"A Crown So Cursed" by L.L. McKinney is a thrilling blend of fantasy and adventure, featuring a richly imagined world and a fierce heroine. Its dynamic storytelling and intricate plot twists make it an engrossing read.

This was not my favorite book of the series. I think it left too much open ended but I did enjoy the ride.

What a wonderful conclusion to a trilogy. I love that the ending left room for the author to continue the story (which I hope she does), however the story still felt complete. When I tell you the twist with Alice’s lineage through me through a loop. Whew was that good. Loved the multiple POVs and different dynamics between the characters. There is just so many things I love about the story as a whole, one major thing is Alice’s relationship with her mom. She was present and involved in Alice’s life from the beginning which is unique because mainly in ya fantasies these kids are running around the world and their parents are dead or completely unaware. This was a story I think everyone will enjoy.

An excellent expansion of the world McKinney built in the first two books. We get more of the integrated retelling of the original Alice in Wonderland story, but in a smart manner. This book has excellent character work and mostly excellent plot. However, it is very obvious that this was supposed to be a 4-book series. There was quite a few thing plot points that were thrown in at the end that were not fleshed out or concluded, and the series feels incomplete and the ending was rushed.

This was such an epic conclusion. I have so many feelings right now about this, so I’m trying to make sense of it.

This series covered several complex topics, and McKinney covered them well. The relationships were complicated and messy, but relationships in real life are complex and messy. I had a hard time figuring out who was in a relationship with whom, but again, relationships are complicated.

The plot, the writing, and the interactions were all phenomenal. I loved the representation throughout this series… and the plot! I can’t stop thinking about this story.

McKinney writes such relatable characters, which makes it hard to not only root for them but also make you stop and check yourself. I love the multiple povs; they definitely added another dimension to the story. It was great getting everyone’s perspectives.

This is one for the ages! I'm so hoping for a fourth book!

I can’t tell you too much about the book for risk of spoiling the series, but if you want a modern retelling with a racially diverse cast and bisexual rep, you’ve found it. I mean, you can’t tell me that Alice and the Mad Hatter wouldn’t have had an easier time with cell phones.

this was such a great ending to this series. there was a plot twist that i never saw coming but i really like how it unfolded. overall this was a great series!

I really couldn’t get into this one. I tried several times but it just wasn’t interesting. I’ve read the other two and after the first book it went downhill

#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

I enjoyed all the twists and felt that this was a good conclusion to the series. Still not a fan of the romantic relationships, especially that love triangle into square thing that was going on. I absolutely loved Nana K! Her and Alice’s mom need their own book.

The long awaited finale to the Nightmare-Verse series. I was so excited for this book to come out. I love book retellings where the story has little bursts of the original but has its own story and this was just that. Alice in Wonderland being one of my favorite stories growing up this series was right up my alley. It was a great conclusion to the trilogy. I will definitely read more from this author.

Just an ordinary day attending Comic-Con as it seems for Hatta (his first time), Courtney and Alice until Fiends and Nightmares show up making this the show. of a lifetime for Con goers. Alice and Company do what they must to save themselves. Chester and Humphrey have an unlikely alliance that confuses Alice who seems to have feelings. for Chester as well.

But Hakura enters the group chat and Alice's butterflies has buttterflies. OKAY THEN! It is obvious something is there as well. But it is not until Nana K spends the night with Alice and Missy (Alice's mom) that a major secret is revealed that warms the heart. But you have to have read the second book in the. series to fully understand.

A few new characters are introduced as out heros/herioines are fighting on THIS side of the veil and Alice does not know how to take any. of this. Makes for an amazing story, right?

Per usual, McKinney does not miss and honestly, this is my favorite book in the series. We are done with the world building and now focusing on relationships which is perfection. We see that all of the characters have many layers and if we didn't see them before, we definitely see them now.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this third installment Nightmares are starting to appear in the real world after the last battle our main characters were in. Wonderland is in need of being saved from itself. That darkness seeks for control. Alice’s family in danger but I must say I love the involvement of her family more each book. Mom was a forgotten person in the first book and great in the second.

This book like the others was fast paced and action packed. Alice is still Bad Ass and she has come a long way from the days of Hatta training her. The love triangle between Alice, Hatta and Humphrey was a lot of borderline cheating but that is because you can’t be sure at anytime who is with Hatta.

Thank you Hear Our Voices Tours, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thanks to Hear Our Voices for hosting the book tour! (I received an advanced reader, and all thoughts are my own!)

I think this last installment in the trilogy does a decent job of wrapping up the main loose ends of the overarching story of Alice and her Wonderland adventures. Having had this book "shelved" since October of 2019, that's about 4 years of waiting for this book (and I even put off reading book 2 because book 3 was pushed back so much, I was concerned/distraught. I also think time dulled my appreciation of this series just a little, and I probably would have given enthusiastic 4.5 to 5 stars if I'd gotten to read the completed series when the books were intended to be released.

The Nightmare-Verse trilogy is truly a love letter to the Sailor Moon, Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a part of me will always wish this series got the love and support Legendborn does lol.

To say i have been waiting for the last book in this series for what seems like FOREVER is an understatement.
FINALLY we get to find out what happens.

Let's recap:
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.

My ONLY gripe with this book was that the relationships were MESSY. I honestly couldn't tell who was in a relationship. It wasn't a love triangle...more a square LOL. And at times i was like wait...is that cheating? Or...????

Anyhoo! I enjoyed it as much as i did the others and I won't give away the plot because i feel like after all this time, you deserve to read it and find out on your own!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own

This was a great book number three and I hope we get more stories set in this world as I am addicted to this series hands down. I loved coming back to these characters and the world that its set in. I will say that I wished that the romance would have been fleshed out just a little better as it was slightly confused at times. But the story itself was perfectly done. I need more of these characters and why has this not been picked up as a movie?!

🦇 A Crown So Cursed Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ Don't forget to mind your Muchness, and keep moving forward. ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite fantasy retelling OR your favorite character from Alice in Wonderland? ❓

🦇 The long-awaited final installment of L.L. McKinney's Nightmare-Verse trilogy is finally here! The Nightmares that are leaking into the mortal realm are no longer so easily defeated with Figment Blades. With the monsters now seeping through the Veil, Alice and her crew must save Wonderland from itself. Between Hatta's Madness, Humphrey and Chess's strange, shared nightmares, and Alice's family in danger (again), it's almost more than Alice can take. Can she confront Wonderland's dark past to save the mortal realm's potentially darker future?

💜 L.L. McKinney is a magical moon goddess who weaves words with exquisite, unmeasured Muchness. As always, McKinney excels with both her word choice and dialogue, painting vivid pictures and powerful, raw characters that bounce right off the page. There's no refuting how fun, creative, and enchanting the entire Nightmare-Verse series is, and McKinney's spellbinding prose is perfect for an Alice in Wonderland retelling. How can you not love the badass, multi-fandom-loving bi baby girl that is McKinney's Alice? From the first chapter, readers are rushed off their feet, out of this reality, and into Alice's. Every fight scene conjures spectacular, action-packed imagery. Each line of dialogue sounds like you're talking to a familiar, fascinating friend. Alice in Wonderland is one of my all-time favorite classics, and no one has rewritten that world quite like McKinney has. I devoured this book in one sitting, as I'm sure many readers will (after all, we've been waiting since 2019 for this final installment, and it's finally here!).

🦇 Though I'm sure this will be a five-star read for many, this is my least favorite of the Nightmare-Verse books. The entire story, while action-packed, seemed rushed, as if the author was trying to fill 300+ pages to get to the grand (unsurprising) reveal. There are many plot points that are never fully resolved. For starters, the relationships in the book are a mess (Alice/Hatta, Alice/Chess, Chess/Humphrey, and Alice/Haruka...the latter seems like it was thrown in there to remind us that Alice is bi, even though she's kind of dating Hatta at the time?). There's a reveal involving Hatta, Chess, and Humphrey that gets mind-wiped, leaving us with no resolution there (a reveal that complicates the confusing ships mentioned above). Perhaps the most frustrating is the reliance on magic as a quick fix to a messy plot. The majority of the story is meant to get Alice to an epic final battle, but there aren't enough clue drops or slight reveals placed throughout the story to build suspense or intrigue.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Alice in Wonderland retellings, action-packed fantasy fight scenes, and magical mayhem.

✨ The Vibes ✨
♠️ Alice in Wonderland Retelling
♥️ Third in a Trilogy
♦️ Love Triangle (Square?)
♣️ Young Adult Fantasy Fiction
♥️ Bisexual MC

🦇 Major thanks to the author @ll_mckinney and publisher @macmillanusa / @mackidbooks / @fiercereads for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #ACrownSoCursed

The wait for this book was worth it! This book is intense from the start and keeps up the pace all the way through. I loved that Alice's family features more in this book - Nana K for the win! I was so excited to get an ARC of this book as I had been waiting for it to come out and this book lived up to my expectations. I think this series would make a great show - I hope someone decides to make it. The ending of this book is epic and I would love to see it on screen!
Much thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good book! I love the series so much. The characters continued to grow in the book, and I loved seeing how the relationships continued to develop. There was definitely a plot twist I did NOT see coming, and it was such a fun twist. I cannot wait to see how it continues and what happens next.

The story is so fun, and such a creative way to retell one of my favorites. I would devour these books all at once if I could.

A Blade So Black is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was very excited when I opened my email and found an ARC of A Crown So Cursed waiting for me. I immediately devoured it.

One of the things I love most about this series is the characters and their relationships. L. L. McKinney does a great job of writing relatable, lovable characters and tackling tough topics and relationships. Alice and Hatta and Chess and Court have always felt like dear friends to me—and this book is no exception. I usually struggle more with multi-POV books, but I really think L. L. McKinney writes characters in such a way that each POV felt developed and interesting.

I had only two gripes with this book. The first is that the plot felt a little messy and all over the place. And the second is, I never really could tell if Hatta and Alice were together, or if Hatta and Humphrey were. I felt like the love triangle skewed a little too close to cheating at times (especially with how much Alice despised Humphrey; it didn’t feel like Hatta really honored/considered Alice’s feelings at all sometimes).

Overall, I highly recommend this series.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.