Dream So Dark

Description: "Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates high school), Alice must cross the Veil to rescue her friends and stop the Black Knight once and for all. 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"--

Brief description: 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.

Review Quotes:

"A breakout author." --Entertainment Weekly

"With memorable characters and page-turning thrills, the Nightmare-Verse is the fantasy series 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

"The Alice I never knew I needed. The Alice I was missing. McKinney conjures a Wonderland for those of us who weren't given the looking glass. It is a feat of black girl magic!"
--Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times-bestselling author of The Belles

"McKinney's follow-up to A Blade So Black proves she is a master of urban fantasy... Explosive from start to finish and guaranteed to send readers gleefully down a rabbit hole from which they'll emerge begging for a third installment." --Booklist, starred review

"Complex intrigue... Rousing, nonstop twists help make this sophomore entry a success." --Kirkus Reviews

A Blade So Black

"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

"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