A CROWN SO CURSED By L.L. McKinney

October 11, 2023 by Dani Young Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Crown So Cursed by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #3
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 9/19/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 406
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Alice and her crew are doing their best to recover from the last boss battle, but some of them keep having these. . . dreams: visions of a dark past—and an even darker future. Sadly, the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they’d hoped.

Attacked by Nightmares unlike any they’ve ever seen, Alice will 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.

Short and Sweet Review

Alice and her friends are still recovering after their last battle, but they know that they have to stay on their toes because the monsters aren’t waiting on the other side of the veil anymore, they’re coming to find Alice.

This final installment of The Nightmare-Verse was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and unfortunately it was not what I wanted. I feel like since the release of the last book and this one I’ve waited 3-4 years and I’ve forgotten everything that happened and why some characters didn’t like each other and failed to remember what they were going through. We have Alice and she realizes that things aren’t right especially as she begins to see more monsters on her side of the veil and this is a sign that things aren’t right in wonderland and that her and her friends should prepare for their final battle. Everything just felt messy to me from the characters and their relationships with each other and also the way the final battle occurred. It was interesting to see how Alice is more tied to Wonderland than she could have ever thought but I feel like that story line was kind of cheesy. I wanted to finish this book as quickly as possible and it wasn’t hard considering that the material felt pretty middle grade.

Overall, I was not jiving with this book the way I wanted to and I’m pretty upset about it. Although things were wrapped up and there were answers to what was occurring I feel like it just happened at a pace where you don’t feel invested. I may be feeling this way because of how long it took to read this final book but I also don’t want to go back and do a complete read through. I did enjoy the characters and the storyline from books 1 and 2 and I wish I felt the same about this one.

Filed Under: Reviews

A DREAM SO DARK By L.L McKinney

January 3, 2020 by Dani Young Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #2
Published by Imprint on 9/24/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates high school), Alice must cross the Veil to rescue her friends and stop the Black Knight once and for all. But the further she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wit's end that she realizes―Wonderland is trying to save her.

There’s a new player on the board; someone capable of using Nightmare creatures to not only influence the living but raise the dead.

Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope, Alice must confront the worst in herself―and in the people she loves―and face the very nature of fear.

Short and Sweet review

Not long after her last battle, Alice has to go back to wonderland to save her friends from the Black Knight one last time. Things are different than before and there’s new characters that Alice has to figure out. The more I read this series the more I fall in love! This version/retelling of Alice in Wonderland is so intriguing, I love it. Alice is back and this time there’s more at stake. Chess has been taken by someone in wonderland, and there’s someone in wonderland who’s trying to create an undead army. A Dream So Dark continues where A Blade So Black left off, so our characters are still looking for the Heart. What I loved was that everyone had to band together at one point Alice was split from the rest of the group but she did end up meeting Haruka which was another dream walker. I also loved how Courtney finally got to go to wonderland and see what Alice’s other life was like. There’s so much action and there’s kind of a mystery surrounding who the Black Knight is. We get a few different POVs which really added to the story. The ending was great and I’m really hoping this isn’t a duology because I would love to see more of these characters! If you’re in the mood for an Alice in Wonderland retelling put this series on your list!

Filed Under: Reviews

A BLADE SO BLACK By L.L. Mckinney

December 17, 2019 by Dani Young Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #1
Published by Square Fish on 9/25/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head... literally.

Short and Sweet Review

After her father’s death, Alice meets Addison Hatta. Hatta eventually trains Alice to be a dream walker and takes her into wonderland to fight nightmares. After Hatta ends up being poisoned Alice has to venture further into wonderland than she has before to save her mentor. A Blade So Black was an interesting take on Alice in Wonderland. Our Alice lives in Atlanta and she travels to wonderland through a gate that’s in a pub. It took me a while to get used to Alice and the way she talked but I eventually got used to it. Alice’s mom was very overprotective so she was usually getting yelled at for coming home late or not answering her phone. Alice was great she cared for those around her which made it hard for her to make decisions. The book started off a little slow for me but it picked up in the middle and I thought the ending was great. I loved each of the characters and how they have a distinct personality and how they reflect someone from the original Alice in Wonderland. I’m excited to see what will happen in the sequel!