War of the Cards

Dinah wants to be queen.  She NEEDS to be queen, but In order to get her crown from the tyrant she thought was her father, she must fight everyone, including herself. 
In this conclusion to The Queen of Hearts trilogy, I was not disappointed.  Colleen Oakes has further outdone herself with the continuing magic that created Wonderland and the characters that occupy it.  I started this book and could not put it down until I was finished.
Dinah’s internal struggles, her conquest of her puppet masters, and her stepping into her true place are things many young women can identify with.  Though it is a fantasy novel, its ability to connect with readers through Dinah holds it above YA realism with similar themes.

Blood of Wonderland

In this second installment of the Queen of Hearts trilogy, Oakes ups the stakes once again.  Dinah is exiled, on the run from the King of Hearts as a scapegoat for his grab at absolute power.  Her younger brother, the Mad Hatter, has been killed by the King, and her half-sister is now a puppet queen.  The young former princess is losing herself in the Twisted Wood, running from the King and his loyal Cards.  Hope seems lost when a party catches up to her, but a rogue Spade, Sir Gorrann, finds her in time.

Like all young women, Dinah is set upon a journey with no end, no logical one in any case. Surrounded by others who knew its purpose, while she was ignorant of all the intricacies.  Oakes elegantly takes a well known antagonist and shows her humanity, her pain, her growth, and even her broken heart.  Awakened to the machinations of the men around her, Dinah takes her crown, and prepares to conquer not only the king, but herself.

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

A new look into the story of a classic villain, Queen of Hearts is a fresh take on the character of the notorious queen of Wonderland.

Before Alice came down the rabbit hole, Dinah was a princess and heir to the throne of Wonderland.  As a princess, Dinah had in depth training and restrictive social protocols to adapt and overcome.  She had responsibility to her family, her mad younger brother and the memory of her dead mother, as well as a constant battle with the tyrant her father, the king, had become.  Her life is going well, or was at least somewhat normal for a princess.  Until her father brings her half sister to court.

Lewis Carol’s classic is given wings in this interpretation of the Red Queen’s story.  By putting human faces on the fantastic characters we already know and love, Oakes pulls the reader fully into her version of Wonderland.  From conspiracy to adventure, childhood to first love, there’s an identifiable character for everyone who reads it.

An overall thrilling start to the series, and I look forward to more.