Queen of Hearts (#1) by Colleen Oakes → Start Date: June 20th, 2016

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Mandiann and I
join us if you can!

[Mandiann]

I will be listening to this one in audio.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

yay! sounds like a good plan. I hope the audio is good

[Mandiann]

Me too!

[Vicki]

I'll join if I can get the book or audio version.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

wow, looks like there are only 14 chapters
so I plan to come back every 5 :)

[Vicki]

When are you starting? It's late in GA! Lol

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

ha! I'm starting tonight!! (well....probably around 1 am)

:D

[Vicki]

Oh my goodness! I'll start it now too. Happy reading!

[Vicki]

5 chapters and I am pleasantly surprised by how much I am enjoying this one! :o)

Dinah (view spoiler)[is headstrong! I feel for her and how she must've felt when her dad introduced his other daughter and Dinah learned of his infidelity. That would be a hard pill to swallow. (hide spoiler)]

Vittiore (view spoiler)[is innocent because she never asked to be the product of an affair! She seems to be naive to me for some reason, but I think if Dinah would give her half a chance that they could be good sisters. (hide spoiler)]

King of Hearts (view spoiler)[is an awful King, and an even worse father to Dinah. I don't understand why he seems to almost hate her. Is it because she isn't so beautiful as Vittiore? He's just terrible to Dinah. (hide spoiler)]

Wardley (view spoiler)[seems to be good for Dinah. I think he will care for her even though Vittiore is prettier, according to others. I hope that he and Dinah become a couple. (hide spoiler)]

Charles (view spoiler)[is the Mad-Hatter? I don't know much about Alice in Wonderland so I don't know if any of the characters in this story make sense and relate to the fairy tale. But I like Charles. If he is "mad" it isn't his fault. The King should be getting him help and not keep him hidden. Society can be cruel and I think many people "hide" their "shame" for having an "abnormal" child or someone with mental illness, which is nothing to be ashamed of. I want to see Charles have a life so I hope Dinah becomes queen and that she helps him in that regard. (hide spoiler)]

[Vicki]

Chapter 10

The Towers (view spoiler)[ are more horrific than my own mind could ever come up with! I really hope Dinah becomes queen and tears them down. (hide spoiler)]

Tree Roots (view spoiler)[ are an atrocious punishment! Since the roots touched Dinah does that mean they will be in her forever? And if so, what will they do to her since she's not attached to the roots the way Faina is? (hide spoiler)]

Faina (view spoiler)[ sounded like she was warning Dinah about Vittoire. I wonder if she might be Vittoire's mother. (hide spoiler)]

[Mandiann]

i am 8 chapters in. will comment when i get home from work

[Mandiann]

Vicki wrote: "5 chapters and I am pleasantly surprised by how much I am enjoying this one! :o)

Dinah [spoilers removed]

Vittiore [spoilers removed]

King of Hearts [spoilers removed]

Wardley [spoilers removed..."

I felt so bad for the main character when at the croquet match (view spoiler)[ she had to play two against one. And to top it off her father yelled at her and told her she needed to show him and her sister respect when they weren't respecting her. Talk about unfair (hide spoiler)]

I am finished chapter 8. The reader is good. I am loving the point of view of the future queen of hearts. I love how the author is making the reader understand how she could grow up into the queen of hearts that is known in other Alison in wonderland tales. So far, she is a very relatable character and her feelings and reactions seem quite reasonable.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

I'm liking this one too - I'm 5 chapters

but I"m not sure what I think of the characters I know/think I know thrown in odd places.

Cheshire being the odd....isn't he a heart guy?

and the Rabbit being the guy that helps her get places

and....her name being Dinah. That's Alice in Wonderland's cat's name.....

and Charlie, her brother, being known as the Mad Hatter.....

lol I wonder if this will all pull together at some point.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

oh! And Mandiann,

How's the audio?? Good narrator?

[Mandiann]

Vicki wrote: "Chapter 10

The Towers [spoilers removed]

Tree Roots [spoilers removed]

Faina [spoilers removed]"

I wondered the same thing about Faina.

[Mandiann]

Trisha wrote: "oh! And Mandiann,

How's the audio?? Good narrator?"

Yeah, she is good.

[Mandiann]

11 chapters in.

So many questions, very few answers.

The king (view spoiler)[ seems to loathe Dinah. I wonder why? Also, why doesn't he want Dinah and Vittoire to interact? (hide spoiler)]

I don't like how little we know about the timeline. How long has it been since the opening scene when Dinah learned about Vittoire? Is it just because I am listening to the audio or does the passage of time get muddled in the physical as well?

[Mandiann]

Through chapter 13.

Was kind of hoping more would happen in the book but I do suppose it is a short one and part of a series. Still have so many questions and I doubt chapter 14 will answer all of them.

[Vicki]

I hope your interest picks up. I really liked this one.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

10 chapters

The Towers (view spoiler)[ those were awful. I can't believe they got in and out so easily (hide spoiler)]

Tree Roots(view spoiler)[ I don't know.....it sounds really bad that they've touched her. those were awful, I can't even imagine that as torture (hide spoiler)]

Faina (view spoiler)[ I agree. it sounded like she either knew who her mom was or she was her mom. she knows something about how the duchess is NOT who they say she is (hide spoiler)]

[Mandiann]

Vicki wrote: "I hope your interest picks up. I really liked this one."

I really liked it too. But I only gave it 3.5 stars because I was a bit unhappy with all the questions and lack of answers as well as the confusing timeline but I am super excited to see where it goes in book two.

[Vicki]

I'm glad you liked it too! :)

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

done too

I guess(view spoiler)[ we can see why he hated Dinah so much
but wouldn't he hate the duchess for the same reason (hide spoiler)]

and i agree...I would have loved to have had a better handle on how long Vittoire had been there.....before it all went downhill

So sad(view spoiler)[ that the young boy was killed. he was cute - if a bit mad. I hope she is able to go back and get her crown from him (hide spoiler)]

oh and (view spoiler)[ do you guys think the guy who helped her out of the castle was Cheshire?? (hide spoiler)]

[Vicki]

Good question, Trisha, but I didn't think it was (view spoiler)[Cheshire. Isn't he the one who was always so mean to her? (hide spoiler)]

I don't know what you're talking about Trisha. Why (view spoiler)[do you think he hated Dinah? Maybe I already forgot! LOL (hide spoiler)]

[Mandiann]

I don't know what you're talking about Trisha. Why [spoilers removed]"

Because he (view spoiler)[ didn't want to share the crown, according to the book. And for some reason he felt Vittoire would be easier to manipulate. I wanted it to be more deep. (hide spoiler)]

[Mandiann]

Vicki wrote: "Good question, Trisha, but I didn't think it was [spoilers removed]
"

I agree that I am not sold on it being (view spoiler)[ Cheshire. Who else is a famous Alison in wonderland character who hasn't made an appearance? Tweedle Dee/Dum? The smart worm dude who smokes the ring circles? (I have never read the book, only seen the disney movie....) (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Mandiann wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Good question, Trisha, but I didn't think it was [spoilers removed]
"

I agree that I am not sold on it being [spoilers removed]"

oh yeah!! (view spoiler)[ the caterpillar guy!! I picked Cheshire only because he wasn't specifically mean...he just had a mischievous smile...and he sounds like he's heading the Card army to catch her.
I'd hoped he might be on her side - making it seem like they might catch her but then they won't. (hide spoiler)]

I would think(view spoiler)[ it would have to be someone close to the King, that knew the plan to frame her for her brother's death....
was there anyone else that was close to him?
Not the Rabbit guy.... (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

oh and Faina's (view spoiler)[ death. that was pretty bad too (hide spoiler)]

Does everyone plan to read the next one?? :)

[Vicki]

I definitely want to continue and read book 2. I know I liked this one a bit more than you two did so I'm ready! LOL

[Mandiann]

Yes, I am really curious to see where this goes.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

my library has the next one....

are you guys interested in a July buddy read of #2?

[Mandiann]

Well I am not sure. The next one looks like it was released as Wonder in 2014 but according the the author it is being rereleased as Blood of Wonderland in 2017.

"It is the Harper Collins version of The Wonder. There have been many changes to this edition, however. It's longer, it's cleaner and just a better read, I believe."

Book three has not been published so either way, we would have to wait to finish the series so part of me thinks I may just wait for the harper collins rerelease.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

oooooooh....good catch. I didn't see that at all

I guess we'll meet back up in 2017 :D