Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
Volume One: The Crown
Blossoming Love. A Father’s Betrayal. A Kingdom with a Black Secret.
As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.
When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.
Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinah’s furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath. Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
But be warned…not every fairytale has a happy ending.
This is the story of a princess who became a villain.
About Colleen Oakes:
Colleen Oakes is the author of the Elly in Bloom series and the upcoming YA fantasy Queen of Hearts Saga, both published via SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son. When not writing, Colleen enjoys swimming, traveling, and immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is currently at work on the last Elly novel and her second YA fantasy series, Wendy Darling.
Connect with Colleen online at:
Colleenoakes.com
Facebook.com/authorcolleenoakes
Twitter.com/colleenblooms
pinterest.com/colleenblooms/
My Thoughts
Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes is amazing. It is one of the best retellings of a classic tale that I have ever read. Right from the beginning, I was sucked in to this darker version of Wonderland. Colleen paints a beautiful picture of it and I could really imagine the people and the places within the story. I really liked that the princess is named Dinah. (If you don’t know, Dinah is the name of Alice’s cat in Alice in Wonderland.) I just absolutely loved the story. I was intrigued by the mystery and the twists and turns kept me reading well past my bed time. This is the first volume of a trilogy, and I think Colleen has done something really special. She has taken a classic story and really transformed it. There are hints to the original version of the story…but Colleen has managed to take this story to another level and create a vastly different and unique tale. The Mad Hatter is a fascinating and tragic character. There is just so much to love from cover to cover.
If you love fantasy, adventure, mystery, and retellings of classic fairy tales, Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes is not to be missed. I cannot wait for the next installment to come out. Besides being a fantastic story…this book is just gorgeous! I’m a sucker for a pretty cover, and this satiny black, red and white cover stole my heart.
Disclosure: I received a paperback of this story in exchange for my honest review during this tour. I was not required to write a positive review. This post contains my Amazon affiliate link; thank you for supporting my blog!
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