A Blade So Black (Nightmare-Verse #1) by L.L. McKinney
"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."
“But there's a difference between being able to handle trouble and walking face-first into it.”
― L.L. McKinney, A Blade So Black
Anyone who knows me, knows I am a sucker for Alice in Wonderland retellings. This one did not disappoint. Alice is a complete badass, slaying Nightmares and keeping our world and Wonderland safe from them. But also trying to balance her regular life and an overprotective mother. I got really strong Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes from this book, which I think is about the only thing that could make an Alice in Wonderland retelling better is channel Buffy while doing it.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and Jeanette Illidge was such a wonderful narrator to this story. And since I’ve already started the sequel, I would most definitely recommend this one.
Genre: ya, retellings, fantasy, contemporary, lgbtqia+
Representation: BIPOC MC, Bi MC, lesbian side characters
Content Warnings: Death (parent), Shooting (mentioned), Violence