Reviews

War of the Cards by Colleen Oakes

Only show reviews with written explanations

boricuabooklover's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sassafrass_34's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The conclusion to the series although good was just not as good as the first 2 in the trilogy. I was able to predict the ending half way through the book.

yesrachishere's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Everyone is marching to fight in the war for Dinah to take back the crown as the Queen of Hearts. With the Spades and the Yurkei warriors fighting for Dinah, they march towards Wonderland. But Dinah is fighting with this fury that is building up inside of her and if she doesn't control it a lot of people will be hurt. As we begin to question whether or not she will make a good Queen, mistakes are made that can not be undone.

This was a great finale in this Queen of Hearts retelling trilogy. There were a couple of plot twists, which I always love but I did see a couple of them coming. Dinah still continues to grow wonderfully as a character, but some of her actions are questionable. During the battle, it does get to be pretty bloody, so if you are not a fan of that, I would not recommend this book. For me, I enjoyed the battle scenes. While it's awful for people to die in battle, I just really enjoyed all the action and the writing just painted such a clear picture in my head of what was going on. The character Harris, who has been the caretaker of Dinah since she was born, really grew on me. In Blood of Wonderland, the King of Hearts put him into the Black Towers, and when Dinah goes to see him, it is just so heartbreaking. I also still really love Sir Gorrann, as he continues to be a great father figure to Dinah. Oakes brings small parts of Carroll's Wonderland into her own story and she does a great job at it. I especially love the reference to the character Lewis in the story. It's such a small part and if you're not paying attention while you are reading, you will miss it. We also get a character named Alice in this book, and she's different and I love the direction Oakes took with this story.

This series definitely did not really hook me from the first book, but I think that series continues to get better with each book. I would really recommend this series if you are a fan of the Queen of Hearts, retellings and action. Thanks for reading!

hviareadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall Review (spoilers):

Perfect ending to this series! Dinah is neither a savor nor a villian, she is the perfect anti-hero right up until the end. From her treatment of her allies, her lover, her sister (surprise, it’s Alice!), and even her friends, Dinah shows that she is hot tempered but also scared. She is lied to, betrayed, and tricked. Even her childhood friend who rejected her fell for the usurper! All of these actions created a perfectly imperfect character who makes decisions that somehow just ends up working out.

I did not like the end to this book though. That last chapter should not have been included, and felt mildly sexual assaulty to me.

Plot Rating: I give the plot itself a 5/5 stars.

Spice Rating: