title: Blood of Wonderland (Queen of Hearts)
author:  Colleen Oakes 
description: Gr 8 UpIn this second installment in the series, Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland by her brutal father, the King of Hearts. She has nothing but the clothes on her back, a minuscule amount of food, a vicious brute of a steed, and a thirst for revenge for the loss of her brother, mother, and status as princess. It isn't until she is rescued by Sir Gorrann, a Spade formerly in the Cards' service, that she begins to realize that she may survive. Together, they embark across Wonderland, pursued by the king's soldiers in search of alliesthe most unexpected being the Yurkei people, who have been driven from their homelands and are deeply suspicious of anyone from Wonderland. Over the course of their travels, Dinah grows from a heartbroken child into a fully trained warrior determined to wrest the throne away from her father and take her rightful place as Queen of Wonderland. But there are many secrets, lies, and plots to untwist before she can return. With the aid of Sir Gorrann, the slippery Cheshire (a man who is a great deal more than he seems), her childhood friend Wardley, and an unlikely army of Spades and Yurkei warriors, she just might succeed in her quest, but readers will have to wait until the concluding title in the trilogy to find out. VERDICT This exciting, fast-paced, plot-driven novel will keep readers up way past bedtime. Perfect for those who like Marissa Meyer's Heartless.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
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  Advance Praise for The Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Dinah is a headstrong, spirited princess grappling with a lot of the same
  issues that even us non-princesses in the real world face—anxiety, confusion,
  jealousy, anger, and the growing burden of responsibilities that often feel
  too heavy to bear. The fact that I cared so much about this complex young
  woman on the cusp of adulthood and can’t wait for the next book is just a
  testament to the amazing talent of this breakout author.”
  
  
  
  
  
  — Jessica Hickam, author of The Revealed
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Colleen Oakes has written Wonderland like it’s never been written before. If
  you loved Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, you won’t be able to put down Queen of
  Hearts.”
  
  
  
  
  
  — Editorial Director, SheKnows.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Fans of Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars will lose themselves in Colleen
  Oakes’s dark vision of Wonderland, which challenges everything Alice fans
  thought it was and takes readers on the Queen of Hearts’ journey 