A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“He pressed a hand to his chest. ‘I’m Addison Hatta.’
Bands of silver gleamed on each of his fingers . . .
When he wiggled them, her eyes shot to his face, then the hilt of the sword peeking over his shoulder.
A freaking sword.”
A present day retelling of Alice in Wonderland, Alice Kingston finds herself within a world of the supernatural among curious friends and the sudden onslaught of fiends. After a live-saving event from boy named Addison Hatta, Alice begins her journey as a mentee to the green-haired, “punk rock price” and turns into a kick-ass fighter of Nightmares: dark, monstrous creatures who have infiltrated Wonderland and have even crossed over into the human realm, Alice’s home of Atlanta. With the guidance of the attractive, fierce, yet witty Addison Hatta, along with fellow Dreamwalkers like herself, Alice dives into becoming a warrior for the colorful realm of Wonderland. When a new, sudden, and dangerous evil emerges and threatens to infiltrate and destroy both of her worlds, Alice struggles to be in both places at once; in Atlanta as the daughter her mother needs her to be, the attentive friend, and the good student or the savior that all of Wonderland, Hatta, and her friends on the other side of the Looking Glass need her to be
L.L. McKinney does a fabulous job at creating characters that the world is already familiar with, but giving them her own style and personality. I enjoyed Hatta’s character most – whereas I’m familiar with Lewis Carroll’s older gentleman with the big green hat, or Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, McKinney’s “Hatta” gives the character a new take, that being a very attractive young warrior with iridescent eyes, green hair, and a punk-rock look. It was also a very big breath of fresh air to have Alice be a powerful (and adorably nerdy) black girl, growing up in Atlanta, Georgia with problems about completing homework assignments, being a best friend, a good daughter to a single mother while also fighting monsters on the side.
While I enjoyed reading this book for the most part, one part that I wish there was more of was ROMANCE, I wish Alice and Hatta had more chances of being involved with one another, but again this is only book one, so who knows, we may see more of Addison Hatta and Alice in a more romantic light.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition on Lewis Carroll’s Alice, and so glad that McKinney was able to give it a more darker yet relatable feel while also staying true to the familiar characters we know such as the Mad Hatter, The Tweedles, The Queens, and of course Alice.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, fantasy, a badass female lead, eccentric characters, and story-retellings – you’re going to love this one!
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