A Dream So Dark (Nightmare-Verse #2) by L.L. McKinney

"Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates), Alice must abandon her friends to complete her mission: find The Heart and prevent the Red Lady's rise. But the deeper she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wits end that she realizes—Wonderland is trying to save her.

There’s a new player on the board; a poet capable of using Nightmares to not only influence the living but raise the dead. This Poet is looking to claim the Black Queen’s power—and Alice's budding abilities—as their own.

Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope of defeating this mystery poet’s magic, Alice must confront the worst in herself, in the people she loves, and in the very nature of fear itself."

This book was action-packed! I listened to the audiobook and had to keep rewinding because I’d realize two minutes later that I missed something. This book gave us a glimpse of the beginning of Wonderland’s corruption and we get so see more of Wonderland in general. This book was also a lot more queer which I loved. But I also really appreciated that while Alice occasionally mentioned her love interests, it certainly didn’t monopolize her thoughts. She was much more focused on her goal to save Wonderland and the world. Also, Alice’s mother is a gem and I love her. This book had three different points of view and because of that the audiobook had three narrators! Which was really fun to listen to. Jeanette Illidge reprised her role as Alice and was joined by Jacob York and Matthew Barnes.

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Genre: ya, contemporary, lgbtqia+

Representation: bi/pan, wlw, mlm

Content Warnings: fantasy violence & gore, kidnapping, death of a parent