Name: Queen of Madness
Rating: 3.875 (16 reviews)

Lee Jacquot

Queen of Madness

Hailey

The Wicked Wonderland Duet

Rebecca Hurd

Aaaahhhhh!!!! What can I say about this book…it’s amazing, compelling, with good spice!! All of these characters are dynamic and intriguing…puzzles that I can’t wait to figure out!! This whole story with its ties to Alice and her extraordinary Wonderland makes this a great read to start off the New Year!!

Batool Zainab Suleman

I have been waiting my entire life for a book like this

Once upon a time, there was a woman who spent her days in search of stories.

She threw money at booksellers, barged into taverns that were said to house authors, and always kept her ears open for any story that could pique her interest.

Years went by and the woman stopped giving her money and stopped following authors into caves.

But her ears, they could never close.

On a warm summer night, she heard about a story, one that was not for the faint of heart, and suddenly she felt alive.

Months went by, and again, the woman started back on her journey of finding the best stories.

Some were great, some not so much, but the woman persisted. And her persistence was rewarded.

Hello, my name is Batool Zainab "Bats" Suleman, and I'm the woman who searches for stories to feed her soul. And my latest find? This masterpiece.

Lee Jacquot.

Lee freaking Jacquot.

I was first introduced to Jacquot on TikTok. Someone made a video about her Holinight novella, Christmas on the Thirteenth Floor, and I DEVOURED it in one sitting.

Needless to say, I became a fast fan of her writing.

Unfortunately, my TBR was already extremely long so I had to tend to a few other books before I could make my way back to Jacquot.

Then I hear about this new book she released, where the FMC is a mafia queen.

I had been DYING for a book with such a premise.

So I jumped into the deep end, borrowed the book on Kindle Unlimited, and read it all in one sitting. Two-and-a-half hours.

As luck would have it, they ended being the best two-and-a-half hours of my life.

Lee Jacquot, I forgive you for the cliffhanger. I forgive you for the present tense verb conjugation. I even forgive you for the CRIMINALLLLLLL fade-to-black when it was about to be one of my favourite spice scenes ever.

I forgive you because you wrote a book that is so goddamn exceptional

The violence? Top-tier.

The spice? Top-tier.

The tension? Top-tier

The story? Top-tier.

And the characters? TOP-FREAKING-TIER.

Ezekiel is an MMC who melts my heart while also making my blood pressure rise, my favourite combination.

Onyx Embros is the woman I want to grow up to be.

Onyx is a biracial bad*ss who takes the world by storm. Morally grey, but in the best way. Sexually open, but not meek and submissive. Extremely skilled at math and science, but also at various torture techniques.

Onyx Embros is, essentially, the mafia version of Lana Myers from the Mindf*ck series by S. T. Abby. AND I AM LOSING MY MIND AT HOW MUCH I LOVE BOTH OF THEM.

This book is so good, I purchased the physical copy before I was even finished reading it.

This book is so good, I RANNN to join the author's FB group.

This book is so good, I'm giving it ∞/5.

I know it seems that I rate a lot of books quite highly, but majority of my "five-star reviews" are actually four-and-a-half stars or rated in the heat of the moment.

This book? My rating will never change.

I did notice a few minor continuity errors, and I will likely reach out to the author, directly, to let them know. I also didn't like that the FMC's "tiny waist" was mentioned several times (like, we get it, she's skinny). But honestly? Those are both infinitesimal when I factor in the rest of the book.

I can't wait for the second book in this series. I wish I was on that beta reader team!!!

Edit: forgot to mention that this book has several trigger warnings. Please proceed with caution if you choose to read this book.

Jessica Coleman

Queen of Madness is the first book in Lee Jacquot’s upcoming Wicked Wonderland duet, and it doesn’t disappoint. While this book was not a modern retelling of Alice in Wonderland, the characters you meet remind you of the original story…if the OG story was set in a mafia world.
There are multiple POVs, which I don’t mind, and I will say that the story does end on a cliffhanger.
Jacquot’s previous Emerald Falls series made me fall in love with her and her novels. This first book was no exception. Highly recommend 10/10.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Queen of Madness

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