If she became queen of Wonderland, she promised
herself she wouldn’t become steeped in madness. She refused to be like the rest,
who relished the fall of the axe and the rush of red blood from the beheadings
of questionable criminals.
Dinah’s father was the king of Wonderland, and she was
the cities princess, which caused her emotional pain each time an innocent head
rolled off the chopping block for the towns people and their children to
witness. Winding tendrils of guilt entered Dinah’s mind.
Colleen Oakes wrote a tantalizing tale of Lewis
Carroll’s 1865 “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Many moons ago, and by sheer
chance, I acquired book two of this trilogy at the dollar store and read it
first. As soon I finished reading “Blood of Wonderland,” I immediately purchased
“Queen of Hearts” and “War of the Cards” and none of the books disappointed.
Oakes has a great writing style, and the vast array of
characters was a bit much at times, but she neatly weaved the story together
and she wittingly detailed romance with medieval war violence.
The plot is simple yet complex, and it’s not
predictable. By the middle of the second book, “Blood of Wonderland,” I assumed
Dinah would become queen of Wonderland, and the man she loved and romanced,
Wardley would be her husband and King. Even thinking I had the ending pegged
before starting the last book, “War of the Cards,” the characters and the tale
seized my senses along with Oakes writing prowess.
Three and half stars is my rating for this fascinating
trilogy of Wonderland, and I’m not much of a fan for fantasy books, but I really
dug the writing style of Colleen Oakes.
Mark Izzy Schurr
