book that I enjoyed, there were some that I wanted to change too. I took a chance on the sequel and A Dream so Dark pleasantly surprised me! I really enjoyed this one, a lot more than book one. It’s definitely worth continuing the series.
This book continues right where the second one left off. In terms of plot, it’s a lot stronger. I felt like the characters had a drive and a purpose, and we could see the end goal firmly in sight. Yes, this is Wonderland so some magical and fantastical things happened, but it all felt within reason of the world and flew some interesting twists into the story!
Which leads me on to the world building. I felt like the world building was one of the strongest elements to book one. However, at some points I was still a little bit confused, back in book 1. But this book only made the world building stronger. There’s still the whimsicality and magicalness that Wonderland has – but every creature is explained. We get to see powers and magic at work, and it was all so detailed and thought through. I loved the world and what we got to see of Wonderland!
But now let’s get to my favourite part of the book, which was largely what the beginning consisted of. And that was the relationship between Alice and her mother. In the first book, Alice’s double life is kept secret, and it leads to her lying to her mother a lot and sneaking out. While I won’t give away anything, this book has a lot more of her mother featured and I really enjoyed all the heart to heart discussions they have. I feel like, often in YA fantasy, parental figures are shoved to the side to allow the teenager to have all the freedom they want when going on quests and such. But in this one you get to see the mother’s involvement or attempt at involvement for what she does or doesn’t know about Alice’s adventures. And there is truly love between them, and I really appreciated seeing that.
We do have to talk a bit about the representation. As said in my review of book 1, while I was excited to have a black Alice, I was a bit disappointed in how it followed through on this. But this time round, I am more satisfied. We get some small glimpses of black culture – wigs mentioned, bonnets worn, and lotion needed after a good bath. Not much, but something. And Alice and her mother have their way of speaking and vocabulary that they use which felt more cultured throughout the novel. To be honest: I can’t remember if the first book did this or not, and I just didn’t notice. But I liked that element of the black representation in this one!
I wasn’t too keen on the romantic storylines. What I did like about them was that it showed attraction that teenagers feel – and often to more than one person at a time. I’m sure younger you had a lot of crushes! And as no one is exclusively committed to anyone, it makes sense that there are butterfly flutters all round. And we do get some LGBT+ rep! A bisexual character (never explicitly labelled, so could be pan), and some characters who seem to be questioning. While there are those characters romance is never the main storyline or focus, so it didn’t really matter that it wasn’t intriguing to me.
I felt like the ending was pretty great and held a lot of suspense. I liked where it left off and I am curious to know how Alice’s story is going to unfold. I enjoyed this one so I will definitely be continuing. And as this was better than the first, I am sure it is only going to improve! I think McKinney’s writing has become a lot more structured and enjoyable to read.
This review and others can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2019/1...
This book continues right where the second one left off. In terms of plot, it’s a lot stronger. I felt like the characters had a drive and a purpose, and we could see the end goal firmly in sight. Yes, this is Wonderland so some magical and fantastical things happened, but it all felt within reason of the world and flew some interesting twists into the story!
Which leads me on to the world building. I felt like the world building was one of the strongest elements to book one. However, at some points I was still a little bit confused, back in book 1. But this book only made the world building stronger. There’s still the whimsicality and magicalness that Wonderland has – but every creature is explained. We get to see powers and magic at work, and it was all so detailed and thought through. I loved the world and what we got to see of Wonderland!
But now let’s get to my favourite part of the book, which was largely what the beginning consisted of. And that was the relationship between Alice and her mother. In the first book, Alice’s double life is kept secret, and it leads to her lying to her mother a lot and sneaking out. While I won’t give away anything, this book has a lot more of her mother featured and I really enjoyed all the heart to heart discussions they have. I feel like, often in YA fantasy, parental figures are shoved to the side to allow the teenager to have all the freedom they want when going on quests and such. But in this one you get to see the mother’s involvement or attempt at involvement for what she does or doesn’t know about Alice’s adventures. And there is truly love between them, and I really appreciated seeing that.
We do have to talk a bit about the representation. As said in my review of book 1, while I was excited to have a black Alice, I was a bit disappointed in how it followed through on this. But this time round, I am more satisfied. We get some small glimpses of black culture – wigs mentioned, bonnets worn, and lotion needed after a good bath. Not much, but something. And Alice and her mother have their way of speaking and vocabulary that they use which felt more cultured throughout the novel. To be honest: I can’t remember if the first book did this or not, and I just didn’t notice. But I liked that element of the black representation in this one!
I wasn’t too keen on the romantic storylines. What I did like about them was that it showed attraction that teenagers feel – and often to more than one person at a time. I’m sure younger you had a lot of crushes! And as no one is exclusively committed to anyone, it makes sense that there are butterfly flutters all round. And we do get some LGBT+ rep! A bisexual character (never explicitly labelled, so could be pan), and some characters who seem to be questioning. While there are those characters romance is never the main storyline or focus, so it didn’t really matter that it wasn’t intriguing to me.
I felt like the ending was pretty great and held a lot of suspense. I liked where it left off and I am curious to know how Alice’s story is going to unfold. I enjoyed this one so I will definitely be continuing. And as this was better than the first, I am sure it is only going to improve! I think McKinney’s writing has become a lot more structured and enjoyable to read.
This review and others can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2019/1...
March 2, 2019
I haven't read this book yet, but it's not going to be out for another 6 1/2 months, which means MOST people haven't read it yet, and yet somehow, 57% of the reviews are all 1-star.
Stories that center around straight white males (people who make up 25-30% of America and 5-10% of the world) don't get subjected to these kinds of pearl-clutching censorship campaigns to the same degree as books like this that center around about anybody else (people who make up 70-75% of America and 90-95% of the world)
so I'm giving this book an empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political rating of 5 stars to counteract the empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political ratings of 1 star
IN THE HOPES that my empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political 5-star rating GETS DELETED at the same time the empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political 1-star ratings do.
Stories that center around straight white males (people who make up 25-30% of America and 5-10% of the world) don't get subjected to these kinds of pearl-clutching censorship campaigns to the same degree as books like this that center around about anybody else (people who make up 70-75% of America and 90-95% of the world)
so I'm giving this book an empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political rating of 5 stars to counteract the empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political ratings of 1 star
IN THE HOPES that my empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political 5-star rating GETS DELETED at the same time the empty, uninformed, meaningless-except-to-be-political 1-star ratings do.
September 24, 2019
That. Fucking. Awesome. Cover!!! Gimme this now!!! 2019 and The Fountain Pen Diva demands MORE BIPoC on my book covers and in the books I read.
October 29, 2019
2.5 stars
I liked this one *slightly* more than the first, but still disappointed.
It's not that A Dream So Dark is bad, it's just... A mess. I'm so frustrated with some of the relationships because, as I mentioned when I read the first book, it felt like they were just thrown in to check a square on a "YA trends to capitalize on" bingo card. Representation is great, but it kinda feels like pandering if it does nothing to advance the plot. But, I'm not a member of the community in question, so I could be off base.
I didn't feel like Alice, or any of the characters for that matter, really grew at all from the first book. And, two books in, we really don't know why Alice is special compared to other Dreamwalkers (unless I'm forgetting something from the first book). But for a book set in such a fantastical universe, the characters are pretty flat. And at 400 pages, the pacing feels uneven and the ending was a let down.
(Slightly nitpicky pet peeve here, but Alice's name really should have just been Alice. Because as far as I know, it is not a nickname for Alison. But it seems her mother is the only one who calls her that.)
I'm assuming a third book is coming because there are too many questions left unanswered by the end of this one.
I liked this one *slightly* more than the first, but still disappointed.
It's not that A Dream So Dark is bad, it's just... A mess. I'm so frustrated with some of the relationships because, as I mentioned when I read the first book, it felt like they were just thrown in to check a square on a "YA trends to capitalize on" bingo card. Representation is great, but it kinda feels like pandering if it does nothing to advance the plot. But, I'm not a member of the community in question, so I could be off base.
I didn't feel like Alice, or any of the characters for that matter, really grew at all from the first book. And, two books in, we really don't know why Alice is special compared to other Dreamwalkers (unless I'm forgetting something from the first book). But for a book set in such a fantastical universe, the characters are pretty flat. And at 400 pages, the pacing feels uneven and the ending was a let down.
(Slightly nitpicky pet peeve here, but Alice's name really should have just been Alice. Because as far as I know, it is not a nickname for Alison. But it seems her mother is the only one who calls her that.)
I'm assuming a third book is coming because there are too many questions left unanswered by the end of this one.
Want to read
July 19, 2019all I ask for is more battles and more Addison Hatta
September 1, 2019
I read and adored the first book in The Nightmare-Verse series, A Blade So Black, an urban fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland set in modern day Atlanta.
It was an original take with teen Alice Kingston training with Addison Hatta to battle Nightmares in the realm called Wonderland. Readers were given an interesting history of the three Queens and then a dangerous foe arrived: the Black Knight.
A Dream So Dark brings readers back to the action as Alice struggles to keep her two lives separate. This quickly crumbles when the Black Knight arrives at her home with her feisty mom present.
Alice must travel to the deepest places in Wonderland to find out who the Black Knight is and who it is that he's serving while also worrying about the fates of both Hatta and Chess.
There's so much at stake and some shocking history revealed but this book moved at an uneven pace for me. I love that we spent so much time in Wonderland and there were new characters and creatures introduced but none of it was fully realized as it tried to compete with the sense of urgency to find and defeat the Black Knight.
That sense of urgency fizzled out for me with a rushed ending. We had been building to this major face-off with fates hanging in the balance and then ... the climax unfolds in basically a paragraph.
Overall, this book just didn't hold up to the first in the series and I doubt I'll continue on with the series. I still recommend checked out the series for readers who enjoy YA fantasy and modern retellings.
Thanks to Imprint and Edelweiss for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review. A Dream So Dark is scheduled for release on September 24, 2019.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
It was an original take with teen Alice Kingston training with Addison Hatta to battle Nightmares in the realm called Wonderland. Readers were given an interesting history of the three Queens and then a dangerous foe arrived: the Black Knight.
A Dream So Dark brings readers back to the action as Alice struggles to keep her two lives separate. This quickly crumbles when the Black Knight arrives at her home with her feisty mom present.
Alice must travel to the deepest places in Wonderland to find out who the Black Knight is and who it is that he's serving while also worrying about the fates of both Hatta and Chess.
There's so much at stake and some shocking history revealed but this book moved at an uneven pace for me. I love that we spent so much time in Wonderland and there were new characters and creatures introduced but none of it was fully realized as it tried to compete with the sense of urgency to find and defeat the Black Knight.
That sense of urgency fizzled out for me with a rushed ending. We had been building to this major face-off with fates hanging in the balance and then ... the climax unfolds in basically a paragraph.
Overall, this book just didn't hold up to the first in the series and I doubt I'll continue on with the series. I still recommend checked out the series for readers who enjoy YA fantasy and modern retellings.
Thanks to Imprint and Edelweiss for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review. A Dream So Dark is scheduled for release on September 24, 2019.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
June 23, 2024
Inconsistency is the best way I could describe this one.
The good parts were spectacular, and the rest was all over the place.
The flow is disjointed at best. The characters are great, but the plot loses it way more often than not.
There was a lot missing from the entire Black Queen character, which seemed to be the biggets' problem. She was never described in a manner that made any of the issues with the Poet really make sense or convince me why I should care.
So much missing, perhaps this is filled in with the next book? The nightmare concept was interesting, but the majority of the nightmares seemed too tame to be convincing of their "horrors"
As a combined piece, I'm sitting at a 3-3.5 Star
The good parts were spectacular, and the rest was all over the place.
The flow is disjointed at best. The characters are great, but the plot loses it way more often than not.
There was a lot missing from the entire Black Queen character, which seemed to be the biggets' problem. She was never described in a manner that made any of the issues with the Poet really make sense or convince me why I should care.
So much missing, perhaps this is filled in with the next book? The nightmare concept was interesting, but the majority of the nightmares seemed too tame to be convincing of their "horrors"
As a combined piece, I'm sitting at a 3-3.5 Star
February 24, 2020
Oh, this was good. This was SO good and even better than A Blade So Black. Higher stakes, fantastic developments, and new characters that I loved instantly.
- A retelling of Alice in Wonderland but darker, more sinister, with just the right amount of whimsy and peculiarities of the original story.
- Continues the story of Alice, a Dreamwalker or guardian of the portal between our world and Wonderland.
- Following the events of the last book, Alice is grappling with grief and shock but also faces immense pressure of being a Dreamwalker and her duty to protecting the world and also being a teenage girl with a strict and overprotective mother.
- I LOVED the mother-daughter relationship and dynamic in this (and tbh, the relationship was 80% of why I loved this book). I loved where McKinney took Alice and her mother's relationship, how real and genuine it felt, and how it impacted Alice's story.
- I thought the multiple narratives worked. McKinney utilises this to the story's advantage, and it was interesting to see different perspective and how they intersected with one another.
- The story was interesting and I found it a lot of fun, even if the story felt like it was written in a way that was unsure whether there would be a sequel (the ending was wrapped up really quickly and left a lot of questions). I hope there is a sequel though, because I'm curious to see how her story will wrap up, and I feel like there's still so much to offer.
- I think I just really enjoyed this book, despite its flaws, is because I really felt like McKinney had fun writing this - like this was her passion project and it REALLY shone through - and therefore I had fun reading this.
Trigger/content warning:
- A retelling of Alice in Wonderland but darker, more sinister, with just the right amount of whimsy and peculiarities of the original story.
- Continues the story of Alice, a Dreamwalker or guardian of the portal between our world and Wonderland.
- Following the events of the last book, Alice is grappling with grief and shock but also faces immense pressure of being a Dreamwalker and her duty to protecting the world and also being a teenage girl with a strict and overprotective mother.
- I LOVED the mother-daughter relationship and dynamic in this (and tbh, the relationship was 80% of why I loved this book). I loved where McKinney took Alice and her mother's relationship, how real and genuine it felt, and how it impacted Alice's story.
- I thought the multiple narratives worked. McKinney utilises this to the story's advantage, and it was interesting to see different perspective and how they intersected with one another.
- The story was interesting and I found it a lot of fun, even if the story felt like it was written in a way that was unsure whether there would be a sequel (the ending was wrapped up really quickly and left a lot of questions). I hope there is a sequel though, because I'm curious to see how her story will wrap up, and I feel like there's still so much to offer.
- I think I just really enjoyed this book, despite its flaws, is because I really felt like McKinney had fun writing this - like this was her passion project and it REALLY shone through - and therefore I had fun reading this.
Trigger/content warning:
June 22, 2025
Amazing
Really great follow up so many different emotions and feelings throughout the entire book wow so much happened Really excited to see what's in store for the next book in the series which I plan on starting tonight dont think I can wait until tomorrow 🙂 😊 😀 ☺️ its been a good while since I've been this excited for the follow up I hope its another banger I love everything about this series I have no complaints 😊 ❤️ great job to the author such a great find....
Really great follow up so many different emotions and feelings throughout the entire book wow so much happened Really excited to see what's in store for the next book in the series which I plan on starting tonight dont think I can wait until tomorrow 🙂 😊 😀 ☺️ its been a good while since I've been this excited for the follow up I hope its another banger I love everything about this series I have no complaints 😊 ❤️ great job to the author such a great find....
Want to read
December 28, 2018Jesus,
Can you hear me? It's Sam again. No request is too small or too impossible. So I am praying for an advanced copy, thxkbye!
Can you hear me? It's Sam again. No request is too small or too impossible. So I am praying for an advanced copy, thxkbye!
October 12, 2020
Initial reaction: I liked this even more than the first book. A lot of rolling action scenes, a little more immersion into Wonderland and more stakes for the characters considering the progression of events. It kept me on my toes for the fates of the characters. Not sure if this will be 4 or 4.5 stars yet.
This was a fun, harrowing ride, though I feel winded after everything that went on. There were still some things that I struggled with, but I'll make note of that in the larger reflection.
Full review:
I'm still struggling where to begin in writing a reflection for this second book in the "Nightmare-Verse" by L.L. McKinney, because a LOT happened it this book. When I say a lot, I mean that I felt like I ran a marathon with these characters and their respective ups and downs (particularly Alice), but it was nice to see the overarching narrative inflections with POV shifts to the other characters where they were necessary.
This book begins where the last book left off with the weight of loss and impending mystery of Alice's last battle from "A Blade So Black". I'll start off by saying that I really appreciated many of the interactions between Alice and her mother in this book. First note because there are many YA books within the realm of fantasy that don't deep dive into how the MC's pursuits affect their parents, and second note because it establishes some great moments of connection and tension throughout the events of the story. Sure, Alice's mom comes across as tough on Alice given the weight of responsibilities and secrets Alice carries, but she genuinely wants the best for her daughter and seems to weigh her fears with knowing when to let Alice do her thing. The first few scenes between them in this book were painful, but in a way that my heart reached out to both of them. I kept asking the question "So what's Alice's mom going to do if she *really* finds out what her daughter does when she disappears into Wonderland?" (It didn't take me long to find that out, lol. It went as I thought it would and then some.)
Alice is left to answer a plethora of questions and hard truths (including what really happened to Chess). When she and her companions all end up in Wonderland, they end up splitting off on their own harrowing adventures trying to figure out the truth of where they all fit in for their respective journeys. While there were moments in the first book where I felt lulls in the narrative arc, this book has so many action scenes that are ongoing and put the characters up against the wall, testing their loyalties, their true identities, and the stakes they're up against. In the midst of this is a love...square, maybe quadrangle? (Definitely more than a triangle, though I wouldn't quite put it on the level of say, the anime/manga Marmalade Boy for relationship maps and drama.) And it has positive LGBTQ+ rep to add to the good parts of the narrative.
I appreciated the expansion of Addison Hatta's character in this book because I think this sequel gave more dimension and conflict to his character. The Black Knight's POV gave an angle of struggling identity which became more clear as the story events unfolded, which I also appreciated. The return of familiar side-characters and new ones (particularly Romi and Haruka) were fun and interesting to watch, though there were some that didn't get as much scene time as I would have liked.
There's still a part of me that for all the intrigue and shaping of the realm and characterization in this series, I still can't quite sink my teeth into it the way I want to. I'm not entirely sure why that is in retrospect. "A Dream So Dark" handled many things better than the first book, likely because we know the characters a little more and are able to see angles of the conflict that weren't offered in the first, so there's definitely a step up in the presentation here that leads into interesting questions and points for the next book in the series. This had more of a rounded ending - satisfying, but leaving the reader with questions. I'm definitely interested in seeing where this series goes from here, and I have a feeling that for Alice, it's going to make her role in Wonderland much more clear and up the stakes for the battles that have yet to arise.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.
This was a fun, harrowing ride, though I feel winded after everything that went on. There were still some things that I struggled with, but I'll make note of that in the larger reflection.
Full review:
I'm still struggling where to begin in writing a reflection for this second book in the "Nightmare-Verse" by L.L. McKinney, because a LOT happened it this book. When I say a lot, I mean that I felt like I ran a marathon with these characters and their respective ups and downs (particularly Alice), but it was nice to see the overarching narrative inflections with POV shifts to the other characters where they were necessary.
This book begins where the last book left off with the weight of loss and impending mystery of Alice's last battle from "A Blade So Black". I'll start off by saying that I really appreciated many of the interactions between Alice and her mother in this book. First note because there are many YA books within the realm of fantasy that don't deep dive into how the MC's pursuits affect their parents, and second note because it establishes some great moments of connection and tension throughout the events of the story. Sure, Alice's mom comes across as tough on Alice given the weight of responsibilities and secrets Alice carries, but she genuinely wants the best for her daughter and seems to weigh her fears with knowing when to let Alice do her thing. The first few scenes between them in this book were painful, but in a way that my heart reached out to both of them. I kept asking the question "So what's Alice's mom going to do if she *really* finds out what her daughter does when she disappears into Wonderland?" (It didn't take me long to find that out, lol. It went as I thought it would and then some.)
Alice is left to answer a plethora of questions and hard truths (including what really happened to Chess). When she and her companions all end up in Wonderland, they end up splitting off on their own harrowing adventures trying to figure out the truth of where they all fit in for their respective journeys. While there were moments in the first book where I felt lulls in the narrative arc, this book has so many action scenes that are ongoing and put the characters up against the wall, testing their loyalties, their true identities, and the stakes they're up against. In the midst of this is a love...square, maybe quadrangle? (Definitely more than a triangle, though I wouldn't quite put it on the level of say, the anime/manga Marmalade Boy for relationship maps and drama.) And it has positive LGBTQ+ rep to add to the good parts of the narrative.
I appreciated the expansion of Addison Hatta's character in this book because I think this sequel gave more dimension and conflict to his character. The Black Knight's POV gave an angle of struggling identity which became more clear as the story events unfolded, which I also appreciated. The return of familiar side-characters and new ones (particularly Romi and Haruka) were fun and interesting to watch, though there were some that didn't get as much scene time as I would have liked.
There's still a part of me that for all the intrigue and shaping of the realm and characterization in this series, I still can't quite sink my teeth into it the way I want to. I'm not entirely sure why that is in retrospect. "A Dream So Dark" handled many things better than the first book, likely because we know the characters a little more and are able to see angles of the conflict that weren't offered in the first, so there's definitely a step up in the presentation here that leads into interesting questions and points for the next book in the series. This had more of a rounded ending - satisfying, but leaving the reader with questions. I'm definitely interested in seeing where this series goes from here, and I have a feeling that for Alice, it's going to make her role in Wonderland much more clear and up the stakes for the battles that have yet to arise.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.
Read
February 21, 2020https://slate.com/culture/2019/01/blo...
How about y'all back off. Read the above link and leave me be.
How about y'all back off. Read the above link and leave me be.
November 6, 2019
Well, of course this sequel's happening. Tell us something we don't know. *insert Sherlock Holmes responding how a pig's orgasm lasts up to thirty minutes*
But seriously. I'm super overjoyed that this book has finally graced our shelves.
And with a cover so bloody beautiful, seeing it in person was amazing! Though I didn't get it as an ARC like I did for ABSB, all good things come to those who wait, eh?
And yes, I couldn't help but notice the heart on this one. Just like the first book had a spade...does that mean McKinney's got plans for four books, one for each suit? Apparently so, given that she's already announced A Crown So Cursed, plus a prequel novel. So it looks like the four suits will happen, thank God!
As for this book, it takes a lot of leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. The first book, for all its action-packed fun, loaded the very vast majority of its big emotional moments towards its nasty cliffhanger ending, from which A Dream So Dark picks up pretty effectively. Chess is still some kind of creepy revenant, Alice's mom is grounding her till the end of time for worrying the hell out of her...but the Nightmares are still coming, and Alice is going to need to get back to Wonderland to take the fight to the Black Knight and all those threatening the delicate balance of things.
It's a quest in which many of her usual allies - Court, Hatta, the Tweedlanovs, Xelon, etc. - all wind up severely waylaid. But luckily, at the Eastern Gateway, Alice makes a few new friends - like Haruka and Romi (who is basically a Japanese woman version of the Caterpillar, updated to smoke a vape - wait, I think I remember once seeing McKinney herself say that she smokes a hookah the way the original Caterpillar does? But I digress.) All these fighters are going to inevitably wind up together as a new and improved squad to save Wonderland and the mundane world both, of that you can guarantee.
And one thing that I particularly enjoyed about this book was that McKinney really stepped up her game on LGBTQ+ rep, especially bi rep. Though I pegged Alice as bi from the moment the first book's cover was revealed (that dual-wielding symbolism, hello!), McKinney kept it suuuuuuuuper low key. This book, though? Alice finds herself getting butterflies in her stomach not only for Hatta, but for Haruka too. And Hatta is bi as well - though does that really surprise anyone?
Best of all, this book doesn't end on a diabolical cliffhanger the way its predecessor did - more of an "And the Adventure Continues" ending, which was a great idea in case this ended up being the end of the road. But luckily, no, it's not. As I mentioned before, McKinney's got at least two more Nightmare-Verse books lined up. I can't bloody wait to see how much she surprises us!
But seriously. I'm super overjoyed that this book has finally graced our shelves.
And with a cover so bloody beautiful, seeing it in person was amazing! Though I didn't get it as an ARC like I did for ABSB, all good things come to those who wait, eh?
And yes, I couldn't help but notice the heart on this one. Just like the first book had a spade...does that mean McKinney's got plans for four books, one for each suit? Apparently so, given that she's already announced A Crown So Cursed, plus a prequel novel. So it looks like the four suits will happen, thank God!
As for this book, it takes a lot of leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. The first book, for all its action-packed fun, loaded the very vast majority of its big emotional moments towards its nasty cliffhanger ending, from which A Dream So Dark picks up pretty effectively. Chess is still some kind of creepy revenant, Alice's mom is grounding her till the end of time for worrying the hell out of her...but the Nightmares are still coming, and Alice is going to need to get back to Wonderland to take the fight to the Black Knight and all those threatening the delicate balance of things.
It's a quest in which many of her usual allies - Court, Hatta, the Tweedlanovs, Xelon, etc. - all wind up severely waylaid. But luckily, at the Eastern Gateway, Alice makes a few new friends - like Haruka and Romi (who is basically a Japanese woman version of the Caterpillar, updated to smoke a vape - wait, I think I remember once seeing McKinney herself say that she smokes a hookah the way the original Caterpillar does? But I digress.) All these fighters are going to inevitably wind up together as a new and improved squad to save Wonderland and the mundane world both, of that you can guarantee.
And one thing that I particularly enjoyed about this book was that McKinney really stepped up her game on LGBTQ+ rep, especially bi rep. Though I pegged Alice as bi from the moment the first book's cover was revealed (that dual-wielding symbolism, hello!), McKinney kept it suuuuuuuuper low key. This book, though? Alice finds herself getting butterflies in her stomach not only for Hatta, but for Haruka too. And Hatta is bi as well - though does that really surprise anyone?
Best of all, this book doesn't end on a diabolical cliffhanger the way its predecessor did - more of an "And the Adventure Continues" ending, which was a great idea in case this ended up being the end of the road. But luckily, no, it's not. As I mentioned before, McKinney's got at least two more Nightmare-Verse books lined up. I can't bloody wait to see how much she surprises us!
September 23, 2019
Well, this was a freaking soap opera from start to finish.
From 4 “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” reps (out them 5) to poorly handled familial and romantic relationships, and not one but two love triangles that involve the same character—yes, two (2) in one book, you read that right—that were just... terribly written, developed, and resolved, this one was a huge disappointment. After finishing the first book, expectations weren't high, (even though A Blade So Black was a quick and, to some extent... entertaining enough), but the second one slowly but steadily smoldered all interest I had for the series.
The parent-child relationship was awfully done, and that's coming from someone who rarely comments on this (because I think most of them are poor and sloppy, anyway). Alice's mother is used as an obstacle who doesn't really do anything except make things hard for the main characters by hollering about curfews and punishments and calling her daughter on the phone in the most inconvenient times. The moment she isn't needed anymore, she's gone.
The two love triangles are nothing but a cringeworthy fail at will-they-won't-they trope. Not only they were incredibly underdeveloped, they were also unnecessary and plain stupid. Person A told Person B that they loved them and wouldn't hurt them even for the Person C, and then half an hour (two chapters) later, Person A told Person C that they were "intimately involved with Person B", but that it's long over and they're not sure if they were even friends with Person B at the end. The confession is sealed with a cheesy, cringy kiss scene. The end (of the duology). I expected Person A and Person C to end up together and didn't mind it (although I would've been pleasantly surprised if they didn't) until the other triangle was randomly thrown in (for what reasons, I honestly cannot tell you). But if you have time to create love triangles both around Person A and Person C and randomly throw them in, if you can drag the middle of your story until almost 75%, you surely have time to develop the parent-child relationship. Say what you will about Teen Wolf, but when it comes to this aspect, a lot of the creators should take notes.
I don’t think I’d rec this to the fans of the original book, unless they’re determined to read all retellings that exist. Even though this is supposedly based on Alice in Wonderland, there’s very little word-building and aspects of the Wonderland. The most accurate way to describe the duology would be: mediocre Alice/Mad Hatter Buffy AU with a lot of overused fic tropes and filler chapters.
*Thank you to Macmillan and Imprint for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
From 4 “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” reps (out them 5) to poorly handled familial and romantic relationships, and not one but two love triangles that involve the same character—yes, two (2) in one book, you read that right—that were just... terribly written, developed, and resolved, this one was a huge disappointment. After finishing the first book, expectations weren't high, (even though A Blade So Black was a quick and, to some extent... entertaining enough), but the second one slowly but steadily smoldered all interest I had for the series.
The parent-child relationship was awfully done, and that's coming from someone who rarely comments on this (because I think most of them are poor and sloppy, anyway). Alice's mother is used as an obstacle who doesn't really do anything except make things hard for the main characters by hollering about curfews and punishments and calling her daughter on the phone in the most inconvenient times. The moment she isn't needed anymore, she's gone.
The two love triangles are nothing but a cringeworthy fail at will-they-won't-they trope. Not only they were incredibly underdeveloped, they were also unnecessary and plain stupid. Person A told Person B that they loved them and wouldn't hurt them even for the Person C, and then half an hour (two chapters) later, Person A told Person C that they were "intimately involved with Person B", but that it's long over and they're not sure if they were even friends with Person B at the end. The confession is sealed with a cheesy, cringy kiss scene. The end (of the duology). I expected Person A and Person C to end up together and didn't mind it (although I would've been pleasantly surprised if they didn't) until the other triangle was randomly thrown in (for what reasons, I honestly cannot tell you). But if you have time to create love triangles both around Person A and Person C and randomly throw them in, if you can drag the middle of your story until almost 75%, you surely have time to develop the parent-child relationship. Say what you will about Teen Wolf, but when it comes to this aspect, a lot of the creators should take notes.
I don’t think I’d rec this to the fans of the original book, unless they’re determined to read all retellings that exist. Even though this is supposedly based on Alice in Wonderland, there’s very little word-building and aspects of the Wonderland. The most accurate way to describe the duology would be: mediocre Alice/Mad Hatter Buffy AU with a lot of overused fic tropes and filler chapters.
*Thank you to Macmillan and Imprint for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
September 30, 2019
I hate that I find so many editing issues in these books because I genuinely LOVE the premise. I love how McKinney write fights scenes, I love how we go from point A to point B, I ADORE Alice and, by association, Hatta. So WHY do I continue to feel like these books just needed an extra week with an editor?
After my review for A Blade so Black I felt like honest to goodness crap. I truly did. I liked the foundations, I liked what we were building to and yet I just did not LOVE the book. But I committed to reading the sequel. I'm glad I did, but I also realized why I did not "love" the first one. It's because McKinney destroys what conventional writing is. We are taught to write a certain way and taught that certain styles of writing sell. We are taught proper sentence structure and not to use too many... pauses. We are taught many things and McKinney throws all of that out of the fictional window. So, I realized, I did not HATE the writing, I was simply not used to seeing it so different from the standard (see any other YA book for what I mean by "standard"). That long winded intro is all to say that I put my opinions of Book #1 aside and focused on everything I loved instead which made reading this book infinitely easier and more enjoyable.
Book #2 is sort of a wild ride. We see furies (dragons), Hatta as a bi King, Alice as out bi queen and that everyone is in love with Alice. Trope aside, I am here for love-squares. Or perhaps a HexaLoveGon? It is subject to change. We have, as per usual with McKinney, KILLER fight scenes. We see a bitch get what she deserves and ultimately we find that things are certainly not over because SUPRISE Alice is a Princess which I pretty sure I called in book 1. It was not EXPLICITLY stated but I'm pretty sure that is what Book #3 will be centered around. Her grandmother is deff Wonderlandian, therefore so is Alice.
I love Haruka and Romi. They were a wonderful addition to the cast. I love The Duchess' whip skills. To be honest, not much bothered me at all about the plot besides maybe wanting more of the Grandmother. As stated before, the plot is solid for Book 1 and 2 but it's the technical things that really push my buttons.
The massive about of ellipses, the punctuation errors, the ill placed dialog for some characters and the tense shifting all played into why I rated this book what I did. While I may have cried REAL tears during chapter 37, I want to be fair and honest about things.
Anyway, unlike my review for Book 1, I am going to still recommend people read this book. Now that I see where it's going, I totally advise people read it but, be prepared for things to be out of the ordinary as you read.
After my review for A Blade so Black I felt like honest to goodness crap. I truly did. I liked the foundations, I liked what we were building to and yet I just did not LOVE the book. But I committed to reading the sequel. I'm glad I did, but I also realized why I did not "love" the first one. It's because McKinney destroys what conventional writing is. We are taught to write a certain way and taught that certain styles of writing sell. We are taught proper sentence structure and not to use too many... pauses. We are taught many things and McKinney throws all of that out of the fictional window. So, I realized, I did not HATE the writing, I was simply not used to seeing it so different from the standard (see any other YA book for what I mean by "standard"). That long winded intro is all to say that I put my opinions of Book #1 aside and focused on everything I loved instead which made reading this book infinitely easier and more enjoyable.
Book #2 is sort of a wild ride. We see furies (dragons), Hatta as a bi King, Alice as out bi queen and that everyone is in love with Alice. Trope aside, I am here for love-squares. Or perhaps a HexaLoveGon? It is subject to change. We have, as per usual with McKinney, KILLER fight scenes. We see a bitch get what she deserves and ultimately we find that things are certainly not over because SUPRISE Alice is a Princess which I pretty sure I called in book 1. It was not EXPLICITLY stated but I'm pretty sure that is what Book #3 will be centered around. Her grandmother is deff Wonderlandian, therefore so is Alice.
I love Haruka and Romi. They were a wonderful addition to the cast. I love The Duchess' whip skills. To be honest, not much bothered me at all about the plot besides maybe wanting more of the Grandmother. As stated before, the plot is solid for Book 1 and 2 but it's the technical things that really push my buttons.
The massive about of ellipses, the punctuation errors, the ill placed dialog for some characters and the tense shifting all played into why I rated this book what I did. While I may have cried REAL tears during chapter 37, I want to be fair and honest about things.
Anyway, unlike my review for Book 1, I am going to still recommend people read this book. Now that I see where it's going, I totally advise people read it but, be prepared for things to be out of the ordinary as you read.
August 6, 2019
Goodreads giveaway. The language is very casual which seemed to devalue and discredit the author. It felt like a teen writing a YA teen book. Needless to say, it was difficult to get through. I often love fairy-tale, fantasy spin-off novels but this one just didn't do it for me. The first book of this series was borderline bearable, however, I was just happy to be done with this one.
Would not recommend, I'm happy I didn't purchase this book and I was given the opportunity to read it through Goodreads.
Would not recommend, I'm happy I didn't purchase this book and I was given the opportunity to read it through Goodreads.
September 27, 2020
To be honest, I wasn't terribly thrilled with A Blade So Black, the first installment of the Nightmare-Verse trilogy, but it had enough potential I needed to see where the series went. Plus, there were quite a few great reviews that made it seem like this sequel would be a better fit for me. I'm glad I decided to come back for A Dream So Dark because it takes the best part of its predecessor and turns them up while clearing up some of my issues with details of characterization and world-building. I can easily say that I preferred this to book one. There's a lot of great action and we get to see a good deal more of Wonderland and meet some brand new characters. I'm still undecided if I'll be back for the upcoming grand finale A Crown So Cursed, but I may give it a try.
October 28, 2019
I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. There didn't seem to be much character development between the first book and the end of the second book. I thought we would have gotten somewhere with them by now.
I'm also kind of sick of Alice falling in love with literally anyone who treats her nicely. There's nothing in the history of what we've been given to suggest that would be a trauma response, so I don't get it.
I appreciate the addition of LGBTIQA2+ identities in this one, but it all seemed poorly done. Like, "guess what, now we have a secondary love triangle and it's gay! But it's unimportant because it doesn't mean as much as this straight ship we've already established. But just so y'all know, two of the characters are bisexual - you're welcome." It felt a bit like pandering. The one LGBTIQA2+ relationship that stuck was never mentioned again in any meaningful way after the initial kiss, so...sad.
Also, the pacing was really weird. I mostly read before bed to get to sleep and go to sleep when I tire out. The pacing on this book went from soooo slow I was falling asleep prematurely to concluding the whole conflict in the last 30 pages of the 400 page book. We probably could have cut out 1/3 of those pages by getting rid of repetitive descriptions of things and actions.
Also, the relationship between Alice and her mother was badly done. Her mom was treated like a plot thickener rather than a person. She was a dominating force in the beginning with almost no love given, then during the big Alice reveals herself, she turned into a loving person (slightly), and then once she knew, she disappeared from the story completely.
Also, mom's name changed throughout the book. She was Missy, until she was Tina (during the flashback scene, on page 369).
I'm hoping the third book will be given more attention by editors. At the very least, attention on pacing, repetition, and continuity. And if you're going to pander to LGBTIQA2+ people, at least make it something we can hold on to. Don't give it and take it away.
I'm also kind of sick of Alice falling in love with literally anyone who treats her nicely. There's nothing in the history of what we've been given to suggest that would be a trauma response, so I don't get it.
I appreciate the addition of LGBTIQA2+ identities in this one, but it all seemed poorly done. Like, "guess what, now we have a secondary love triangle and it's gay! But it's unimportant because it doesn't mean as much as this straight ship we've already established. But just so y'all know, two of the characters are bisexual - you're welcome." It felt a bit like pandering. The one LGBTIQA2+ relationship that stuck was never mentioned again in any meaningful way after the initial kiss, so...sad.
Also, the pacing was really weird. I mostly read before bed to get to sleep and go to sleep when I tire out. The pacing on this book went from soooo slow I was falling asleep prematurely to concluding the whole conflict in the last 30 pages of the 400 page book. We probably could have cut out 1/3 of those pages by getting rid of repetitive descriptions of things and actions.
Also, the relationship between Alice and her mother was badly done. Her mom was treated like a plot thickener rather than a person. She was a dominating force in the beginning with almost no love given, then during the big Alice reveals herself, she turned into a loving person (slightly), and then once she knew, she disappeared from the story completely.
Also, mom's name changed throughout the book. She was Missy, until she was Tina (during the flashback scene, on page 369).
I'm hoping the third book will be given more attention by editors. At the very least, attention on pacing, repetition, and continuity. And if you're going to pander to LGBTIQA2+ people, at least make it something we can hold on to. Don't give it and take it away.
October 11, 2019
Literally read this all in one go! Couldn’t put it down.
The good: the world of Wonderland continues to be expanded with interesting new characters and we even get different POVs in this book! I loved that things are just as action packed as before and just as riveting. I have some ideas of what the major thing at the end happened but I guess I’ll just wait until the third book comes out.
The bad: I love that this book is diverse and really tries to include everyone but like sometimes when you try to be inclusive you lose the story a bit. Not saying it can’t be done. It can be. But this book just wasn’t it. It started to read like a fan fiction at some point (not bashing fan fiction at all. Great dedicated writers there) but you know what I mean. The love pentagon started to get messy ya know? The Addison and Alice ship duh makes sense. OTP level stuff. Even the Chess stuff yeah okay. Alice is cool and hot and a bad ass makes sense but then in introduce these other two into the mix and it gets messy fast. And it kinda distracted from the story? Maybe just me.
In short, I’m ridiculously excited for the third book, Courtney is still my favorite and SPOILERS!!!!!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Alice is totally Royal and her grandma knows and was either the human that played with the princess that died or is a descendant of her. And that necklace is magical.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk
The good: the world of Wonderland continues to be expanded with interesting new characters and we even get different POVs in this book! I loved that things are just as action packed as before and just as riveting. I have some ideas of what the major thing at the end happened but I guess I’ll just wait until the third book comes out.
The bad: I love that this book is diverse and really tries to include everyone but like sometimes when you try to be inclusive you lose the story a bit. Not saying it can’t be done. It can be. But this book just wasn’t it. It started to read like a fan fiction at some point (not bashing fan fiction at all. Great dedicated writers there) but you know what I mean. The love pentagon started to get messy ya know? The Addison and Alice ship duh makes sense. OTP level stuff. Even the Chess stuff yeah okay. Alice is cool and hot and a bad ass makes sense but then in introduce these other two into the mix and it gets messy fast. And it kinda distracted from the story? Maybe just me.
In short, I’m ridiculously excited for the third book, Courtney is still my favorite and SPOILERS!!!!!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Alice is totally Royal and her grandma knows and was either the human that played with the princess that died or is a descendant of her. And that necklace is magical.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk
December 26, 2020
A Dream so Dark takes off right after the end of the first book. Alice is still reeling from losing Chess to the sludge and figuring out how to tell her mother what has happened. But the Black Knight's attacks are getting more incessant. Alice and her friends must travel further into Wonderland if they're to find the heart and use it to save Hatta and the White Queen.
I enjoyed this book more, mainly for two reasons: 1-Alice finally stops lying to her mother and 2-We see more of Wonderland, its history and its magic. By the end of this book I still had plenty of questions left, but I really enjoyed it. Perhaps even more than the first book. While no overt labels are used, this book makes it clear that both Addison and Alice are bisexual, and with that had I new ships. Though I've never been a fan of Addison and Alice being something, it just gave me weird vibes.
My favorite part of McKinney's writing is how she does fight scenes. The action is always believable and easy to follow in my mind's eye. I'm such a visual person, if I can't see how the movement occurs, I don't believe it. I also liked that Alice is discovering she has extra powers. She still doesn't know exactly how they work, but nonetheless I'm excited to find out more. And I'm still convinced she's the lost Wonderlandian princess's ancestor that everyone thinks died.
Really looking forward to book 3!
I enjoyed this book more, mainly for two reasons: 1-Alice finally stops lying to her mother and 2-We see more of Wonderland, its history and its magic. By the end of this book I still had plenty of questions left, but I really enjoyed it. Perhaps even more than the first book. While no overt labels are used, this book makes it clear that both Addison and Alice are bisexual, and with that had I new ships. Though I've never been a fan of Addison and Alice being something, it just gave me weird vibes.
My favorite part of McKinney's writing is how she does fight scenes. The action is always believable and easy to follow in my mind's eye. I'm such a visual person, if I can't see how the movement occurs, I don't believe it. I also liked that Alice is discovering she has extra powers. She still doesn't know exactly how they work, but nonetheless I'm excited to find out more. And I'm still convinced she's the lost Wonderlandian princess's ancestor that everyone thinks died.
Really looking forward to book 3!
October 1, 2020
This book definitely made up for the disappointment I felt after the first one! I really only had one problem with it (which I’ll discuss below), and the rest was simply fantastic.
THE CHARACTERS
Alice was so much more awesome in this book. We actually got to see her fighting some monsters (and winning!). I still love the relationship she has with her mom and friends. Court is hilarious, Chess broke my heart, Hatta drives me crazy. I also love the twins and the princess and all the knights. And Humphry. And Haruka. I kind of love them all. 💖
THE PLOT
O’ the journeying! O’ the monster-fighting! O’, the wonderful world of Wonderland! I loved this story so much. Every bit of it, from the romance to the action scenes, was great. So many times I was on the edge of my seat or laughing out loud. And at some times I was on the verge of tears. Spectacular!
THE PROBLEM
**Spoilers**
My one minor problem with this book: In A Blade So Black, Hatta is poisoned and begins to go mad, so the rest of the group sets off on an epic journey to find the Heart and save him. Basically sets up the whole plot. But they don’t get the Heart until literally the very very very end of A Dream So Dark. Yet Hatta is walking around fighting monsters with them, completely sane. Did I miss something?
THE CHARACTERS
Alice was so much more awesome in this book. We actually got to see her fighting some monsters (and winning!). I still love the relationship she has with her mom and friends. Court is hilarious, Chess broke my heart, Hatta drives me crazy. I also love the twins and the princess and all the knights. And Humphry. And Haruka. I kind of love them all. 💖
THE PLOT
O’ the journeying! O’ the monster-fighting! O’, the wonderful world of Wonderland! I loved this story so much. Every bit of it, from the romance to the action scenes, was great. So many times I was on the edge of my seat or laughing out loud. And at some times I was on the verge of tears. Spectacular!
THE PROBLEM
**Spoilers**
My one minor problem with this book: In A Blade So Black, Hatta is poisoned and begins to go mad, so the rest of the group sets off on an epic journey to find the Heart and save him. Basically sets up the whole plot. But they don’t get the Heart until literally the very very very end of A Dream So Dark. Yet Hatta is walking around fighting monsters with them, completely sane. Did I miss something?
June 13, 2022
great book! this was a solid follow up to a blade so black and once again, i really enjoyed listening to the audiobook.
the characters were so well fleshed and i could genuinely root for each of them (well, almost each)
not gonna say their name because spoilers but there was one specific character who i thought died but then WASN’T DEAD AND I HAVE ISSUES I REALLY DON’T LIKE THAT CHARACTER!
the romance was so cute, there was a hint of a love triangle which i wasn’t really a fan of, but the romance between the protagonist and the person who’s name im not gonna say was so cute! there was definitely lgbtq representation, as both of the main characters (alice and hatta (is that how you spell it? i listened to the audiobook so idk)) are queer, or at least they’ve been hinted to be and i loved the representation!
also can we get a spin off with either courtney or alice’s mum?
overall another great book!
the characters were so well fleshed and i could genuinely root for each of them (well, almost each)
not gonna say their name because spoilers but there was one specific character who i thought died but then WASN’T DEAD AND I HAVE ISSUES I REALLY DON’T LIKE THAT CHARACTER!
the romance was so cute, there was a hint of a love triangle which i wasn’t really a fan of, but the romance between the protagonist and the person who’s name im not gonna say was so cute! there was definitely lgbtq representation, as both of the main characters (alice and hatta (is that how you spell it? i listened to the audiobook so idk)) are queer, or at least they’ve been hinted to be and i loved the representation!
also can we get a spin off with either courtney or alice’s mum?
overall another great book!
January 1, 2024
#1) A Blade So Black ★★★★★
#3) A Crown So Cursed ★★★★★
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Alice (mc) is Black & bisexual; Japanese scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
March 1, 2020
Ive never been so stressed in my goddamn life
September 15, 2023
This is one of those rare occasions where I enjoyed book two more than book one even though book one was still fantastic! A Dream so Dark was just a lot darker with higher stakes and poor Alice dealing with the consequences of her decisions from book one.
October 19, 2020
Full review in my video: https://youtu.be/FjYpTWFbt4I
Timestamps for titles in description!
Timestamps for titles in description!
October 1, 2019
Alice Kingston has been a Dreamwalker for a year now. Ever since the night her dad died and she left the hospital to find Addison Hatta killing a Nightmare. She shouldn’t have been able to see him, not with the Invisibility Verse he had cast earlier. Now she fights Nightmares in Wonderland and protects the Western Gateway. You know regular teenage girl stuff. But now she thinks one of her best friends, Chess, is dead after the largest Nightmare she’s ever faced attacker her at the high school. Her mom knows something is wrong but Alice thinks telling her the truth could endanger her life. And the Black Knight is still out there, searching for her, Hatta, the princess and the Eye.
I remember being intrigued by the first book in this series, the fresh take on Wonderland with a kick ass Black Alice who was a superhero in her own right, but I didn’t fall in love with the story. This book however is everything I wanted from the first book and more. One of the things I loved that this book, was one I felt was really lacking in the first book, the relationship between Alice and her mother Tina. It felt undeveloped to me in the first book. Alice’s mother was always a concern but she was definitely more in the background of the story. McKinney delivered in A Dream so Dark, from the very first line, creating a mother-daughter dynamic that lasted throughout the book and really developed. Not to mention the fact that her mother is absolutely hilarious and strict but caring and concerned. She felt like a Black mother who has had enough of her daughter’s shenanigans. I’ve met this mom. I love this mom and she came to life for me in this sequel. Another thing that I really enjoyed in this book was the expansion of Wonderland. McKinney really broadened her world and the background of her characters. She introduced different creatures and lands, emphasizing that there is much more to this world than even Alice is aware of. This book also has more action and does a great job building on the plot that was developing in the first book.
There is one point that I feel like I have to address because I know others will: the use of AAVE throughout this novel. If you have a problem with it, that is your problem to have. I applaud the fact that McKinney went there throughout this entire novel. It feels unforced coming out of Alice’s mouth in every day conversation. It isn’t used as a cliché. It is as much a part of Alice as it is many Black people in the real world and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it on the page imitating life in a realistic way. It grounded Alice in a reality known to many. And if a Black girl can kill Nightmares in Wonderland, while another girl speaks in riddles and Verses act as spells, then Alice can damn well speak AAVE and it make sense.
I enjoyed this book. I began reading it and was immediately sucked back into the story and excited. A Dream So Dark was fun and exciting to read. I ended up finishing it in two days and now I’m just ready for the next book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you Edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review
I remember being intrigued by the first book in this series, the fresh take on Wonderland with a kick ass Black Alice who was a superhero in her own right, but I didn’t fall in love with the story. This book however is everything I wanted from the first book and more. One of the things I loved that this book, was one I felt was really lacking in the first book, the relationship between Alice and her mother Tina. It felt undeveloped to me in the first book. Alice’s mother was always a concern but she was definitely more in the background of the story. McKinney delivered in A Dream so Dark, from the very first line, creating a mother-daughter dynamic that lasted throughout the book and really developed. Not to mention the fact that her mother is absolutely hilarious and strict but caring and concerned. She felt like a Black mother who has had enough of her daughter’s shenanigans. I’ve met this mom. I love this mom and she came to life for me in this sequel. Another thing that I really enjoyed in this book was the expansion of Wonderland. McKinney really broadened her world and the background of her characters. She introduced different creatures and lands, emphasizing that there is much more to this world than even Alice is aware of. This book also has more action and does a great job building on the plot that was developing in the first book.
There is one point that I feel like I have to address because I know others will: the use of AAVE throughout this novel. If you have a problem with it, that is your problem to have. I applaud the fact that McKinney went there throughout this entire novel. It feels unforced coming out of Alice’s mouth in every day conversation. It isn’t used as a cliché. It is as much a part of Alice as it is many Black people in the real world and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it on the page imitating life in a realistic way. It grounded Alice in a reality known to many. And if a Black girl can kill Nightmares in Wonderland, while another girl speaks in riddles and Verses act as spells, then Alice can damn well speak AAVE and it make sense.
I enjoyed this book. I began reading it and was immediately sucked back into the story and excited. A Dream So Dark was fun and exciting to read. I ended up finishing it in two days and now I’m just ready for the next book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you Edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review
August 16, 2019
This is a YA, Fantasy for 14+. @401 pages. (May change at final print)
There is violence, some cursing, some LGBT references, and some teenage "angsty" kissing.
I received an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway
First of all, if you loved the cover for A Blade So Black, you are gonna flip your lid over the cover for A Dream So Dark. When I was young bookworm teen, I was feening for a series like this. I read Stephen King, because he was good for adding POC to his novels. These kids now have no idea how lucky they are! Starting to see more of these YA Fantasy novels being written by and for POC. With this sophomore novel, L.L. McKinney has claimed her rightful place as one of the Queens of YA Fantasy novels.
This book picks up right after the jaw dropping conclusion of A Blade So Black. (If you haven't read the previous book, what are you waiting for?) Where are Chess and Maddi, what will happen to Hatta, what is happening in Wonderland?! Well hold on to your hat, because there are no lulls in this second book. If you are like me, and wanted more of Wonderland, your wish is granted!
Gonna stick to the bullet points, and make it quick, so you have time to go get the first novel read in prep for this to hit shelves!! There is an expansion on the cast of characters, like the protectors of the Eastern Gate. Our favorites are still here and supporting Alice in kicking butt! Alice's special abilities gain in power. The Black Knight is still a major pain, and always two steps ahead. We meet the newest force for Evil, and the one pulling all of the strings. The substance that makes up Nightmares and Fiends gets a new use. And, best of all, McKinney begins to flesh out Wonderland and it's many inhabitants.
I wish I could tell you more, but there are so many twists and turns, that I do not want to spoil anything for you. I am so excited to see where this series goes. It is one of the best retellings of a Classic that I have read to date.
There is violence, some cursing, some LGBT references, and some teenage "angsty" kissing.
I received an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway
First of all, if you loved the cover for A Blade So Black, you are gonna flip your lid over the cover for A Dream So Dark. When I was young bookworm teen, I was feening for a series like this. I read Stephen King, because he was good for adding POC to his novels. These kids now have no idea how lucky they are! Starting to see more of these YA Fantasy novels being written by and for POC. With this sophomore novel, L.L. McKinney has claimed her rightful place as one of the Queens of YA Fantasy novels.
This book picks up right after the jaw dropping conclusion of A Blade So Black. (If you haven't read the previous book, what are you waiting for?) Where are Chess and Maddi, what will happen to Hatta, what is happening in Wonderland?! Well hold on to your hat, because there are no lulls in this second book. If you are like me, and wanted more of Wonderland, your wish is granted!
Gonna stick to the bullet points, and make it quick, so you have time to go get the first novel read in prep for this to hit shelves!! There is an expansion on the cast of characters, like the protectors of the Eastern Gate. Our favorites are still here and supporting Alice in kicking butt! Alice's special abilities gain in power. The Black Knight is still a major pain, and always two steps ahead. We meet the newest force for Evil, and the one pulling all of the strings. The substance that makes up Nightmares and Fiends gets a new use. And, best of all, McKinney begins to flesh out Wonderland and it's many inhabitants.
I wish I could tell you more, but there are so many twists and turns, that I do not want to spoil anything for you. I am so excited to see where this series goes. It is one of the best retellings of a Classic that I have read to date.
October 31, 2019
This book was everything. I love this version of Alice being a badass warrior and making sure all the people in her life that she cares about is safe. I really enjoyed the book because there was nothing but action throughout the book. NOw I will say it was hard for me to get into the book but that was probably because I was in a slump, but once I was a few chapters into the book I was immediately hooked. This book brought many aspect to life for me by referencing Harry Potter, and many others things that made me want to read more. Alice of course is one of my favorite characters but all the characters are brilliant in this book. Also I like that fact the Wonderland can be quite similar to the real world. Like when there are characters that speak Russian and Japanese is awesome. This book is filled with diversity which I love so much. Also in this book there is romance which of course I can not complain about because I am a sucker for romance and I always wanted to know what happens to the couple if there is a happy ending or not. I prefer happy endings but if there is still romance involved and there is no happy ending I still will not complain. I love this book and it was one of my most anticipated books of this year. There was never a dull moment for me in this book. I think my favorite part was when Alice was having visions of her dad and telling her that it is alright be afraid because fear is something that can be faced and that you can overcome it. That part got to me because Alice loved her dad so much and her having to see him and hear his voice for those short moments had me crying. Overcoming your fears is something to face in life and I am glad this book brought that to light. Though this book is nothing but fantasy... I feel that it brings up things that happen in reality and in life. Hands down this book is fire!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 427 reviews