Name: A Blade So Black
ISBN: 9781789090055

L. L. McKinney

Age range 14 to 18 A fresh take on an old classic, A Blade So Black is Alice in Wonderland as urban fantasy with a black teen heroine. 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 life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simp≤ even warriors have a curfew. 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.

A Blade So Black

L.L. McKinney

A Blade So Black is an irresistible contemporary retelling of Alice in Wonderland... but it's not the Wonderland you remember. "The fantasy book I've been waiting for my whole life." Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give 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. Debut author L.L. McKinney delivers an action-packed twist on an old classic, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue.

Alexa Jade

Joy KBA

I was hesitant to keep reading but I did. I wanted to like this book so much but I... I don't know. The book starts off with a very good beginning but the story progressed very slowly in my opinion. Midway through the book, I found it a little teenager-y (I'm in my 20's and the book is marketed for teens, but I still chose to read it), which put me off, and made me not want to read the sequel.

It wasn't until 3/4 through the book that a plot twist made me want to read further. I also find it unfortunate that the story is not told from the protagonist's perspective, but from a narrator's view. Not that I never read books from a 3rd person's view, but it's been a long time since I have. I am used to reading a story from the main character's view so that was something different. Overall: an okay book. I'm not sure if I want to read the sequel, I'm still hesitant

This was a fun take on Alice in Wonderland. The fast pace was mostly good and the internal monologue of Alice engaging. I had three problems with the book. First, the action sequences were hard to follow. Even going back to re-read them, envisioning the action was really tough, as though the physical elements of the world hadn’t been fleshed out. Second, as understandable and relatable as Alice was, Wonderland characters were hard to pin down. What is Hatta’s motivation from moment to moment? What is Maddi’s thing? It’s Alice’s story obviously, but I need more from those central characters to make them comprehensible (even when their incomprehensibility is part of the character, it has to be read against something). Finally, the Wonderland world is a bit too nebulous. A deus ex machina is suddenly available, but everything is also inexplicably limited.

As a not-young adult, and non-POC, I’m not the central audience for this book/series, but it wasn’t at all hard to buy in to the story, the human characters, and their connections. Looking forward to picking up the second book shortly.

Paige Green

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!

A Blade So Black delivers an irresistible urban fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland . . . but it's not the Wonderland you remember. 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. Debut author L.L. McKinney delivers an action-packed twist on an old classic, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue. An Imprint Book Praise for A Blade So Black: "Mixing elements of Alice in Wonderland and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. . .a delectable urban twist on beloved fairy tales." —Entertainment Weekly "With a modern flair, a rich backstory, and just enough emotional heft, this particular looking glass will have readers eagerly falling through it." —The Bulletin

Leelynn Brady

Yes, I am totally counting this as an ARC because I was asked to read both this and the sequel to review. And I got a physical copy of this novel for free so I’m totally disclaiming that right now. Thank you so much for wanting my opinion on this novel and I hope to get to the sequel soon!



(+)This would give me Kingdom Hearts vibes if I ever finished playing any of the games.
(+)Black Alice though. Why did it take so long to create a Black Alice?
(+)The cover is totally giving me Buffy vibes, and when are we getting a Black Slayer that isn’t gonna die after two episodes though?
(+)I literally can’t handle Illidge! She does the perfect voice for Alice and Mrs. Kingston and she’s just freaking the best choice for this audiobook.
(+)I’m shook.

Read the rest of my review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads

Krystal Campbell 

I listened to this audiobook. The narrator was great and this was a super interesting read I couldn't put down. I found myself rooting for the main character, although I personally didn't find anything about her I liked. 

The side characters in this story are bad ass! 

I found some of the world building and back story lacking/missing details which left the reader slightly confused as to how we got where we are.

Libby Kowitz

This book—this book—is so good. Probably one of my top reads of the year. 

First of all, I think it’s worth noting that Alice’s relationship with her mother is everything. We don’t see healthy parent-child relationships in YA fantasy enough, and I felt like Alice’s relationship with her mom was a breath of fresh air. Her mother was not without her flaws, and Alice absolutely harbored some anger toward her mother, but the reconciliations between the two were so hard hitting. I just cannot say enough good things about the strong female characters and their relationships in this book.

I also adored Chess and Court; they were such sweet friends and I loved the way Court was willing to cover for Alice time and time again. I definitely did not ship Alice and Chess, but I loved their friendship tremendously, and I’m open to where their budding chemistry might lead in future books.

Addison Hatta stole the show for me. After Alice, he’s definitely my favorite character. He was sassy and sarcastic and basically everything a YA love interest should be. Not to mention he was wildly protective of Alice, and adorably stubborn. The chemistry and banter between them was unmatched and they are 100% my ship.

Also. Also. Alice had two cats: Lewis and Carol. That is peak comedy and you cannot tell me otherwise. 

Please go read this book ASAP.

Liz Griffin

Absolutely loved this one. Diverse representation, terrific action scenes, superb character voice, and a smashing ending!! I also though the author skillfully wove together Alice’s personal/internal/home life struggles with the bigger external conflict. Excited to continue the series!

A Blade So Black

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