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A review by queer_bookwyrm
A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, cursing, police violence mention, death of a parent mention, HP references
A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney is book one in The Nightmare-Verse series. This was a great Alice in Wonderland retelling featuring plenty of Black Girl Magic and a nerdy bisexual Black girl. Love. This was pretty fast paced and enjoyable.
We follow Alice, who after losing her father, meets Hatta who is sort of a mentor Watcher type who trains her to become a Dreamwalker. In this world, Wonderland is made up of the dreams of humans, and only humans can defeat the nightmares. When Hatta is poisoned, she must try to find the cure without putting everyone in danger, while also trying to navigate regular life in Atlanta with an overprotective mom.
I love that Alice is into cosplaying and references nerdy stuff throughout. We do get some HP references, but this also came out before we knew how awful that woman is. We also get a sapphic side couple that is a wonderful princess/knight situation. I love all the different ways the author incorporated aspects of Alice in Wonderland into the story without just making a 1:1 story. I do wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Wonderland with a little more world-building.
I look forward to book two, because as of now, it's unclear what the motives of the villain(s) are. It is a little predictable, but I think that's just the YA-ness of it. Still a fun read.
A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney is book one in The Nightmare-Verse series. This was a great Alice in Wonderland retelling featuring plenty of Black Girl Magic and a nerdy bisexual Black girl. Love. This was pretty fast paced and enjoyable.
We follow Alice, who after losing her father, meets Hatta who is sort of a mentor Watcher type who trains her to become a Dreamwalker. In this world, Wonderland is made up of the dreams of humans, and only humans can defeat the nightmares. When Hatta is poisoned, she must try to find the cure without putting everyone in danger, while also trying to navigate regular life in Atlanta with an overprotective mom.
I love that Alice is into cosplaying and references nerdy stuff throughout. We do get some HP references, but this also came out before we knew how awful that woman is. We also get a sapphic side couple that is a wonderful princess/knight situation. I love all the different ways the author incorporated aspects of Alice in Wonderland into the story without just making a 1:1 story. I do wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Wonderland with a little more world-building.
I look forward to book two, because as of now, it's unclear what the motives of the villain(s) are. It is a little predictable, but I think that's just the YA-ness of it. Still a fun read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
Minor: Police brutality and Death of parent