Queen of Hearts, volume one: The Crown

Title: Queen of Hearts, volume one: The Crown
Author: Colleen Oakes
Genre: Teens and YA
Publisher: Sparkpress
Publish Date:  February 14th, 2014
Pages:  kindle edition: N/A
ISBN:  9781940716022
Obtained:  Free review copy from Netgalley
Synopsis: As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.
When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.
Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinah’s furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath. Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.


There are many takes on Alice in Wonderland. Not just books but movies as well. Some of them are pretty good and some are of questionable quality. I'm thankful that “Queen of Hearts, volume one: The Crown” fell into the pretty good camp.

The main character of the book is a girl named Dinah who is a princess of Wonderland. She is next in line for the throne after her father as her brother sadly is not up to the task. Speaking of which, I thought this version of the Mad Hatter was an interesting change. Dinah's father has always been unkind and seemed to dislike Dinah. But things get worse when her father brings home a supposed illegitimate daughter.

There is a dark vibe to this book that I like. And the last few chapters of the book get pretty exciting. From the way the book ends I’m only interested in reading more to know what happens. I'll be keeping an eye for the next book for sure.

RATING: 8 out of 10