A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
New York : Imprint, 2018.
370 p. ; 22 cm.
I wish I liked contemporary fantasy/action better because I think then I would have really loved this novel. It has some of that familiar territory of dual worlds with only certain people (or characters) having the ability to travel between them. Alice, the main character of A Blade So Black, is one of these people. She can visit Wonderland where nightmares come from, and there she can battle them and help keep the human world safe.
Alice is also a young Black woman, a high-schooler who's father has recently died and whose mother worries dreadfully about her well-being in this real world (Atlanta, GA to be specific) that is so dangerous for young Black women.
Turns out Alice is also a very talented warrior against nightmares and so is part of an elite group of humans known as Dreamwalkers who do battle against the dangers of Wonderland that threaten to overtake the regular world the rest of us live in.
Oh, and the other fun catch to this novel is that it cleverly echoes the Alice in Wonderland story. As you can see there is A LOT going for this book. Some reviews have noted some hiccups in the pacing (I would agree) and a bit of vagueness in the "world-building" of Wonderland (also agree), but the reviews also note the great character building and dynamic fight scenes that McKinney has created. Yes, I would agree. To students who like Neil Gaiman or Cassandra Clare or who just want something exciting and otherworldly I would definitely recommend this book. The fact that the hero is an African American teen young woman who has to deal with parent-rules, school, crushes, and teen life is an added benefit.
Finally, the book does wrap-up (SORT OF) at the end, but then closes with an epilogue teaser that means there will be more novels taking up the adventures of Alice the Dreamwalker.
