Don't even think about reading this book if you haven't read the first. Dinah is now exiled and wandering around the Twisted. This is a book that definitely suffers from middle book syndrome, as I'm sure all of it will be extremely important but it felt a bit dull and like it dragged on forever. I also really struggled with Dinah, I want the villains backstory, but I also want them to be decent or at least morally gray. Dinah is a little whiny and a little bratty so I struggled. I'm starting to think I've outgrown most YA, which is sad.

Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love all things Alice in Wonderland so of course, I had to read this series by Colleen Oakes. Over the years, it has been one that I loved, I hated, I loved, I wasn't sure, I liked and currently, it still has a home on my bookshelf and I have recommended it to several.

Book One was great and I enjoyed reading Volume Two. This series is definitely one of those "have to be in the right mood" but it's an interesting take on the story, I love the retelling and reading about my favorite characters from such a different perspective.

Queen of Hearts had introduced us to Dinah, the young princess of Wonderland who is undermined by the father and driven into exile after she is betrayed by him in favor of her younger half-sister, Vittoire. This book starts with her escaping into the Twisted Woods and evaluating her choices. She is still hurting from the death of her brother and furious about her father framing her for it. But as she goes further, she find allies in her revenge against her father and aid to win back her kingdom. Only thing is, she has to go to the enemy to do so, and part of her is wary of it but also wants to prove herself.

Dinah is a pretty strong character in that she doesn’t give up even when she is outmaneuvered. Granted, she gets some lucky breaks thanks to her father, but it is she who first proves that she is a fearsome person worth following. While a bit of it is training with a sword, it is also her trying to live up to the legend that has been built around her since her escape from her palace, during which she had caused enough havoc to make everyone in Wonderland a little awed by her. The King doesn’t underestimate her, really, but that is mostly due to his own paranoia rather than fear of her abilities. In this book Dinah forms allies who mostly back her because of what she represents and that sets up her character development. She is being moved like a piece on the board, but she is determined to make her own path. But looking at how much pain she is facing, that determination in her will only soon turn sour.

With respect to the first novel, this one felt short. Queen of Hearts had built up the world, and though Blood of Wonderland introduces us to Wonderland proper and calls back on some iconic pieces of Alice in Wonderland like the tea party and the Blue Caterpillar, those scenes don’t fully fit into the narrative and seem to come out of nowhere. And with regards to plot progression, little happens in this book, but if you look at character development, there is plenty. The ending was hurried, though, and a little reveal at the end felt a bit out of place.

Overall, in terms of character development it is a good sequel but the plot as a whole feels incomplete and rushed in parts. Still, I look forward to the final book coming out in November.

Such an interesting concept. Totally something I'd recommend to my students.

I didn't get a chance to read this before it expired on my nook. I'm sorry! I did buy the re-print from Harper and can't wait to try the series in its new form.