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theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As far as sequels go, this one was really good. As far as what I was expecting from it, it was a tiny bit of a letdown. In comparison to the first book in the series, it was much slower-paced and that didn't thrill me. However, I still really enjoyed it overall!
I'm glad this one picked up right where the last one left off. I would've had a lot of confusion if a great deal of time had passed. The addition of extra characters was also a really nice touch. I enjoyed seeing the new relationships formed and understanding some of the intricacies of the previously established relationships as well. The best part about this book was the development of Alice and her mother's bond. While their inability to communicate properly frustrated me to no end in the first book, their growth in this book was fantastic. A few of their scenes together actually made me tear up a little bit!
I honestly do not understand the romantic elements in this series at all after this sequel. Alice has, what, three love interests at this point? I don't know what's going to happen with all of that! But thankfully, that's not the number one focus.
A nice touch with this installment was the multiple POVs. While the first book only gave us Alice's perspective, this book had two more and it added a really interesting dynamic to the story. I love narration from a villain's point of view (and that's all I'll say, so as to avoid spoilers).
I'm anxiously awaiting the next book now!
I'm glad this one picked up right where the last one left off. I would've had a lot of confusion if a great deal of time had passed. The addition of extra characters was also a really nice touch. I enjoyed seeing the new relationships formed and understanding some of the intricacies of the previously established relationships as well. The best part about this book was the development of Alice and her mother's bond. While their inability to communicate properly frustrated me to no end in the first book, their growth in this book was fantastic. A few of their scenes together actually made me tear up a little bit!
I honestly do not understand the romantic elements in this series at all after this sequel. Alice has, what, three love interests at this point? I don't know what's going to happen with all of that! But thankfully, that's not the number one focus.
A nice touch with this installment was the multiple POVs. While the first book only gave us Alice's perspective, this book had two more and it added a really interesting dynamic to the story. I love narration from a villain's point of view (and that's all I'll say, so as to avoid spoilers).
I'm anxiously awaiting the next book now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Blood, Vomit, and Violence
benmeyer50's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
zombiezami's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought this was a great improvement on and expansion of the first book. I like that this one took place in Wonderland much more. I look forward to seeing how the series will develop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Vomit, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Cursing, Grief, Dementia, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol and War
e_flah's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A Dream So Dark was a solid sequel to A Blade So Dark. We pick up almost immediately after the events of book 1, which helped keep the stakes of this book high from the very beginning. I loved getting to see more of Wonderland as the world-building is one of the elements I enjoy most about this series.
A Dream So Dark introduces some new POVs that did an excellent job raising tension across multiple storylines. It was great to see inside the heads of some characters from book 1 that I really liked as well.
There were two things that bugged me about A Dream So Dark. The first was the ending, which felt really rushed. The second was the number of obvious instances of clues that somehow none of the characters have picked up on. There have been hints about certain characters dropped since book 1 that only grew more obvious in A Dream So Dark, which made it frustrating as a reader that there's zero interrogation of these ideas on the page. I really hope we get some payoff with these ideas in A Crown So Cursed.
Overall, A Dream So Dark was a solid read that upped the stakes from book 1. The pacing was great and I was a big fan of the short chapter lengths that kept me hooked on the story. I'm looking forward to seeing where Alice's story goes next in A Crown So Cursed.
A Dream So Dark introduces some new POVs that did an excellent job raising tension across multiple storylines. It was great to see inside the heads of some characters from book 1 that I really liked as well.
There were two things that bugged me about A Dream So Dark. The first was the ending, which felt really rushed. The second was the number of obvious instances of clues that somehow none of the characters have picked up on. There have been hints about certain characters dropped since book 1 that only grew more obvious in A Dream So Dark, which made it frustrating as a reader that there's zero interrogation of these ideas on the page. I really hope we get some payoff with these ideas in A Crown So Cursed.
Overall, A Dream So Dark was a solid read that upped the stakes from book 1. The pacing was great and I was a big fan of the short chapter lengths that kept me hooked on the story. I'm looking forward to seeing where Alice's story goes next in A Crown So Cursed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Vomit, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
whysomanysams's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Death of parent
nicolaparty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Dementia
sarah984's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book felt a bit more focused than the first one - more could happen because a lot of concepts have already been explained.
The family dynamic in this one is great, and while the adventure does meander a bit (we spend way too long in one side character’s POV when they don't really have that much interesting to say) the story keeps up a good pace with lots of fun action moments.
I do still find the romances quite silly (though I do think this is the first YA I've read with a het romance where both characters were bi, which is kind of cool) and the Japanese characters seemed kind of underwritten, but overall the book was good.
The family dynamic in this one is great, and while the adventure does meander a bit (we spend way too long in one side character’s POV when they don't really have that much interesting to say) the story keeps up a good pace with lots of fun action moments.
I do still find the romances quite silly (though I do think this is the first YA I've read with a het romance where both characters were bi, which is kind of cool) and the Japanese characters seemed kind of underwritten, but overall the book was good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Dementia
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Medical content, Violence, and Vomit
yellephant's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Gore
Minor: Vomit
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