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Blade So Black
Blade So Black | L L McKinney
108 posts | 90 read | 2 reading | 135 to read
A Blade So Black delivers an irresistible urban fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland . . . but it's not the Wonderland you remember. The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she's ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.Debut author L.L. McKinney delivers an action-packed twist on an old classic, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue. An Imprint Book
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review
BookmarkTavern
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Mehso-so

Alice has to juggle a protective mother, Nightmarish creatures from Wonderland only she can fight, promises to friends, & a recently poisoned mentor who needs a hidden artifact to be cured. But no big, right?

I enjoyed this a lot. I liked Alice as a character. I liked the balancing act between real life & the mystical forces she fights. But I felt really unsatisfied with the ending, & there wasn‘t a lot of character depth beyond Alice.🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

BookmarkTavern #NoBuy2023 @PuddleJumper On your shelf for over a year, #JolabokaflodSwap gift from @TheDaysGoBy Thank you again for the gift! I‘m sorry it took so long to get to it. 😅 Ah! Forgot! This was also a #14Books14Weeks read! @TheHeartlandBookFairy (edited) 7mo
TheDaysGoBy Aw no sweat! Sorry it was only a so-so! Always nice to get it off the book shelf though and make room for others 7mo
BookmarkTavern @TheDaysGoBy I did like the writing enough I‘m going to search out more by her! We‘ll see how that goes. 😁 7mo
5feet.of.fury If you do decide to continue the series, the 3rd book is finally coming out next month. I have been waiting yearssssss 7mo
77 likes4 comments
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BookmarkTavern
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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I am finding myself really empathizing with Alice‘s feelings of having everything on her shoulders and everything is her responsibility in A Blade So Black right now.

#SundayFunday Have a great day, and don‘t forget to tag me in your answers!

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sarahgreatlove
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

This was a fantastic alice in wonderland retelling. With a black protagonist, this weaves in real danger black people are facing now with the magical kind of danger that is slinking out from wonderland - nightmares, and only alice can kill them, while trying to keep it all a secret from her overprotective mother. Fabulous narration, looking forward to book 2. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

7 likes1 stack add
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peanutnine
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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An interesting Alice in Wonderland retelling ♠️
#OminousOctober #Black @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Perfect ❤️♠️ 🖤 1y
Eggs Great choice ♠️ 1y
33 likes2 comments
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MallenNC
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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#Two4Tuesday

1. In movies, I prefer super powers but in books I think magic is more interesting.

2. I don‘t know about the best, but one of the most recent ones I‘ve read with magic in it is the tagged book.

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 2y
15 likes1 comment
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5feet.of.fury
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Homage to Alice in Wonderland w/nods to Buffy &Sailor Moon. Monsters dubbed “Nightmares” -manifestations of trauma- spill over from Wonderland &can only be killed by humans. Alice is found by Addison Hatta &trained to do just that, while also trying to be a good friend and daughter.

Her white BFF Courtney tries, but can‘t relate to her struggles in Wonderland or in the real world after the death of black teen Breonne.

Male characters are 1D tho.

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5feet.of.fury
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Started this today 🎧 and it kept me entertained through 9 treadmill miles that I didn‘t really want to do after shoveling out ❄️😂🏃‍♀️

Blerdgal_Fenix This is one of my favorite series ❤️❤️🖤🖤 2y
5feet.of.fury @Blerdgal_Fenix Nice! I‘m only a couple hours in but it‘s hooked me! 2y
paperwitchs Girl getting miles and reading is SO SMART I HAVE TO TRY 2y
27 likes3 comments
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Branwen
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Your package safely arrived today, Lynn! What exciting bookmail for the weekend! 🎉🎉🎉 Thank you so very much! ❤📖❤ Chaplin was also very excited when I opened the package - he loves book mail almost as much as I do! 😁😸

@wanderinglynn #bookmail #catsoflitsy #littenkitten #chaplin

Leftcoastzen Chaplin is so adorable! 2y
wanderinglynn I am so glad it finally arrived! 😀 That took longer than normal and I was worried they got lost! 2y
49 likes2 comments
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jmtrivera
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

I don't know what it is about Alice in Wonderland, but I find retellings of it to be such fun. This one in particular includes a butt-kicking Alice, which made me happy. The pacing was off for me, though, especially when it came to balancing action-filled fight scenes and story development, but I liked it well enough to want to check out the second one.

16 likes1 stack add
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BookmarkTavern
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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@TheDaysGoBy Thank you so much for the beautiful book! I‘ve had this on my TBR forever and I am so excited to get started on it! I‘ll be taking the chocolate in to work tomorrow!

Many thanks as well to @MaleficentBookDragon for putting together such a wonderful swap for Christmas! ❤️ Happy holidays everybody and merry #JolabokaflodSwap ! 🖤📕🖤

TheDaysGoBy Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄 2y
63 likes1 comment
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wanderinglynn
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Mehso-so

This is between a pan and so-so. I‘m giving it a so-so because I appreciate what the author attempted to do. But it‘s not my cup of tea. I‘m not a big fan of retellings or reimaginings in the first place. And this one had issues with the plot, world-building, and character development. The writing was just okay. I ended up skimming the last 1/3 of the book.

Book 6 for #Screamathon + diversify your horror shelf
Book 6 for #SpookOWeen readathon

TheSpineView How disappointing. 😔 2y
Chrissyreadit I felt the same way. I had to dnf and was really bummed because I LOVE Retellings. 2y
wanderinglynn @Chrissyreadit I almost DNF‘d it but I kept thinking it would get better. It did not. 2y
83 likes3 comments
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wanderinglynn
Blade So Black | L L McKinney
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#two4tuesday

1. Tagged. I finished my last audiobook & haven‘t found another one to start yet.

2. I‘m not a fan of retellings/reimagining, & yet this one is turning out to be better than most. I like the whole Buffy meets Wonderland vibe. That being said, it‘s very YA. Do we really need a freakin‘ love🔺in every YA book? Clearly, I am not the demographic (#toomiddleaged). I predict I will rate it 3⭐️ unless it does something super dumb.

TheSpineView The love triangle is most definitely overrated and used too often. Like a crutch you no longer need. Thanks for playing! 2y
58 likes1 comment
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Lucy_Anywhere
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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#TBRPile 📚 “Alice couldn‘t cry. She couldn‘t scream. All she could do was run.”

GondorGirl This book was so good! 3y
22 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JacintaMCarter
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

#2021Book75
I've never really liked Alice in Wonderland, but for some reason, I have loved pretty much every adaptation of the story that I've read. And this one might be one of my new favorite versions. It's modern, gritty, diverse, and focuses more on the importance of family and friendship than romantic relationships. So even if you're not a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you'll still likely enjoy this book.

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Tattooedteacher
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Just received my next #LMPBC. Looks like it‘s going to be a good one… so I started right out of the package. 🤷‍♀️

peanutnine Yay! I hope you like it 😄 3y
50 likes1 comment
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MallenNC
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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This series is set in the nightmare-verse where, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer fashion, a girl named Alice fights monsters called nightmares. There‘s one book left in the trilogy, which is inspired by Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland.

#PersonVsNightmare #ConflictedWorlds

Eggs Beautiful collage ❤️💜🖤 3y
LoverOfLearning Those covers are awesome! 3y
MallenNC @LoverOfLearning I love the covers too. 3y
31 likes3 comments
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wanderinglynn
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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A perfect day to get a #VeryMerryUnbirthday box! Thank you so much Shelley! 😘💜💜💜 And yes, why I did open it sitting in my car in the post office parking lot. 😆

It‘s perfect and much needed after this long week. And this tea tin! I do love a good English tea but this tin is awesome! Plus, I was just going to buy a new journal—this one will work great! I love it all!

And I‘m so happy it‘s almost the weekend so I can dive into the book.

SeaToSkyes Yay I'm glad it finally arrived!!! And glad you like it! 😁❤️ 3y
TheBookHippie How fun is this!!!! 🐇 3y
74 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Zoe-h
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Loved it! I felt engaged since the first page and I didn‘t want it to end! I wished that there could have been a little more story featuring Alice‘s Dreamwalker training. 4⭐️

14 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MallenNC
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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This is an Alice in Wonderland inspired series where the main character fights monsters. There‘s one more in the series still to come.

#PersonVsSupernatural #ConflictedWorlds

Eggs Great cover ❤️ 🗡📖 3y
27 likes1 comment
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Zoe-h
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Just got your book, @peanutnine and @persephone1408 ! Can‘t wait to start reading!

#GroupThree @Tattooedteacher

peanutnine Yay! Hope you enjoy ☺️ 3y
13 likes1 comment
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peanutnine
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

I liked this spin on Alice in Wonderland. It's a modern, darker, creepier version of the fantasy. I won't give too much away, as this was my #LMPBC #groupB pick. I meant to send this out yesterday but the day got away from me. It will be on its way to you @persephone1408 first thing in the morning
@Tattooedteacher @Zoe-h @suvata

persephone1408 Awesome! 3y
peanutnine @persephone1408 good!! 👍🏻 3y
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persephone1408 So, where do I send it when im done??? 3y
peanutnine @persephone1408 done already? Yay! Now you send it to the next person! 3y
persephone1408 No @peanutnine I'm saying Idk who to send it to when I'm done & the address 3y
peanutnine @persephone1408 oh it's the person below you on the list. The same person you sent your book to, @Zoe-h 3y
persephone1408 What list? See I knew nothing about how this works. Or what is going on lol I'll get get the list & send this one on. Where do I find this list? @peanutnine 3y
peanutnine @persephone1408 you should have gotten an email from @suvata when you signed up with everyone's addresses 3y
persephone1408 Yea I get so much junk mail. I've been trying the #LMPBC to look for it. I thought for sure that would work. Anyway I just looked under litsy & found it. I'm gonna go send your book to Zoe because I hace no idea what to do & didn't read one of them. Maybe next time huh lol I had been wondering why I hadn't heard anything about it! 3y
35 likes10 comments
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peanutnine
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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13 hours read so far for the #20in4 readathon. I'll get a few more hours in tonight, especially now that I have Ben as my cuddle buddy 😻
#catsoflitsy @Andrew65

BookNAround What a snuggle kitty! 3y
peanutnine @BookNAround he is the most clingy cat I have ever met! Whenever I sit down, he wants to be next to me or on top of me 😂 3y
Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 3y
41 likes3 comments
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Brooke_H
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Panpan

Meh, it wasn‘t for me. I won‘t be reading the next one.

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MallenNC
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Alice in Wonderland is not my favorite but I couldn‘t resist this cover. The book is described as Alice in Wonderland + Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For me, Buffy comes through stronger. Alice is a teenager in Atlanta who ends up fighting creatures called Nightmares while trying not to get in too much trouble with her mom. The audiobook was fun. This ends on a cliffhanger so I‘ll have to see where the series goes!

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howjessicareads
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Just finished! And really liked it! Woot! 21 books in the first 21 (and a half) days of the 21st year of the 21st century! I love being a nerd. 🤣 #howjessreads2021

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Gissy
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

At the beginning I found this retelling quite boring but then it was pure action. I like the concepts of nightmare and dreamwalkers which have some psychological elements to explain what was happening. I think the end was perfect to continue the story. However, in some parts I found the story almost like middle grade one than YA, but that‘s my opinion. Author‘s acknowledgment was so emotional! Definitely I will continue this story. 3.4⭐️

51 likes5 comments
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StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

An action-packed, Alice meets Buffy, YA adaptation. And of course it ends on a cliffhanger. ♥️♠️♦️♣️
#FairytaleReadingChallenge @Charityann

Powered_By_Plants Ooh this one sounded great! Glad you liked it ❤️ ♠️ 3y
104 likes1 comment
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Addison_Reads
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

#fairytalereadingchallenge @Charityann

I really enjoyed this diverse, action-packed, darker retelling of Alice in Wonderland. The idea of the nightmares was a great touch and I loved the Gothic Tweedles. 😀

This book ends on a cliffhanger though, so I'll have to get my hands on the second one asap.

wanderinglynn Ooh, that sounds interesting. 👍🏻 3y
Charityann This one is on my TBR list too.😊 3y
38 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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Skeeterisme
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Awesome

42 likes1 stack add
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Liatrek
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

I am always so grateful for fantasy books that feature POC as the MC. I wish more books like this were around when I was a kid. I enjoyed the characters and the story but there were some YA elements that bugged me but that was more from me being a mom now 😊 I‘m looking forward to reading the next books in the series. Also, I ❤️ this cover so much!

92 likes3 stack adds
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Liatrek
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Sadly I remember being called that in Highshcool for the things I loved. I asked my son and he said yeah he had been called a version of this too. I hope one day people can love what they love and not be judge or name called ❤️

howjessicareads ☹️❤️ 4y
VeganCleopatra Sorry, people suck. I hope it never kept you from being you. 4y
Butterfinger I hate that. I hope you and your son have a Chess to remind you both of how cool you really are. 4y
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Liatrek @VeganCleopatra Thank you❤️ 4y
Liatrek @Butterfinger Thank you ❤️ 4y
67 likes6 comments
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Bookgoil
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Currently I‘m reading 4 books. I‘m hoping to finish the top two today and then focus on the other two this weekend. A Blade So Black and Truly Devious are my audiobook reads and Blackhearts I own a physical copy. Truelif3 I have a eARC on my Kindle.

What are you reading? #currentlyreading

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living.dead.ghoul.writes
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Muchness: the part of you that believes in yourself even when the rest of you doesn't.

8 likes1 stack add
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Kar2b
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Curioser and curioser... This was such an interesting take on Wonderland. I loved Alice. She is smart, funny and brave. The Wonderland crew: Hatta, Maddi, Duchess and the rest are all uniquely quirky. Wonderland itself it stunning in McKinney‘s descriptive prose. I read this in one day and immediately ordered the sequel. The only thing that makes me sad is I have to wait until next March for the final installment in the trilogy.

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LibrarianRyan
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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For #blackoutTuesday and #blackpublishingpower I went and splurged on a trilogy. Books 1 and 2 are out now, but I‘ll have to wait til April 2021 for book 3.

Most of the new/newer titles were sold out so I will have to try again for those later.

Plus I supported indies by using Bookshop.org.

bibliobard Thanks for posting this! Just placed an order for two books — one that has been on my TBR for awhile and I finally bought and the other is on backorder due to demand I suppose. 4y
LibrarianRyan @Shakespearience yes the #blackpublishingpower has been working. Hopefully it lasts and we see more representation in what and who we read. 4y
Kar2b I‘m going to start “A Blade So Black” tonight... I‘ve had it on my TBR shelf. 4y
64 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Robii
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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👌🏾👍🏾

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ErikaB
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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As I was saving things to my Scribd list (unsurprisingly over 400 items in a just a few weeks), I realized I somehow left this title off of my favorites of 2019 post. I love darker retelling of classics (I‘ll take “Return to Oz” over “The Wizard of Oz” any day) and this one didn‘t disappoint, with a very strong heroine and a Wonderland that was unsettling enough to make the stakes feel real. I need to move the sequel higher up on my TBR.

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Chrissyreadit
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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@TheAromaofBooks here are my April #bookspin choices. I‘m just replacing the ones I‘ve read with new from my TBR. I‘m having a hard time getting into A Blade So Black - has anyone else read it?

TK421 I loved Six of Crows! I hope you enjoy it too.☺ 4y
Clare-Dragonfly I didn‘t think A Blade So Black was anything special—rather disappointing. If you‘re looking for a blessing to bail, I say go right ahead. 4y
Chrissyreadit @Clare-Dragonfly yes- I rarely bail but I think this one will go on a back burner at least. 4y
See All 10 Comments
Chrissyreadit @TK421 I will go where the #bookspin takes me 🤣 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great list!! Can't wait to see what #bookspin fates choose for you! 😁 4y
JamieArc I was disappointed with A Blade So Black as well. I felt like it had potential to be a great story but should have been fleshed out - that one book could have been 3. 4y
BethM Looks like some great choices! 4y
Amandajoy I thought it was entertaining. I tried to remember that I‘m not the target audience. And I think it‘s her first book, so I was a little more patient with it. (edited) 4y
BookLove4Ever I loved Well Met! 4y
Kenyazero These look like a great selection! 4y
95 likes1 stack add10 comments
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brandierickson
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Favorite tea ✔️ Favorite bookmark ✔️ Yet another Alice in Wonderland retelling ✔️

Blerdgal_Fenix Loved this book !! Have you read the second one ?! 4y
brandierickson @Blerdgal_Fenix not yet!! I have it on hold at the library though! 4y
16 likes2 comments
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Chittavrtti
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney

I read all the Alice rewrites:) A book probably best borrowed from the library. I‘m curious how it all ends. But not enough to buy it for my collection.

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Amandajoy
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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The husband tried to prevent me from taking his spot on the couch when he went to the bathroom by taking my book with him. Little did he realize I had another one within arms reach. 😂

wanderinglynn 😂😂😂 4y
Tracyantoon Well played😉 4y
Amandajoy @wanderinglynn @Tracyantoon my husband was not amused, but I couldn‘t stop laughing when he returned. 4y
50 likes3 comments
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Eggbeater
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Curiouser and curiouser. This story is a great take on Alice in Wonderland. It does leave a lot of unanswered questions, so you have to read the next installment, but it is very imaginative like Alice should be. The characters are entertaining and well fleshed out. There is a lot of action and heroic fight scenes with creatively realized nightmarish creatures. I appreciate Alice's story within the story.

HOTPock3tt I‘m so curious about this one!! 😃♥️ 4y
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Victoriahoperose
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

I read this one for #booked2019 for the #pocmcparanormal prompt. I love Alice in Wonderland and thought this was a great modern day retelling of the original. I thought the characters and plot were really fun and exciting and the way that they incorporated bits of the original were really interesting. This reminded me a little bit of The Mortal Instruments series, which I also love. I thought this was a really fun and exciting book!

BarbaraTheBibliophage Fun pick! Good job on another prompt! ♥️📚👊🏻 4y
Cinfhen Agreeing with @BarbaraTheBibliophage cool choice 😁 4y
25 likes2 comments
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Laughterhp
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Sigh, has anyone read this book? I‘m about halfway through and I‘m just struggling to turn this on and listen.

It‘s just so YA! And I don‘t really care about Alice‘s journey unfortunately.

This was supposed to be my book for POC Main Character paranormal read for #Booked2019 but I don‘t know if I have another 5 hours in me.

Is this book worth it? If not, suggestions welcome (not YA).

Hooked_on_books Oh yeah, Dread Nation is awesome! 4y
KT1432 I don't typically like these YA novels either...😕 This one seems to be pretty popular and should fit in your prompt 4y
See All 6 Comments
Chrissyreadit I‘m having a hard time getting into this book and I stink at bailing. 4y
Laughterhp @Chrissyreadit Oh no.. honestly, I would just bail. I did... 😬😬 Are you reading it or listening? 4y
Chrissyreadit @Laughterhp I‘m reading on kindle app. I think I will just bail- life‘s to short 🤣 4y
38 likes6 comments
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Liatrek
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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review
Lovesbooks87
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

Forgot to post this yesterday. Alice is a kick ass teenager that battles monstrous creatures in a dream realm known as wonderland. But when a creature starts to show up in her world it changes all the rules. I finished this just in time yesterday for the sequel to show up at my doorstep.

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Skygoddess1
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Last night, my Mom and I went to our local Independent Bookstore, Tattered Cover‘s, Private shopping event for their members and I came away with a great and diverse range of books. Now to figure out where to start.

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Blerdgal_Fenix
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
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Pickpick

OMG fun read. I give it 8 out of 10. Wish I had this as Commuter read but sitting a salon chair for 5+ hours allows you to focus on the task at hand. I will say, this should have been on my fall commuting list because the next installment comes in Sept 2019. So now I have to wait a little bit to find out what happens next. They got me curiouser and curiouser.... #femalelead #poc #fantasy #wonderland