Queen of Hearts

Author: Colleen Oakes Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 9780008175399

I BARELY remember reading Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but this book does bring back memories ... sort of.

Although also set in Wonderland, Queen of Hearts tells a different tale from Alice but certain characters have a familiarity to them.

Like the preface says, this is not a story of happily ever after.

It centres around Princess Dinah, who will become the Queen of Hearts one day, and the man she marries will take over from her father to be the King of Hearts.

In the meantime, Dinah longs for her father’s approval, but he can’t seem to stand the sight of her after the death of her mother. ring of

As the day of her coronation approaches, the King suddenly produces an illegitimate daughter and presents her as the Duchess of Wonderland.

It is the ultimate betrayal to Dinah’s mother, and his adoration of her half sister is a slap in Dinah’s face.

But worse is yet to come. She is awakened one night by a stranger who urges her to flee. She discovers her little brother murdered by their father, and the blame laid at her feet.

With the help of her childhood friend and the man she loves, Dinah has to go on the run from everything she knows. She must stay one step ahead of her enemies, or she’ll lose not just the crown but it will be ‘off with her head’!

Evil is afoot in Wonderland and, naturally, one book will not be enough to tell the whole story. Watch out for the next instalment, Blood of Wonderland.