2023 PopSugar Challenge:a book written during NaNoWriMo

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Alice is a 17 year old living in Atlanta. She appears to be your average high-schooler with an over protective mother and a somewhat self-absorbed best friend. But in reality she is a Dreamwalker - a human who has the ability to travel to Wonderland to protect the world from Nightmares (human fears made manifest and dangerous)

When her mentor, Addison Hatta, is poisoned, Alice finds herself having to travel to Wonderland to find a way to save him and the real world, without getting grounded for the rest of her natural born life.

++++

I liked the general premise of the book. A unique re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, with a strong Black girl in the lead role. I liked the way Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, the Mad Hatter, the Door Mouse and the Cheshire Cat were reworked.

What I didn't like was the "unrequited love" Alice feels for Hatta. But the thing is, I did not feel the chemistry that is supposed to be there. It felt forced.

I may or may not seek out the next book, but if I do, it will not be anytime soon.



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