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A review by em_thebookish_girl
Queen of Madness by Lee Jacquot
5.0
Queen of Madness is book #1 in The Wicked Wonderland duet. It's a dark mafia bodyguard romance and an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired novel/duet (not fantasy or a retelling). And it's also a diverse read: POC and LGBT representation. This novel is different from Lee Jacquot's previous work; there are more darker aspects. And I was looking forward to reading this book because I just love reading dark romances; it's one of my guilty pleasures. The epilogue of "The Masks We Burn" gave a little snippet to this novel. Its multiple POV, but, it's mainly navigated from the main characters' perspectives: Ezekiel "Zek/Z" and Onyx's. There are multiple timelines, namely the female MC Onyx's past.
After a few pages in, the plot immediately thickened, and it got more interesting as I turned each page! Although, I watched bits and pieces of "Alice in Wonderland", and I have yet to read the book, I did spot a few "easter eggs"/references. And I liked how Lee tied in these references to the characters. Onyx is a badass female MC: she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty, or more like bloody. She's wickedly smart and lethal; Onyx has a dark, dangerous aura, but then again, so does Z. And I guess you can say that their "darkness" called out to one another, recognizing each other. And the tension between them! Things did get pretty steamy from time to time. They were both equally stubborn and domineering; it was like a never ending game between them, a constant power struggle, waiting to see who would yield first. And Z sure did get under Onyx's skin, making her feel vulnerable.
Queen of Madness has a great world and character arc building up. Even though I'm not a huge fan of multiple POVs, I immensely enjoyed reading the side characters' perspectives; I gained more insight into Onyx's character from their lens'. I don't want to give too many spoilers away because it's better to go in blind. But, basically, Onyx is a crime boss: from a young age, Onyx was trained to take over her father's role and empire. Zek or Z is in a rather difficult situation, and because of this "situation", he's at Onyx's doorstep. Z is aware of how dangerous Onyx is, but this didn't stop him from being attracted to her. Z has a soft spot for the women in his life: his mother and sister. He's caring and would go to any means necessary to protect them from any harm. Overall, another fantastic read by Lee Jacquot; I love her work, and she executed this book phenomenally! But the ending though! Can't wait to read book #2!
**I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review
After a few pages in, the plot immediately thickened, and it got more interesting as I turned each page! Although, I watched bits and pieces of "Alice in Wonderland", and I have yet to read the book, I did spot a few "easter eggs"/references. And I liked how Lee tied in these references to the characters. Onyx is a badass female MC: she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty, or more like bloody. She's wickedly smart and lethal; Onyx has a dark, dangerous aura, but then again, so does Z. And I guess you can say that their "darkness" called out to one another, recognizing each other. And the tension between them! Things did get pretty steamy from time to time. They were both equally stubborn and domineering; it was like a never ending game between them, a constant power struggle, waiting to see who would yield first. And Z sure did get under Onyx's skin, making her feel vulnerable.
Queen of Madness has a great world and character arc building up. Even though I'm not a huge fan of multiple POVs, I immensely enjoyed reading the side characters' perspectives; I gained more insight into Onyx's character from their lens'. I don't want to give too many spoilers away because it's better to go in blind. But, basically, Onyx is a crime boss: from a young age, Onyx was trained to take over her father's role and empire. Zek or Z is in a rather difficult situation, and because of this "situation", he's at Onyx's doorstep. Z is aware of how dangerous Onyx is, but this didn't stop him from being attracted to her. Z has a soft spot for the women in his life: his mother and sister. He's caring and would go to any means necessary to protect them from any harm. Overall, another fantastic read by Lee Jacquot; I love her work, and she executed this book phenomenally! But the ending though! Can't wait to read book #2!
**I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review