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The Nightmare-Verse #3
A Crown So Cursed
Alice is doing her best to recover from her last boss battle, but members of her crew start having these... dreams. And they’re all the same dream: visions of a dark past―and an even darker future. It seems the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they’d hoped.
When word spreads of an encroaching army of Nightmares unlike any ever seen, Alice finds she may have to step between the coming darkness and the mortal world once more. But this time is different. This time, the monsters aren’t waiting for her on the other side of the Veil.
They're in her own back yard.
When word spreads of an encroaching army of Nightmares unlike any ever seen, Alice finds she may have to step between the coming darkness and the mortal world once more. But this time is different. This time, the monsters aren’t waiting for her on the other side of the Veil.
They're in her own back yard.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2023
46 people are currently reading
4805 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
February 17, 2020
I haven’t read this yet because it’s NOT PUBLISHED YET. I literally just talked about people doing this. Especially to black authors. Stop with the bullshit. Can’t wait to pick it up once it’s ACTUALLY PUBLISHED.
May 20, 2025
update: have now read and loved this book and the 5 star rating stands, as expected.
Just adding 5 stars and a review to counter the one star ratings on an unpublished (and not even ARCed) book. Also, if the first two books are anything to go by, I'll wind up giving it five stars anyway.
Just adding 5 stars and a review to counter the one star ratings on an unpublished (and not even ARCed) book. Also, if the first two books are anything to go by, I'll wind up giving it five stars anyway.
April 10, 2021
Giving this unreleased book a five star review because a bunch of jerks think it's funny to give WOC 1 star reviews before their books are published. The haters can shove it. This series is fun af.
Want to read
November 1, 2021I’ve been SO EXCITED waiting for this. The first two books were incredible. But every time I look it’s been pushed back further and further. Now it’s a YEAR from today?! I’m so impatient. It’s hard when huge chunks of time go by in between installments, I end up forgetting or losing interest because it’s been so long since I read the others in the series. Or I end up having to reread the whole series because I’ve forgotten details when so long passes.
I really hope this one gets bumped back up to sooner than the end of 2021, I LOVE this series!
I know the pandemic has messed up all sorts of stuff. But I figured books would be the perfect thing to keep going, people have more time than ever to read!
....it was the end of 2021. I checked today (3/2/21) and now it’s suddenly 2023?! When and why the hell?! I’ll never remember anything in it. Or that it’s even coming out.
UGH. Back to lament on 11/1/21 that even Amazon says Feb 2023. I’ll have to reread the first two for sure but I’m a bit worried that by that point I’ll forget it’s coming out. These kinds of gaps kind of kill the rush you get when you read an amazing book and know you’re waiting for the next installment. I know Covid was obviously a huge deal for the publishing industry but I shall whine anyway 😭 Talk about first world problems. I’ve just been having this happen with so many authors/series I’ve loved the past 5-6 years. I find myself waiting 2, 3, 4 years for another installment. Or sometimes confirmation of an upcoming installment…then 2+ years later no publishing date or cover or anything. I’ve had some amazing series I LOVED end book 2 or 3 or whatever on a cliffhanger…and then it never picks back up and it’s a killer. Like when you binge an incredible TV show and are frantically googling for the premiere date of the next season and you see…”CANCELED” 😂
Unrelated rant over. Books are just my whole world and I’ve had huge slumps on and off throughout Covid that I usually don’t have. I continued to read but very few things really caught me. I think I’ve only rated 4-5 books all year at more than 3 stars. Same with last year. Maybe I’m the problem!
I really hope this one gets bumped back up to sooner than the end of 2021, I LOVE this series!
I know the pandemic has messed up all sorts of stuff. But I figured books would be the perfect thing to keep going, people have more time than ever to read!
....it was the end of 2021. I checked today (3/2/21) and now it’s suddenly 2023?! When and why the hell?! I’ll never remember anything in it. Or that it’s even coming out.
UGH. Back to lament on 11/1/21 that even Amazon says Feb 2023. I’ll have to reread the first two for sure but I’m a bit worried that by that point I’ll forget it’s coming out. These kinds of gaps kind of kill the rush you get when you read an amazing book and know you’re waiting for the next installment. I know Covid was obviously a huge deal for the publishing industry but I shall whine anyway 😭 Talk about first world problems. I’ve just been having this happen with so many authors/series I’ve loved the past 5-6 years. I find myself waiting 2, 3, 4 years for another installment. Or sometimes confirmation of an upcoming installment…then 2+ years later no publishing date or cover or anything. I’ve had some amazing series I LOVED end book 2 or 3 or whatever on a cliffhanger…and then it never picks back up and it’s a killer. Like when you binge an incredible TV show and are frantically googling for the premiere date of the next season and you see…”CANCELED” 😂
Unrelated rant over. Books are just my whole world and I’ve had huge slumps on and off throughout Covid that I usually don’t have. I continued to read but very few things really caught me. I think I’ve only rated 4-5 books all year at more than 3 stars. Same with last year. Maybe I’m the problem!
Want to read
January 15, 2022this cover. are you seeing it? ARE YOU SEEING THIS COVER? i said calmly
November 25, 2023
It’s a good conclusion to this series (which I enjoyed overall). But, there were a few pieces that felt unanswered or rushed. Great fights, wrapped together well, but after waiting years for this final installment, I was a little disappointed.
August 26, 2024
We finally get a good answer as to why Alice is so powerful.
There is lots of action. I love the ode to Cons and relish your geek. McKinney does an amazing job representing the geek girls without shame. Thank you for this!!!
The scenes at the con were some of the best in the book for me because I could totally picture something like that going down, and she nailed the way that people reacted. While I love the Wonderland scenes, for some reason, this whole part of the book stands out as my favorite in the trilogy.
I do want MORE still. I see that maybe a prequel is in the works. This would be absolutely appropriate with the info that we find out about the queen.
This was the strongest book for me, and I give it a solid 4 stars. It's just a whole book of fun and nightmares.
There is lots of action. I love the ode to Cons and relish your geek. McKinney does an amazing job representing the geek girls without shame. Thank you for this!!!
The scenes at the con were some of the best in the book for me because I could totally picture something like that going down, and she nailed the way that people reacted. While I love the Wonderland scenes, for some reason, this whole part of the book stands out as my favorite in the trilogy.
I do want MORE still. I see that maybe a prequel is in the works. This would be absolutely appropriate with the info that we find out about the queen.
This was the strongest book for me, and I give it a solid 4 stars. It's just a whole book of fun and nightmares.
January 1, 2024
#1) A Blade So Black ★★★★★
#2) A Dream So Dark ★★★★☆
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Alice (mc) is Black & bisexual; Humphrey (mc) is achillean; Hatter (mc) is mga/achillean; BIPOC & Japanese scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
September 24, 2023
In lots of ways this is a great trilogy. It’s quite fast paced, there is a likeable MC on a heroic arc, the magical world is really interesting, and the story builds through the three books in a satisfying manner. This third book really brings the Alice in Wonderland aspects to life even more than in the previous two. I would also say I found this book to have a darker, almost scary at times, feel than the other two.
However, I’m not comfortable with the very low key romance that runs in the background. That never felt real to me, and if it had felt real I think I would have had ick. I am just not ok with ancient magical men having relationships with teenage girls (this girl is in high school, still calls her mother ‘Mommy’, and is sometimes grounded as a punishment. Definitely not appropriate to be involved with a man who is her mentor and is technically as old as her grandmother). Because this romance is only barely touched on through the story, I kept expecting the mentor to make it clear the crush/attraction wasn’t going to go anywhere, as an adult should. Also, both the MC, and the mentor have other romantic interests, which get as much/ more attention in the writing.
If you are triggered by the student/ teacher, adult/ teen relationship be aware of that aspect. Although it is not really fleshed out or given much space in the books. If they didn’t say it was happening I may not have realised.
I will add that there are little bits of queerness sprinkled through the story. These are just little glimpses, but in every instance they are treated in exactly the same way a heterosexual interaction/ relationship would be written. There is no mention of homophobia/ anti queerness even existing. This was a lovely thing to discover.
Even though I’ve written a lot about romance this is not a big factor in the books. This is a story about a teen girl fighting evil magic to save the world with her friends. Her friends and her family are really the only relationships that are front and centre in the story.
However, I’m not comfortable with the very low key romance that runs in the background. That never felt real to me, and if it had felt real I think I would have had ick. I am just not ok with ancient magical men having relationships with teenage girls (this girl is in high school, still calls her mother ‘Mommy’, and is sometimes grounded as a punishment. Definitely not appropriate to be involved with a man who is her mentor and is technically as old as her grandmother). Because this romance is only barely touched on through the story, I kept expecting the mentor to make it clear the crush/attraction wasn’t going to go anywhere, as an adult should. Also, both the MC, and the mentor have other romantic interests, which get as much/ more attention in the writing.
If you are triggered by the student/ teacher, adult/ teen relationship be aware of that aspect. Although it is not really fleshed out or given much space in the books. If they didn’t say it was happening I may not have realised.
I will add that there are little bits of queerness sprinkled through the story. These are just little glimpses, but in every instance they are treated in exactly the same way a heterosexual interaction/ relationship would be written. There is no mention of homophobia/ anti queerness even existing. This was a lovely thing to discover.
Even though I’ve written a lot about romance this is not a big factor in the books. This is a story about a teen girl fighting evil magic to save the world with her friends. Her friends and her family are really the only relationships that are front and centre in the story.
September 26, 2023
#booktour #acrownsocursed
As a kid growing up, I remember seeing all the wondrous adventures characters were making and I noticed all those characters didn’t look like me .
It made me feel as if I wasn’t worthy to have adventures just like this characters and have such magnificent magical things happen to me !
All these years, the child in me has been left behind, as a reader and not welcomed in spaces that I clearly belong, until now!!
It is with such joy that I am made to feel a part of a word that I spend loving hours in for over 30 years!
Yes, at 49 years old, these past few years, I am now starting to see characters that look, sound, act, and /or mirror the community I live!!
With that said, this book means so much to me because it allows my inner child the ability to see that she’s a hero too!!
#ACrownsoCursed #HearOurVoices #HOV
As a kid growing up, I remember seeing all the wondrous adventures characters were making and I noticed all those characters didn’t look like me .
It made me feel as if I wasn’t worthy to have adventures just like this characters and have such magnificent magical things happen to me !
All these years, the child in me has been left behind, as a reader and not welcomed in spaces that I clearly belong, until now!!
It is with such joy that I am made to feel a part of a word that I spend loving hours in for over 30 years!
Yes, at 49 years old, these past few years, I am now starting to see characters that look, sound, act, and /or mirror the community I live!!
With that said, this book means so much to me because it allows my inner child the ability to see that she’s a hero too!!
#ACrownsoCursed #HearOurVoices #HOV
August 29, 2024
I hope the author is planning for more books in this world because I have so many unanswered questions! I'd especially love to see the other Dreamwalkers explored.
May 14, 2024
I'm so glad I was able to read this! It was such an action packed final book. I really enjoy how each book in the series added more and more point of view characters that really helped to evolve the characters and make me love them even more.
April 14, 2024
I'm still bummed that this series is trilogy and doesn't have four for the four suits in a deck of cards.
That being said, I'm glad the author had the chance to breathe with this book and take the time it needed to get the ending right.
That being said, I'm glad the author had the chance to breathe with this book and take the time it needed to get the ending right.
January 24, 2024
After years of waiting for the conclusion to this Buffy/Alice in Wonderland-esq trilogy, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed.
Alice and her crew face their biggest challenge yet as monsters and nightmares terrorize Wonderland and the human world. Alice also comes to terms with her identify, her family legacy, and romantic relationships in her life.
I'll admit, it was a little hard to get back into this series after so many years. I probably should have re-read the first two books, because it was really confusing jumping back into this series. But beyond that, I felt like this book was all over the place.
Attacks from nightmares keep coming, and there's never time to regroup or for Alice and her friends to make connections about why events are happening. It never felt like anyone "discovered" anything about their enemies, it was just cool fight after cool fight.
There's a lot of unfinished business in this book, which is supposed to be the conclusion to this series. Alice's romantic relationships are left very open-ended. The fate of certain characters, as well as enemies, are also left as deliberate cliff-hangers. I'm guessing the author is going to write more books set in this universe, but it ended up making this book, and the series, feel incomplete.
Maybe I'll appreciate it more if I ever re-read this series.
Alice and her crew face their biggest challenge yet as monsters and nightmares terrorize Wonderland and the human world. Alice also comes to terms with her identify, her family legacy, and romantic relationships in her life.
I'll admit, it was a little hard to get back into this series after so many years. I probably should have re-read the first two books, because it was really confusing jumping back into this series. But beyond that, I felt like this book was all over the place.
Attacks from nightmares keep coming, and there's never time to regroup or for Alice and her friends to make connections about why events are happening. It never felt like anyone "discovered" anything about their enemies, it was just cool fight after cool fight.
There's a lot of unfinished business in this book, which is supposed to be the conclusion to this series. Alice's romantic relationships are left very open-ended. The fate of certain characters, as well as enemies, are also left as deliberate cliff-hangers. I'm guessing the author is going to write more books set in this universe, but it ended up making this book, and the series, feel incomplete.
Maybe I'll appreciate it more if I ever re-read this series.
June 8, 2024
Strong conclusion to the trilogy. Found this one to be a little grittier than the first two, but I think that serves the progression of the story. 4 stars
May 2, 2024
3.5 rounded up.
I enjoyed the series but sadly I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. The idea was there for me, but it felt very YA and didn't really keep me as invested as it should have from the concept and all the action going on. I feel bad cause I really wanted to like it more than I ended up liking it. There was a relationship aspect that I was interested in but the rest I didn't really care for and although I did like the twist that we had in this book, I did struggle to keep interested in the whole series. That being said I DID like a lot more of the elements in this book than I did in book two at least and am happy that I have finally completed the series. I would recommend it to people who actually enjoy YA.
I enjoyed the series but sadly I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. The idea was there for me, but it felt very YA and didn't really keep me as invested as it should have from the concept and all the action going on. I feel bad cause I really wanted to like it more than I ended up liking it. There was a relationship aspect that I was interested in but the rest I didn't really care for and although I did like the twist that we had in this book, I did struggle to keep interested in the whole series. That being said I DID like a lot more of the elements in this book than I did in book two at least and am happy that I have finally completed the series. I would recommend it to people who actually enjoy YA.
June 8, 2024
This was a frustrating end to the trilogy. There were so many major questions left unanswered, and then the whole teenager dating a centuries-old hot dude being accepted was also frustrating. I completely understand leaving avenues open o explore the world in future novels, but the basics need to be closed out first. 3 stars
YA fantasy with Black main character and lgbtqia+ characters
YA fantasy with Black main character and lgbtqia+ characters
December 30, 2023
I was disappointed because I did not enjoy this book as much as the others. The writing felt rushed and slow at the same time. I’m still confused by Chess, the death of Alice’s dad, what happened to the two sisters that tried to kill Addison.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2024
Flew through a book in this series yet again. I truly hope that we get more books because there is so much more to explore. I’m curious about a certain someone’s plans and love how I was engrossed into this story so wholly. Even when I hadn’t planned on this being my next read. I’m so happy I did.
December 28, 2023
Enjoyed the whole retelling of this series! I loved how it all come together in book 3. I want more!!! 4.5
May 7, 2024
Took a little while to get reoriented to the characters and their backstories, but I enjoyed the twist and the ending.
November 11, 2024
A fun conclusion.
August 22, 2023
I have waited 5 years for the final installation of this unique trilogy. Alice and her friends find themselves back in Wonderland fighting to save all of their homes as things are not right…..again. This time the darkness seems to have more power and even Alice’s prowess and the Vorpal blade seem to be no match. This is such a unique series turning Alice into a bad ass fighting demons with other members of the beloved book Alice in Wonderland. I am so excited to have a finale to this series and look forward to more from this author!
December 14, 2023
Ugh. I wanted to love this because the series is great, but I just felt like there were too many loose ends. It was a good ending, but not great. Maybe if this was split into 2 books instead of just one, I would've been happier.
March 3, 2025
We finally got the bottom! Check out the full review over at The Litt Librarian
We did it! We have finally made it to the finish line! I have officially completed the Nightmare-Verse series! A Crown So Cursed has to be my favorite book out of the entire series. We finally got some answers to those long-awaited burning questions, and it was more action-packed than the other books could produce.
If it's been a while since you read the last book, I highly recommend rereading, because the events in this book take place, I think, two weeks after the last sentence? We finally get an answer to Alice's growing powers throughout the series, who the Red Queen is, and the entire origin story on that. It's a huge piece of the puzzle.
The world-building is once more immaculate. McKinney did her thing by describing the topsy-turvy dynamic of what Wonderland is and placing it in plain sight in the real world. Oh, and Alice's mom is still my girl!
I could've done without any of the relationship aspects in this series. It was all over the place. Everybody suddenly became trisexual. There were several Love cults. I can't even call them triangles—because everyone was fraternizing with someone at some point. McKinney was trying to add too much of a "love who you want to love" aspect to the story, and it all came out as a jumble of confusion.
It's been two months since I finished the book, so I'm already starting to forget most of what happened in the series. Take that as a sign if you want. Even though this was one of the best books out of the three, it may have more to do with me trying to hurry up and finish the series.
See my full review and rating on the entire series over at The Litt Librarian
We did it! We have finally made it to the finish line! I have officially completed the Nightmare-Verse series! A Crown So Cursed has to be my favorite book out of the entire series. We finally got some answers to those long-awaited burning questions, and it was more action-packed than the other books could produce.
If it's been a while since you read the last book, I highly recommend rereading, because the events in this book take place, I think, two weeks after the last sentence? We finally get an answer to Alice's growing powers throughout the series, who the Red Queen is, and the entire origin story on that. It's a huge piece of the puzzle.
The world-building is once more immaculate. McKinney did her thing by describing the topsy-turvy dynamic of what Wonderland is and placing it in plain sight in the real world. Oh, and Alice's mom is still my girl!
I could've done without any of the relationship aspects in this series. It was all over the place. Everybody suddenly became trisexual. There were several Love cults. I can't even call them triangles—because everyone was fraternizing with someone at some point. McKinney was trying to add too much of a "love who you want to love" aspect to the story, and it all came out as a jumble of confusion.
It's been two months since I finished the book, so I'm already starting to forget most of what happened in the series. Take that as a sign if you want. Even though this was one of the best books out of the three, it may have more to do with me trying to hurry up and finish the series.
See my full review and rating on the entire series over at The Litt Librarian
October 30, 2023
This series was rather disappointing. It was "okay" but could have been so much better. It was promoted as "Alice in Wonderland meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer"...if only. It did not live up to the hype.
My major issue w/ the series is there were too many threads that were left dangling, and not enough details. The reader was expected to accept plot twists and bridges w/o questions. There were too many times that things were not explained, and the reader was left w/ "Why?" or "How?". Some things did not make sense. For example, in the car crash scene, how did the car end up where it was? The reader is supposed to accept it "magically" teleported? There was no reason or logic, it just appeared in this area. It seems all that was important in this series was getting from one "fight scene" to the next and how it is bridged between these scenes is unimportant. Just accept it without question.
Also, the romantic threads were left dangling and knotted. At the end there were so many questions about the relationships between the characters that went unanswered. Speaking of unanswered questions, what was the deal w/ Chess? To avoid spoilers, I will not get into details, but after what occurred, how he ended up was never explained. And what happened to Humphrey for that matter? Too many unanswered questions.
Lastly, the character of Courtney. What was her purpose in this entire series except to be chauffer to Alice? First, she was very similar to the character in the Hate You Give by Angie Thomas w/o the subtle racism, rich attractive entitled white girl best friend of the main character. But she had no real influence on the storyline except to follow Alice around and give her rides. The character was unnecessary. At least in Ms. Thomas' story the character had a purpose, to show how some people are consciously or unconsciously closet racist. Courtney wasn't even this.
I would not dissuade anybody from reading this series, I would just warn not to get your hopes too high, this had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
My major issue w/ the series is there were too many threads that were left dangling, and not enough details. The reader was expected to accept plot twists and bridges w/o questions. There were too many times that things were not explained, and the reader was left w/ "Why?" or "How?". Some things did not make sense. For example, in the car crash scene, how did the car end up where it was? The reader is supposed to accept it "magically" teleported? There was no reason or logic, it just appeared in this area. It seems all that was important in this series was getting from one "fight scene" to the next and how it is bridged between these scenes is unimportant. Just accept it without question.
Also, the romantic threads were left dangling and knotted. At the end there were so many questions about the relationships between the characters that went unanswered. Speaking of unanswered questions, what was the deal w/ Chess? To avoid spoilers, I will not get into details, but after what occurred, how he ended up was never explained. And what happened to Humphrey for that matter? Too many unanswered questions.
Lastly, the character of Courtney. What was her purpose in this entire series except to be chauffer to Alice? First, she was very similar to the character in the Hate You Give by Angie Thomas w/o the subtle racism, rich attractive entitled white girl best friend of the main character. But she had no real influence on the storyline except to follow Alice around and give her rides. The character was unnecessary. At least in Ms. Thomas' story the character had a purpose, to show how some people are consciously or unconsciously closet racist. Courtney wasn't even this.
I would not dissuade anybody from reading this series, I would just warn not to get your hopes too high, this had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
November 24, 2023
Really enjoyed this take on the story!
December 27, 2024
In my opinion, A Crown So Cursed was the strongest book of this trilogy giving the series a great conclusion. There were fun twists and the first 50% had me pretty hooked. About halfway through though, I did start to become a little bored and disinterested.
An ick of mine without trying to spoil anything is that I really dislike when characters who are in a relationship explicitly express their attraction to other characters and even kiss other characters. Again, while in a relationship. Like, cheating? What? Literally an “even though I’m in a relationship, I’ve encountered a past-lover and I’m going to kiss them now to see if I still have feelings for them” moment occurs. This was an incredibly small moment out of the whole book, but still. There were a handful of similar instances in the series. It’s a solid no-thanks from me.
Overall, the series was great if you love action, a grand adventure, and Alice and Wonderland. I would still recommend the books at this point even though I personally wouldn’t reread. ♥️
An ick of mine without trying to spoil anything is that I really dislike when characters who are in a relationship explicitly express their attraction to other characters and even kiss other characters. Again, while in a relationship. Like, cheating? What? Literally an “even though I’m in a relationship, I’ve encountered a past-lover and I’m going to kiss them now to see if I still have feelings for them” moment occurs. This was an incredibly small moment out of the whole book, but still. There were a handful of similar instances in the series. It’s a solid no-thanks from me.
Overall, the series was great if you love action, a grand adventure, and Alice and Wonderland. I would still recommend the books at this point even though I personally wouldn’t reread. ♥️
October 30, 2023
There's a touch of guilt for leaving this 3-star review but a lot of it boils down to the delay in publishing and this series losing its momentum in the process. The first two books were great and were released a reasonable length of time from one to the next. Then, whatever the circumstances were, this book kept getting pushed back and I ended up losing interest in the storyline. I've moved away from YA in general and this series no longer resonates with me. The Nightmare-Verse is the reason I became gun-shy at jumping into new or unfinished series/trilogies.
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