Blood of Wonderland

December 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-In this second installment in the series, Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland by her brutal father, the King of Hearts. She has nothing but the clothes on her back, a minuscule amount of food, a vicious brute of a steed, and a thirst for revenge for the loss of her brother, mother, and status as princess. It isn't until she is rescued by Sir Gorrann, a Spade formerly in the Cards' service, that she begins to realize that she may survive. Together, they embark across Wonderland, pursued by the king's soldiers in search of allies-the most unexpected being the Yurkei people, who have been driven from their homelands and are deeply suspicious of anyone from Wonderland. Over the course of their travels, Dinah grows from a heartbroken child into a fully trained warrior determined to wrest the throne away from her father and take her rightful place as Queen of Wonderland. But there are many secrets, lies, and plots to untwist before she can return. With the aid of Sir Gorrann, the slippery Cheshire (a man who is a great deal more than he seems), her childhood friend Wardley, and an unlikely army of Spades and Yurkei warriors, she just might succeed in her quest, but readers will have to wait until the concluding title in the trilogy to find out. VERDICT This exciting, fast-paced, plot-driven novel will keep readers up way past bedtime. Perfect for those who like Marissa Meyer's Heartless.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 8-10 Dinah, rightful heir to the throne of Wonderland, has been framed for murder and exiled, but it's her sinister half sister, Vittiore, who has long had eyes on the title of regent and is actually the one behind the murder of the Mad Hatter. All Dinah can do is try to survive in the Twisted Wood with limited supplies, hoping her dear friend Wardley will come to her rescue. What she finds hidden in the darkness, however, makes her question her father and her history all the more. Run-ins with the warrior Yunkei and Spade soldiers from the palace put her life in more danger than she could ever expect, and Dinah must learn to be brave and manage on her own. More a true adventure story than anything else, this sturdy sequel to Queen of Hearts (2016) sets up nicely for the third book in this planned trilogy. Oakes, no stranger to multibook series, knows just the right notes to hit to hook readers and make them beg for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)