Queen of Hearts Volume One: The Crown by Colleen Oakes

*This book was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Coming February 14, 2014)*

Book One in the Queen of Hearts Trilogy

"This is the story of a princess who became a villain.
***
A Father’s Betrayal. A Kingdom with a Black Secret. A Princess Slowly Unraveling. 

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.
When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe." - GoodReads

THE STORY:
I really liked the premise of this story, and it really intrigued me. The story itself did not disappoint. It was both exactly what I expected it to be, and nothing that I could have possibly expected. It is filled with twists and turns, and while some aspects of the plot are predictable, the twists are not. The story was executed well and really fun to read. However, there were some small inconsistencies in the story, and some small things which were not explained very well and sometimes left me very confused.

THE CHARACTERS:
I absolutely adore our main character, Dinah. At the beginning of the novel, she is very whiny, semi-pathetic, and rather petty. However, as the story goes on, she grows. She becomes stronger, braver, stubborn, and while she is still petty, she tries to keep it to herself as much as she can. Her journey to becoming this new person was so interesting, and watching her grow so much was delightful.

What I truly enjoyed, however, was how all of the classic characters from Alice in Wonderland were made into people. The Cheshire Cat is the King's advisor, the White Rabbit is Dinah's instructor, and the Card Soldiers are all people, but their ranks are referred to as "Cards." Over all, it added to the story and helped to make it something even more unique.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!

STAR RATING: ★★★★ 1/2