Queen of Hearts
Written by Colleen Oakes
Narrated by Moira Quirk
4/5
()
About this audiobook
The first novel in Colleen Oakes’s epic, imaginative and twisted series, perfect for fans of Dorothy Must Die and Heartless, tackles the origin of one of the most infamous villains—the Queen of Hearts.
This is not the story of the Wonderland we know. Alice has not fallen down a rabbit hole. This is a Wonderland where beneath each smile lies a secret, each tart comes with a demand, and only prisoners tell the truth.
Dinah is the princess who will one day reign over Wonderland. She has not yet seen the dark depths of her kingdom; she longs only for her father’s approval and a future with the boy she loves. But when a betrayal breaks her heart and threatens her throne, she is launched into Wonderland’s dangerous political game. Dinah must stay one step ahead of her cunning enemies or she’ll lose not just the crown but her head.
Don’t miss Blood of Wonderland, the must-read sequel to Dinah’s story!
Colleen Oakes
Colleen Oakes is the bestselling author of books for both teens and adults, including the Queen of Hearts trilogy and the Wendy Darling saga. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son and surrounds herself with the most lovely family and friends imaginable. When not penning new books, Colleen can be found swimming, traveling, reading, or advocating for adoption and literacy. Visit her at www.colleenoakes.com.
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Blood of Wonderland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5War of the Cards Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Black Coats Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Queen of Hearts
138 ratings13 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"She was learning quickly that what was right and what must happen weren't always the same thing."This is one of those moments where I wish we could do away with star ratings.I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I don't think it's terrible. There were multiple times in the book where I was so pulled in, I tightly gripped the book, and had it very close to my face.Unfortunately, all of those moments ended quickly.This book had so many great concepts, but nothing was ever fleshed out. Including the characters, especially the main character Dinah, who I found to be weak/flat. I read with a sort of detachment at times. She seemed to be naive, and without any instincts. She had to be talked into things often. One time, she finally had some ideas of her own, some courage, and she took action. I thought this was character growth. But after that adventure she went right back to being naive and dull.What I did like (besides all the moments that started out good before falling flat) was the banter between Dinah and Wardley, and her relationship with Harris, her guardian.It was the last 15 or so pages that gave me hope for the next book, but even then I am not sure I will check it out.I had a sense throughout that the editor didn't do their job, or that perhaps there wasn't one? For a HarperTeen/ Epic Reads book, I was quite disappointed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If “Alice: Return to Madness” was turned into a novel with the Red Queen as the protagonist, this would be it. I absolutely loved this book and the dark twist it spins on this classic and iconic tale.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I loved retellings but I especially love ones about Alice in Wonderland. This book had so many things I loved about the original story but was different enough that it was a unique and fresh twist. I’m excited to see where this series leads.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was an interesting and fast pace storyline of the queen of hearts back story. Im interested in the rest of the story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book. The narrator did a great job of bringing me into Wonderland with all the characters. Can’t wait to star the next book!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.9! I can't wait to read the second one in the series!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5excellent book! can not wait to read the second one!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC!
Similar to Gregory Maguire's creative retelling of children's stories, Colleen Oakes has given us an interesting and imaginative back story for the Queen of Hearts. Just giving the reader enough information to draw them in and leave them wanting more, Oakes weaves a tale of abuse and neglect with the hint and promise of romance to come. I will anxiously await the second book in this new and exciting series. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I probably shouldn't leave a review of a book that I gave up on so quickly, but honestly, the writing was SO. INSUFFERABLE. Painful dialogue. Laden descriptions. Adverbs adverbs adverbs. Unlikable main character. So. Many. Clothing descriptions in the first ten pages.
Maybe it gets better? I just couldn't do it. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From start to finish this book had me guessing what was going to happen next. I enjoyed that the plot was constantly leading new places with new characters, however I did find the start of the book a little slow. I was glad I held on for the first few chapters. One character trait that annoyed me about Dinah is that whenever she was told to not do something she would literally do the opposite. Perhaps is Colleen's way of making her independent but it was a step back for me. I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a good adventure book with plot twists and an interest in Alice in Wonderland.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I love all things Alice and will read any Alice pastiche you put in front of me, but I'm beginning to re-think that position. First, there was Gregory Maguires After Alice and now this.
I'm all for giving the "villain" a backstory and making him or her into a hero, or at least a good anti-hero. But FFS, make your protagonist likable. And, if you're going to use Lewis Carroll's works as your inspiration, at least try to do more than pay vague lip service to his characters. This felt more like it was set in some obscure corner of Oz than in Wonderland and none of the identifiable Carroll characters were really much like their originals at all. The book actually had the potential to be an entertaining YA fantasy, but the awkward, failed attempts to tie it in to Carroll's works (and the prose that was more Middle Reader than YA) distracted from what good there might have been. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A disappointing retelling.Opening Sentence: ”Oh, my future Queen, you’re late!”The Review:The Queen of Hearts is Dinah’s story (who knew that was her name???). We’ve all heard of her at some point, the crazy queen from Alice in Wonderland who commands the heart cards and is always screaming ‘off with their heads!’ Well, this book tells the story from her eyes and it is quite unexpected.Dinah lives with her cruel father, the King of Hearts, and her mad brother, Charles (aka the Mad Hatter). Charles isn’t sane enough to be king and so by default Dinah is heir to the crown. She begs for her father’s love and admiration but soon realises that he is a horrible dictator and cares only for power. That wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for Vittoire, the King’s bastard daughter. He brings her into their house and she is everything Dinah is not: pretty, dainty and loved by everyone including their father.I am a huge fan of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton’s take on the story and the Splintered series by A.G. Howard (a darker more punk/gothic retelling). So I hoped I would love this book as much, especially as I’ve read some positive reviews…Sadly, the story dragged. It wasn’t until the trip to the black towers that I began feeling engaged with the storyline. I felt sorry for Dinah but I didn’t think there was anything spectacular about the plot. It felt to me like characters that were already loved by everyone we’re being reused in another story.Cheshire was more cunning than I remembered but aside from him, none of the characters were exceptional. My love for all things Alice will continue and though the author tried to make the setting as bizarre and quirky as possible, I just didn’t think it was enough.Notable Scene:“Easy? It’s madness. This is a suicide mission. And for what?”Dinah raised herself up from the bench and took his arm gently. “For the future queen to have the upper hand before her coronation. For not wondering what if? For answers that have never been given to me, and never will be. For the possibility of understanding something about this place.”“And if I lose my head?” Wardley asked.“Then I will be very sorry,” she said. “It is a lovely head.”FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Queen of Hearts. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"She was learning quickly that what was right and what must happen weren't always the same thing."This is one of those moments where I wish we could do away with star ratings.I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I don't think it's terrible. There were multiple times in the book where I was so pulled in, I tightly gripped the book, and had it very close to my face.Unfortunately, all of those moments ended quickly.This book had so many great concepts, but nothing was ever fleshed out. Including the characters, especially the main character Dinah, who I found to be weak/flat. I read with a sort of detachment at times. She seemed to be naive, and without any instincts. She had to be talked into things often. One time, she finally had some ideas of her own, some courage, and she took action. I thought this was character growth. But after that adventure she went right back to being naive and dull.What I did like (besides all the moments that started out good before falling flat) was the banter between Dinah and Wardley, and her relationship with Harris, her guardian.It was the last 15 or so pages that gave me hope for the next book, but even then I am not sure I will check it out.I had a sense throughout that the editor didn't do their job, or that perhaps there wasn't one? For a HarperTeen/ Epic Reads book, I was quite disappointed.