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L.L. McKinney
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A Blade So Black (The Nightmare-Verse Book 1) Kindle Edition

by L.L. McKinney (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 948 ratings
See all formats and editions

"A Blade So Black is the fantasy book I've been waiting for my whole life."
—Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Hate U Give

For fans of Marissa Meyer, L.L. McKinney's 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.

And don't miss the thrilling sequel, A Dream So Dark!

An Imprint Book

"Mixing elements of Alice in Wonderland and Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Delectable." —Entertainment Weekly

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Nightmare-Verse
  2. Print length
    374 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Imprint
  5. Publication date
    September 25, 2018
  6. Reading age
    14 - 18 years
  7. Grade level
    10 - 12
  8. File size
    2126 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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From the Publisher

Nightmare-Verse Banner 1
Nightmare-Verse Banner 2
A Blade So Black A Dream So Dark A Crown So Cursed
A Blade So Black A Dream So Dark A Crown So Cursed
Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
948
4.7 out of 5 stars
441
4.5 out of 5 stars
73
Price $17.66 $17.66 $17.71
Read them all! Book 1 Book 2 Book 3

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mixing elements of Alice in Wonderland and Buffy the Vampire Slayer... a delectable urban twist on beloved fantasy tales." ―Entertainment Weekly

"This really is Lewis Carroll by way of Buffy, and it makes for a fun, gritty urban fantasy." ―NPR

"With memorable characters and page-turning thrills, A Blade So Black is the fantasy book I've been waiting for my whole life. Alice is Black Girl Magic personified."
―Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Hate U Give

"I loved the 'our world' framing and the 'other world' adventure so deeply. They were at such odds, but the overall effect was just chefkiss.gif perfect."
―E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka and A Thousand Nights

"Wholly original and absolutely thrilling―A Blade So Black kicks so much (looking gl)ass."
―Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl From Everywhere

"A dark, thrilling fantasy-meets-contemporary story with a kickass heroine." ―Bustle

"Retold fairy tales have been a popular trend... but you’ve never read one quite like A Blade So Black." ―Nerdist

"A brash, refreshing, vitally diverse retelling of a classic... You need this book." ―Tor.com

"A Blade So Black is a novel that roars mightily in the face of all those Wonderland tales that have come before. L.L. McKinney is on her way to someplace special with this debut; get onboard now." ―Locus magazine

"This isn't a retelling, this is Alice in Wonderland 2.0." ―BlackSci-Fi.com

"An epic about Black Girl Magic." ―We Need Diverse Books blog

"An explosive, kickass debut... The Alice in Wonderland retelling the world has always needed." ―Booklist, starred review

"Relentless action, spiraling stakes, and a fierce heroine... A heartbreaking cliffhanger will leave fans clamoring for a sequel." ―Publishers Weekly

"A thrilling, timely novel that ensures readers will be curious for a sequel." ―Kirkus Reviews

"With a modern flair, a rich backstory, and just enough emotional heft, this particular looking glass will have readers eagerly falling through it." ―The Bulletin

"Teens will root for Alice as a strong, multidimensional black girl usually unseen in YA fiction... A must-purchase." ―School Library Journal

"A Blade So Black is a modernized version of a well-known story that retains enough of the original to be lauded by both fans of the classic and readers wholly new to Wonderland." ―Shelf Awareness

About the Author

Named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans of 2020, L.L. McKinney is a writer, a poet, and an active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, the co-founder of Juneteenth Book Fest, and the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWOCWritersHear. She’s also a gamer girl and an adamant Hei Hei stan. She is the author of A Blade So Black, A Dream So Dark, and A Crown So Cursed.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B078WZZXYQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Imprint (September 25, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2126 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 948 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
L.L. McKinney

L.L. McKinney

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Named one of the Root’s 100 most influential African Americans and BET’s 100 entertainers and innovators of the year, Leatrice “Elle” McKinney, writing as L.L. McKinney, is a bestselling author and advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, as well as the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWoCWritersHear.

A lover of comics, anime, video games, sci-fi, and fantasy, she strives to push these mediums toward representation that better reflects the diverse world we live in. Elle lives in Kansas City, spending her free time plagued by her two cats: Sir Chester Fluffmire Boopsnoot Purrington Wigglebottom Flooferson III, esquire, Baron o'Butterscotch and Lord Humphrey Blepernicus Zoomerson Wailingshire Toebeanstein Chirpingston IV, Breaker of Things I Love. Or Chester and Humphrey for short.

Her works include the Nightmare-Verse books, Escaping Mr. Rochester, Nubia: Real One through DC, Marvel’s Black Widow: Bad Blood, Power Rangers: Heir to Darkness, and more.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
948 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the characters rich and unique. They describe the story as thrilling, fun, and engaging. Readers appreciate the creativity and reimagined storytelling of a true classic. They also say the book is good, great, and doesn't disappoint. In addition, they mention the action scenes are fun and the plot is fantastic.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Character developmentEnjoymentRetellingReadabilityPlot qualityWriting quality
21 customers mention "Character development"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters rich and unique. They also appreciate the strong, brave heroine. Readers mention the book has a unique twist on Alice in Wonderland.

"...Action scenes are fun and the story draws you in! Good book to escape to." Read more

"...changed throughout the book, she became a very likeable and full of depth protagonist learning her way through both school and nightmare hunting...." Read more

"The story flowed really well, the characters really jump off of the page...." Read more

"...an interesting take on one of my favorite stories, with characters and world building that intrigued me enough to finish the book despite the small..." Read more

19 customers mention "Enjoyment"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thrilling, fun, and engaging. They say it makes fairy tales fun and inviting. Readers also mention the modern-day elements make the book interesting. Overall, they say it's a great read for teens and adults.

"This whole book for me, was very intriguing full of thrills and creativity that always kept me stuck in the book...." Read more

"...This book made fairy tales fun and inviting. Can not wait for a follow up." Read more

"...shaky, and I would've liked to see more worldbuilding, but it was a fun read nonetheless!..." Read more

"This reimagined childhood favorite grabbed my attention and kept me engaged...." Read more

18 customers mention "Retelling"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the retelling creative, compelling, and unique. They say it has an interesting premise and cast of characters. Readers also mention the concept is original, the world is fun, and the book is a good piece of science fiction with the right amount of whimsy.

"...Love the relevant social context and very light political commentary. Action scenes are fun and the story draws you in! Good book to escape to." Read more

"...But overall, its creativity and reimagined storytelling of a true classic really brought me in and seeking more, so much I wish to read it again and..." Read more

"...And, this book is incredibly diverse. There are winks to the original story like names or a certain cat clock with a wide grin...." Read more

"...It has an interesting premise and cast of characters." Read more

16 customers mention "Readability"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book good, saying it lives up to the Alice in Wonderland/BtVS promise. They also say it's a great first chapter and doesn't disappoint them at all.

"...Action scenes are fun and the story draws you in! Good book to escape to." Read more

"...How did you know I needed this in my life!?! Amazing book. Mckinney you have a new fan." Read more

"...and have us Alice Kingston - bold, brave, vulnerable and badass...." Read more

"...This fanfic didn't disappoint me at all. It kept me on edge waiting to read what was going to happen next. The more I read the better it got...." Read more

11 customers mention "Plot quality"8 positive3 negative

Customers find the plot fantastic, great, and fun. They say the story draws them in and is fast-paced. Readers also mention the book is slow to start but love the ending.

"...Action scenes are fun and the story draws you in! Good book to escape to." Read more

"The story flowed really well, the characters really jump off of the page...." Read more

"...feel like the reader is left hanging or that the storyline of this book isn't completely resolved...." Read more

"...Great for young adults looking for fast paced fantasy, drawing you into another world." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written, witty, and enjoyable.

"...She's loud, mouthy, annoying and funny as hell. And that is the charm of this novel...." Read more

"...How intriguing.... so my curiosity led me to a wonderfully written novel. I fell in love with the main character, Alice...." Read more

"...It’s so well written and thought out you just can’t help but get caught up (in a good way)...." Read more

"...It’s just really good. Quick read and well-written." Read more

Buffy x Wonderland (with Bonus Sailor Moon)
5 out of 5 stars
Buffy x Wonderland (with Bonus Sailor Moon)
♠️ Wonderland⁣🔪 Action Girl⁣💥 Fast Paced⁣💖 Sailor Moon references!!⁣😊 Great characters⁣☠️ Scary Monsters⁣🗡️ Women in Armor⁣⁣I kept seeing this one pitched as Buffy meets Wonderland, so of course I'm already obsessed. I fell in love with Alice from page one. I love her! And I love everybody else! Can't wait to start reading the rest of the series. ⁣⁣
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Top reviews from the United States

Home is Where the Heart Is
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun, relevant and vibrant world with familiar characters
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024
Verified Purchase
Great world building, with familiar elements of Alice and Wonderland but a much more diverse landscape and character set. Love the relevant social context and very light political commentary. Action scenes are fun and the story draws you in! Good book to escape to.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Great story, but complex characters
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
This whole book for me, was very intriguing full of thrills and creativity that always kept me stuck in the book. At first, its tie in with Alice and Wonderland was something used to suck me in the book at first. But as I read it, I became more and more immersed in the characters and the plot given to me with each chapter. With Alice, she appeared first as an unappealing character with no depth and quite bland. But as she changed and changed throughout the book, she became a very likeable and full of depth protagonist learning her way through both school and nightmare hunting. While I also don’t have much to say for Alice’s school friends that is positive, the mystical characters such as the Black Knight, and the princess Odabeth, were those that made me more engrossed in this story. But for me, I found the best thing was not the protagonist's spunky personality, but on creating a world inspired from a hit selling book, and reworking it as a more interesting and depth filled modern day fantasy. The author's twists and turns from each chapter always made me take in more and more from the book, and the challenges that Alice faced every chapter made the tension boil to a point that made my brain cry for more. All in all, the book had many characters and moments that did make the book less captivating and more like it tried too hard to show racial injustice. But overall, its creativity and reimagined storytelling of a true classic really brought me in and seeking more, so much I wish to read it again and again for how it envisions this modern day fantasy. I can’t wait to continue this intriguing story in its sequel, and see for myself how each character changes and morphs into something more unique than ever before.
3 people found this helpful
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Shannon
5.0 out of 5 stars Unapologetically BLACK!
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
The story flowed really well, the characters really jump off of the page. I like how it had elements of Alice in Wonderland, but it wasn't a complete retelling with a black cast. And, this book is incredibly diverse. There are winks to the original story like names or a certain cat clock with a wide grin. I also liked that she struggled to juggle her normal life and crime fighting life and that she had a mom who was overprotective. If Alice was staying out all night, she didn't have a clueless or forgiving mother. There were real problems Alice was facing.

There is a tiny bit of romance in this book but it's very organic and innocent. I liked that there wasn't an insta-love factor. I liked that Alice was unapologetically black written by an equally unapologetic author. Alice curses, she lives, she breathes, she has turn of phrases that I hear everyday from my black friends and families.

This book was so completely different from the fantasy that I'm used to reading and it was a breath of fresh air. There's something so inspiring about a black heroine in fanatical settings that's treated with the kind of focus and seriousness as any other fantasy book.
5 people found this helpful
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CJ
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for me
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
I don't know how this book slipped through the cracks on me. I'm late on this one but I couldn't sleep on reading it. Really need to get the ratings up. The spin on Alice in Wonderland...smh. How did you know I needed this in my life!?! Amazing book. Mckinney you have a new fan.
2 people found this helpful
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ファンギャル
3.0 out of 5 stars I can't get into the writing. :(
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
I've tried reading this book twice, but I can't get into how it's written. Something about the flow is off, and the terms for things of the magical world, so to speak, just make me cringe so much that I can't continue. The characters aren't gripping me either. You know if you're going to be hooked early on, and I'm not hooked. I have no problem with the genre, magic in the real world (I recently read Legendborn and loved it), and I'm excited reading a lot of novels with black female protagonists (namely sci-fi, fantasy, and sci-fi fantasy -- books like Legendborn, Conquest, Earthseed, etc.), so I appreciate this for existing and want to get into it, but it's not automatic. I'm reading some other books right now, but I'll try to return to this. So, if I do and finish it, I'll update this.
3 people found this helpful
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Shannan Triple A
5.0 out of 5 stars Intense
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024
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A dark without being like evil dark twist of the Alice stories. I'm hooked and can't wait to see what comes next
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LittleBird
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting take on the classic
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
The original Alice in Wonderland is a favorite of mine so I wondered how that would be pulled into a new telling. I enjoyed the little nods (cats named Lewis and Carol, the mention of the original Alice as the first visitor), while also appreciating that this was a new story.

The settings were beautifully described and I liked the concept of the Looking Glass pub, the nightmares, and the characters.

I have a feeling it'll be controversial, but I also appreciated the nods to real-life struggles and concerns, like raising a young black child, police shootings, and the struggles of being a blerd (black nerd) who gets called "Oreo" (because that last was my experience as a biracial child).

I don't usually read YA so the whole checking in with mom thing got a little tiresome, but I get that it was a necessary part of the story and it did add an appropriate conflict for the world as it was built.

The one thing I have to say I didn't like was the ending, which annoyed me because I feel like the reader is left hanging or that the storyline of this book isn't completely resolved. I know there's a second book coming, but it's a personal pet peeve when a story feels unfinished. That being said, I'll probably check out the second book because I kept finding myself thinking about what was happening in this story when I wasn't reading it.

4 stars for an interesting take on one of my favorite stories, with characters and world building that intrigued me enough to finish the book despite the small (personal) issues listed.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Rebecca
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story
Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2020
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This was a super enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to the next one while hating that it is not out until April. It definitely hits all the greatness of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with the engaging twist of Wonderland madness to flavor an already incredible hero.
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Margot Chaput
5.0 out of 5 stars An epic modern-day fairytale
Reviewed in France on July 21, 2020
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This book is just SO GOOD. An epic, modern-day fairytale retelling, with relatable characters and the most badass protagonist. The dark universe in which this series is build is such a magical, spooky version of the Wonderland we know, and the context of the real world where Alice lives is depicted with a striking realism rarely seen in epic fantasy sagas.
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Kayleb J
5.0 out of 5 stars Black Girl Magic abounds
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
I loved the idea behind this book, and I grabbed it for a resd, not quite expecting to be so drawn on to the characters and the story of Alice, trying to live two lives. Alice's a warrior, but she's also a teen. The relationship between a black mother, who is so afraid for her black daughter. The fruenddhips between a black teen and her white friends. They come out shouting about the differences in race and privilege.

And the other eofld, Wonderland. It's a new interpretation but...let's face it, the place was never a paradise. It was always full of light and dark, and the c8nteast. Between the two worlds is only in how these things present themselves.

Alice is badass, and she's clearly something more special than anyone has yet realised. I couldn't put this book down, highly recommended.
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Andrea
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Alice
Reviewed in Spain on May 31, 2020
Verified Purchase
All the stars. This was so good, from the beginning till the end. I must confess it took me a few chapters to get my bearings, as we go from Alice being recruited by Hatta to her first visit to Wonderland to one year and a few months into her new life as monster slayer, and I wondered for a bit why Hatta did what he did, but there was never a dull moment.

Alice was wonderful from the start. She feels profoundly and although I'm not always keen on characters who think everything is their fault, with Alice it goes much deeper. Her guilt complex makes sense, it's logical and understandable, considering what she's been through. But she gets over it and she goes to kick some monster's ass.

There's so much in this YA novel, my mind is still reeling. There's the obvious Alice in Wonderland elements, which I loved, but there's so much more. Friendship, loyalty, nightmares, grief, guilt, family, it's all there, and written with so much passion.

Oh, and can we please have a moment of appreciation for Alice's mother? She's awesome and absolutely terrifying.
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Emma Jun
3.0 out of 5 stars A book so disappointing
Reviewed in Japan on September 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
TL:DR - This is the first book in a series and wasn’t advertised as such. A few disappointments on the way only fed my frustration on reaching the “ending”.

I can’t remember the last time I felt so frustrated at a novel. I started off loving it. The main character was great. The narrative jumps, cinematic. I liked what they did with Wonderland myth. Then I kept hitting these roadblocks. Whole sections of the story I just couldn’t accept. The main character’s friend is so abusive, but she still hangs out with her because hey, that’s just her. I took it as a commentary on how white people react to black people’s problems (having a screaming mard about her missing her birthday party when the heroine is literally on the verge of death) but that argument fell apart with how accepting the other best friend is later in the story, as one example. Then the plot sets up so much and barely touches on the story. It feels like the first act of a movie and incomplete at that with how much of what was promised was delivered upon. I’m kinda mad this was a first book of a series and not advertised as such. I do not like series books because I like to have a complete story in one book (plus the following book was mentioned as a sequel not a continuation) and wouldn’t have read it if I knew it was a series. That’s my own fault though, I guess, so I don’t hold that against the book in this review, but there were too many other points that ruined it for me. What exactly was achieved here? How did the main character grow? The answer is nothing and not at all.

It had a brilliant beginning and I was really into it. I enjoyed the fresh perspective of a coloured heroine. However the writing style started to grate with me more and more throughout the book, and when other parts frustrated me I just lost patience. It’s hyperbole. Every feeling is exaggerated so much that I just become numb to it halfway through. If everything is sensationalised then nothing has an impact. And that’s the problem here. It starts off stylised, cool, impactful but like a movie that’s all CGI nonsense I got bored quickly and then frustrated. I would have forgiven it if the book had an ending, but the two problems combine (my distaste for the style and the misunderstanding/false advertising of the story).

Disappointing.
2 people found this helpful
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