by Colleen Oakes
I like the concept of this book but am not thrilled with the execution.
The Queen of Hearts, Dinah, wasn't always evil. She was once a sweet innocent princess that loved her brother, longed for her father's approval, missed her mother. Then her world is turned upside down and the only person who can help her figure out the truth is her best friend, Wardley. Just as Dinah starts to feel as though she's onto something, her world goes from a little shaken to totally shattered -- leaving her to decide stay home and risk death or run and risk who knows what.
My biggest gripe is that little happens in this book then it still manages to end on a cliffhanger. While I love more character driven stories and don't need a lot of action, in this story it feels wrong. Something should be happening in Wonderland. Had they not tried to stretch this into the now mandatory trilogy (or beyond) it could have been great. The fact that it is clearly just a vessel to sell more books makes it just okay. I hope that with book two there are less long passages describing dresses and rooms and more story, or that book will be dropped to a two star book from this book's 3 stars. If I bother reading it. Sorry, but if I don't feel like I've completed a story, I get annoyed.
* Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in order to review it. I offered no guarantee of a positive review, though I only request books I think I'll like because why read a book you think you’ll hate?
