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arnrockwell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
A Blade So Black is the first in a series of YA novels that serve as a re-imagining of two Lewis Carroll stories: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.
Alice is a teenage Black girl who runs off after learning of the death of her father, and is attacked by a horrific beast only she can see. She is rescued by Addison Hatta, a resident of Wonderland, and begins her training as a Dreamwalker.
This interpretation of Wonderland is a world of dreams that is affected by the energy of humans. Positive energy and dreams turn Wonderland into a beautiful paradise. Negative energy and dreams corrupt Wonderland and spawn Nightmares, beasts whose goal is to make their way into our world so they can cause havoc. If they succeed in crossing the veil into our world, they get much stronger.
This is where Dreamwalkers come in. Dreamwalkers are humans who can see the Nightmares. They wield special weapons when, combined with their "muchness," destroys the Nightmare for good. A resident of Wonderland can fight them as well, but are incapable of destroying them, only defeating them temporarily.
Alice herself has to deal with not only high school (which is thankfully minimal in this book) but also her friends and mother, who can't know the truth about what she does. The only person who knows about Alice's Wonderland stuff is Courtney, Alice's best friend and a white girl who helps to cover for her when she needs to do her Dreamwalker duties. Said duties become harder after a shooting occurs in her home city of Atlanta, which prompts her mother to become even more protective of her than before.
I wasn't sure how much I would like this book at first. I love Carroll's Alice tales and jump at the chance to read any book based on them. By the end of the book, I was hooked. The action, the revelations, even a bit of romance. The only reason why I gave this book 4.5-stars instead of 5 is because I'm hoping the next book will be better.
If you want a book with action, Sailor Moon references and lots of Black girl magic, pick this one up. You will not be disappointed.
Alice is a teenage Black girl who runs off after learning of the death of her father, and is attacked by a horrific beast only she can see. She is rescued by Addison Hatta, a resident of Wonderland, and begins her training as a Dreamwalker.
This interpretation of Wonderland is a world of dreams that is affected by the energy of humans. Positive energy and dreams turn Wonderland into a beautiful paradise. Negative energy and dreams corrupt Wonderland and spawn Nightmares, beasts whose goal is to make their way into our world so they can cause havoc. If they succeed in crossing the veil into our world, they get much stronger.
This is where Dreamwalkers come in. Dreamwalkers are humans who can see the Nightmares. They wield special weapons when, combined with their "muchness," destroys the Nightmare for good. A resident of Wonderland can fight them as well, but are incapable of destroying them, only defeating them temporarily.
Alice herself has to deal with not only high school (which is thankfully minimal in this book) but also her friends and mother, who can't know the truth about what she does. The only person who knows about Alice's Wonderland stuff is Courtney, Alice's best friend and a white girl who helps to cover for her when she needs to do her Dreamwalker duties. Said duties become harder after a shooting occurs in her home city of Atlanta, which prompts her mother to become even more protective of her than before.
I wasn't sure how much I would like this book at first. I love Carroll's Alice tales and jump at the chance to read any book based on them. By the end of the book, I was hooked. The action, the revelations, even a bit of romance. The only reason why I gave this book 4.5-stars instead of 5 is because I'm hoping the next book will be better.
If you want a book with action, Sailor Moon references and lots of Black girl magic, pick this one up. You will not be disappointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Racism
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