I really enjoyed this title, especially all of the subtle references to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. My one critique of the book is that it took me about 10% to really get into it. Once I was hooked, though, I could not put the book down. I plan to buy a copy for my classroom library and hope to read the second book in the series soon!

This one was just not for me. No matter what I did, I wasn't interested in the characters. I had high hopes. Really I was interested in a badass Alice but unfortunately I don't feel like that is what I got.

A Blade so Black was described to be a Alice in Wonderland meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I feel like the book tried so hard to be these two things. Do we really need this title? It was a pretty generic classic story re-telling. Some teens might like it, and I'll purchase it and recommend it to them. This one just didn't translate to adults and definitely won't be a classic itself.

3.5 out of 5 stars
This is an urban fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland. While there weren’t a lot of similarities, I liked that there was just enough of the story I was familiar with, but more that I wasn’t.

Alice is a teen who battles the nightmare creatures of Wonderland while dodging her mother, her rules and trying to maintain school and a social life.

At times it was comical having the mom involved, and other times it felt interfering. I would have preferred more introduction to the characters and a smoother start. It started off choppy but quickly picked up.

“…white people…They’re a mess. They only believe, like, in three seasonings. And one of them is pumpkin spice… if anyone managed to kill the pumpkins, America would fall in a week. Panic in the streets.” I snort laughed while drinking my pumpkin steamer! There were many funny moments intertwined with heartfelt, intense or action-filled ones.

Some heartfelt moments belonged to the acknowledgment of “Brionne” who was killed by a policeman. It was definitely an ode to Breonna Taylor, much respect for that.

It was fun, I was entertained, but I’m not in a rush for book 2.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s for sending me a copy for review. Books two and three are available also!

This was intense and glorious! I loved how so many of the tropes were turned on their head, how the characters were so deliciously flawed, and how believable and accessible this "fairy tale" retelling truly was. I was hooked from the beginning and I can't wait to see where this series goes!

A Blade So Black is the first book in the young adult fantasy reimagining series called The Nightmare-Verse  by L.L. McKinney. A Blade so black is an urban fantasy reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, with some kick butt Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes thrown in. This book was a lot of fun and was as equal parts paying homage to Alice as it was putting it's own spin on the tale. I loved the Urban fantasy setting versus the traditional wonderland setting. This book was really interesting and I am certainly interested in continuing the series.

In A Blade So Black we meet our Alice, who lives in Atlanta. I loved the Atlanta setting for this wonderland. I think an Urban twist on the story was brilliant, and really added to my opinion that there are major Buffy vibes in this story, which I totally dug. I love a kick butt Alice! Alice fights and banishes Nightmares, which come from the magical dream realm known as Wonderland. I thought the nightmare element was a really cool addition to the series. I will admit that at times I found Alice annoying, but I liked her enough that I am super interested to see what kind of character growth and progression she will have throughout the series. There is some romance as well as a love triangle, but all of that felt kind of secondary to the overall plot. I am not sure if it will become more of a main feature in the next books, but I am excited to see if it does. I kind of want it to, because I am not sure what I think about the romance as it stands right now. 

As for the plot- it was also pretty cool, though at times I was overloaded with details and information and I felt a bit overwhelmed and lost. As I kept reading, things became less confusing for me but I did find the writing style a bit jarring for me. I'm not sure if it was done on purpose because things are always a bit wonky in wonderland, but I didn't connect with the plot as much as I wanted to because of this. Overall, I enjoyed A Blade So Black. I loved this take on wonderland and Alice and I really enjoyed the fight element. I think this book will be perfect for fans of Buffy, fans of Alice retellings and fans of Urban Fantasy in general. This was a good start to an interesting series. And plus side- book two is also already out so you can continue on if you are fan of The Nightmare-Verse.

A refreshing take on Alice in Wonderland with diversity and lots of battle. I think this book is super important but unfortunately I think I’m burned out on Alice retellings. The story started a bit slow for me and I never really could connect with parts of the story line. That said, I think quite a lot of people will love this retelling.

I love how this was such a dark but contemporary meets fantasy retelling. Told in our modern world so you can relate to the MC and feel her struggles. Then you get this almost Kingdom of hearts video game feeling world she is dropped into. I loved the adventure aspect in this dark nightmarish wonderland. This was the perfect balance to address some real struggles but also keep the story fast paced. I am excited to read the sequel and see where this adventure goes next.

A Blade So Black is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and I have come to the realization that I love retellings. I find them fascinating and more often than not they answer the question ‘What If…’ and A Blade So Black does that perfectly. I find it difficult to find a relatable character in fantasy books, in terms of looks mostly. So I felt represented while reading the book and that was a huge plus for me. I loved the world building, the descriptions of the underworld are vivid and quite imaginative that at some point I actually believed that it’s a real place. McKinney writes beautifully and the prose flows really well I found myself done with the book in two days. The book is action packed from the first sentence and it grabs your attention.

What I didn’t like was halfway through the book, the story starts dragging for a few chapters and it get really confusing. That, however, didn’t takeaway from my enjoyment of the book and I got through it. The twists and turns felt really predictable, so the surprising/shocking factor didn’t really work (on me) and it was a let down.

Often called Alice in Wonderland meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, A Blade so Black follows Alice as she fights monsters between Wonderland and Atlanta, juggling school with training in magic weapons and psycho killer queens. The story includes the very real threat of police violence in the real world, and how that affects people, especially Black mothers who don’t know their daughters have magic powers to defeat evil. There are great twists on Alice in Wonderland characters (Addison Hatta, get it?) and the cover is gorgeous.

I surprisingly ended up really enjoying this book! I really wasn't sure what to expect going into it. I thought the cover looked badass and requested it on NetGalley purely based on that. I unfortunately never read it when it was originally released. Things came up and I pretty much stopped blogging. However, in an effort to clear my list of pending books for review I decided to pick it up and give it a chance. Let me just say, the first few chapters weren't very promising. I thought about giving up but I'm so glad that I didn't. This seems to be a running theme with many of the books that I've read lately. Hmmm...

A Blade So Black is a reimagining of the Alice in Wonderland story with a black teenage heroine. It takes place in two main locations: the world we live in (Atlanta) and Wonderland. I found the first few chapters to be very disorienting because I was basically thrown straight into a magical world with very little explanation or worldbuilding. I wish the author would have spent some time building things up so I had more knowledge or background on Wonderland and Alice's story. That said, things are slowly explained and the worldbuilding is handled much better as the book progresses. 

My favourite part of the book was Alice. She was a fantastic character and hard not to like. I immediately became interested in her story and that's what really kept me going at the beginning until things started coming together. Alice isn't one of those special chosen characters who are good at everything right away without any worries in her life. She has to deal with a lot of issues in both the real world and Wonderland. For example, in the real world, she has to deal with normal teenage issues such as crushes, hormones, peer pressure but also gun violence and racism. Another aspect I really liked about A Blade So Black was the relationship between Alice and her mom. I really don't get why so many YA books either have absent parents or parents who are just really awful. In the story, Alice and her mom have a very complex relationship that I could relate to. I won't go into much detail but it was definitely well done and refreshing to see. 

I would recommend this book to people who love modern retellings of classic stories or the Wonderland story in general. It's a lot of fun to read, packed with action, well-developed characters and beautiful relationships. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, A Dream So Dark, very soon!

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<p>This is one of those books that immediately jumped on my to-be-read pile. Alice in Wonderland retelling, <em>check</em>. Black heroine, <em>check!</em> “What if Buffy fell down the rabbit hole?” <em>CHECK!!!</em> </p>
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<p>And then life conspired to get in my way. I’m woefully late to the party on this, but I’m happy to start my own little party here! L.L. McKinney adds an awesome twist to the Wonderland mythos. I loved the balance that she hit between nodding to the original and creating her own mythology and world. </p>
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<p>I loved the overall world-building here. Both in the real world, which felt disturbingly real, and dangerous - for L.L. McKinney doesn’t pull any punches on what it’s like to grow up Black in the United States. And in Wonderland - which was surreal and more dangerous than I could even guess. Nightmares, born of pain, haunt Wonderland - and sometimes make it through the doors to our world.</p>
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<p>These doors are guarded, and the door nearest to Alice is guarded by Addison Hatta. Not only is it his duty to guard the door, he must train humans to kill the Nightmares, something only humans can do. Alice is his latest protégé, whom he finds when she wanders into a Nightmare attack. </p>
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<p>That’s where our story starts, and it just keeps punching at you. Alice doesn’t just have to juggle keeping humanity safe from Nightmares, she also has to juggle school, friends, and her (understandably) worried mother. I LOVE that Alice has a mother, and not just <em>has</em> a mother, she has a mother who cares, who worries, who actually parents. </p>
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<p>When Alice doesn’t make curfew her mother worries, not about <em>Nightmares</em> which she knows nothing about, but because Alice is a Black girl in a country that has consistently shown how dangerous it is for her. </p>
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<p>Being white I’ve not experienced this first hand - obviously - but I have experienced the fear of being a woman. The fear that drives me to constantly scan my surroundings, that makes me itemize possible weapons. Like a lot of women I’ve planned what I’d do in situations, because trying to plan when things are going to shit is impossible. So knowing ahead of time is smart. </p>
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<p>The additional fear and planning and rules that have to be added when you’re Black? Take what I know to the <em>nth</em> degree. Because I have to worry about men in general, but I don’t really have to worry about people in positions of authority, because my skin gives me privilege. </p>
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<p>So when Alice’s mom freaks out, grounding her, guilting her for being out past curfew <em>without even letter her know she was okay</em>: I get it. And I get why Alice couldn’t let her know. Time passes funny in Wonderland. </p>
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<p>I love Alice’s mom - and I hope that she confides in her mom at some point. Mostly, I want to see more of this relationship.</p>
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<p><em>Time passes funny in Wonderland</em>. If I had to sum up my one main issue while reading it was understanding the passage of time. I think some of this is deliberate, but at the same time I struggled to know <em>when</em> we were, which made everything a bit surreal - not in a good way - for me. I had some moments where I got lost. But it’s a pretty minor complaint, because the rest of the story, characters, and world? Pretty awesome.</p>
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<p>I’m excited to see what happens next - especially after the cliff-hanger and all the revelations. Plus I like that there’s a smart-ass villain. Wonder what he’s gonna do next - and who he is....</p>
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This was so, so, so good. I don't even like Alice in Wonderland in any form, but this was a delight. I meant to read this years ago when it first came out, but just didn't for some reason.

The pace is relentless. There wasn't a slow moment. I almost wanted a couple of slower moments, honestly, but that's just a reader preference. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. A couple of world building things were confusing, but everything is so wonderful, I don't really care.

Alice is fire and wonder, yet McKinney still gave her the space to break down and worry and make mistakes, and it really helped make her character feel more real and nuanced. Hatta is wonderful and a little strange, and his and Alice's relationship is lovely and squee worthy.

I'm glad I waited to read this simply because book two is out, and I don't have to months on it.

This is great if you want a fast paced fantasy full of wonder and nightmares while a nuanced, fleshed-out main character.

This was a fun take on Alice in Wonderland. I loved the monster-hunting twist this story added. The Buffy-esc world was interesting and I'm a sucker for a twisted take to Wonderland. That being said this one missed the mark for me a bit. I felt the writing a bit simplistic and choppy for my liking. I was also underwhelmed by the final third of this one.

That being since this was McKinney's debut novel, I am interested in reading more of the series to see if some of my issues with the first novel improve.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: A Blade So Black

Author: L. L. McKinley

Book Series: The Nightmare-Verse Book 1

Diversity: Own voice! African American main character FTW!

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: September 25, 2018

Publisher: Square Fish

Pages: 384

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore)

Synopsis: 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.

Review: I thought this book was really well written and was a great twist on the original Alice tale. The voice and the characters were well done and the writing was spectacular.

The only down points to me were that the pacing was a bit slow for my tastes and I thought some of the action scenes were a bit chaotic and a little hard to follow, but that might have been me reading at close to midnight lol. I also know what the author has said on Twitter but for the purpose of this review I'm leaving it out. Her book was great and if you're an Alice lover you'll love this tale.

Verdict: A great retelling!

I had had high hopes for this book, A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney but I think book wasn't for me. I have tried many times to read this book. I just can't get through it.

I honestly don’t like Alice in Wonderland very much? That goes for both the animated and live action films Disney has made. I’ve yet to read Lewis Carroll’s books, though that’s something I’d like to do one day. That doesn’t stop me from going for Alice retellings, especially when the author pitches it as “What if Buffy fell down the rabbit hole instead of Alice?” AND Y’ALL, IT’S SO GOOD. I’m genuinely mad at myself for sitting on it for over a year before reading it.

Alison “Alice” Kingston is Black, bi, good at hunting Nightmare monsters, and bad at keeping her clothes free of horrifically stinky Nightmare goo, but when the supposedly vanquished Black Knight attacks her and uses her to poison Wonderland’s guardian Hatta, she’s also the best hope Wonderland and Atlanta have. I also adore her deeply and ship her with just about everyone. (That includes the Black Knight because he hits my weakness for antagonists in all the right places. C’mon, he puts her to bed and compliments her even when they’re fighting! I LOVE THIS.)

Though the Nightmare-hunting pretty much controls Alice’s life, she has plenty of real-life problems like grieving over her father’s death, her mother’s overprotective nature, and the recent murder of a Black girl by police officers. Whether Alice is journeying through Wonderland to find Hatta a cure or sneaking around in Atlanta so her mother doesn’t find out what she’s doing, A Blade So Black is grounded in both its setting and its ideas. You’ll get a good mix of drama and humor out of this book.

It’s creative and clever in how it incorporates characters from Carroll’s novels into the story, surprising in its twists, so gripping you might read the entire novel in one or two sittings,… Just let me shower all the compliments on this book, okay? The start of the book is a bit slow due to the first four chapters or so taking place roughly a year before the rest of the book, but things pick up after that and I couldn’t stop reading.

A Blade So Black is such fun that I don’t really want to put words to it. I’d rather throw the book at you and demand you read it–which is what I’ll do to my best friend the next time I see her, incidentally. I hurried to the bookstore to grab A Dream So Dark as soon as I could after finishing this book and I’m already in the middle of reading it. Do you like Alice in Wonderland? Urban fantasy? Paranormal shenanigans? Then get A Blade So Black in your hands.

Read this for our month staff pick. Such a good read. It was a company wide fave. Would definitely recommend. Loved the diversity.

OK this took me a long time to actually get through, so much so that I had to get the audiobook instead. I love the narration of this, love the action and loved the cliffhanger.

Alice in Wonderland in this twisted fairy tale with Black characters.. Readers will be dying to go down the rabbit hole with this one!