A Dream So Dark (The Nightmare-Verse, 2)
"The fantasy series I've been waiting for my whole life."
—Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Hate U Give
In L.L. McKinney's A Dream So Dark, the thrilling sequel to A Blade So Black, Alice goes deeper into a dark version of Wonderland.
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.
An Imprint Book
"The Alice I never knew I needed. The Alice I was missing. McKinney conjures a Wonderland for those of us who weren’t given the looking glass."
—Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times-bestselling author of The Belles
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Community Reviews
In this novel, Alice encapsulates the essence of Black Girl Magic. She is such a fierce and fun character and rises above stereotypes. Her personality is both unique but also relatable. McKinney works hard to create a believable character, a girl who loves to cosplay loves Sailor Moon (because who does not), and has a tense relationship with her mother (like most teenage girls – especially ones with a secret job as a magical crime fighter). All of these elements work cohesively as they bring to life this character. They work to make her believable, leading the reader to connect to her and invest in her emotionally.
The character dynamics also continue to grow in this novel as the characters grow. The reader gets to know Hatta more as well as his connection to the Black Knight. By giving both of these characters, some perspective McKinney gives the story some more depth and history while also expanding the scope of representation and diversity in the novel.
There are some LGBT references in the novel, but they are just touched upon. While representation matters, they also feel thrown into the novel, utterly random to the point where at times, they have no bearing on the novel. It is unfortunate, but honestly, the novel would have been the same without them because they do not have a large enough impact on the story or the characters.
Nevertheless, A Dream So Dark was terrific. The way McKinney brings in the elements of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to life and reinvents them is impressive. As vibrant as the original, this novel has an incredible pace and non-stop action. There is also an incredible amount of character development from all the characters. The voices of the characters only got stronger as the story progressed, creating stronger dynamics and richer reading experience.
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