2021 EDIT: 'A Blade So Black' is even better than I remember it on the second read. The only thing really letting it down for me is the ending: like, was anything actually accomplished? I don't think so. Curse sequel baiting.
But L.L. McKinney's 'A Blade So Black' is wonderful, Wonderland Black Girl Magic and Action all the way until then. I mean, what a ride!
It's much better written than I gave it credit for last time, and I appreciate and understand the 'Alice in Wonderland' references far more now.
'A Blade So Black' is very addictive. As enticing as cake and cotton candy, and as intense, dramatic and action-packed as a hardcore adult anime (it draws a lot of inspiration from a lot of anime, not just 'Sailor Moon' - love!).
Although, what is up with the trite "Light/white = good, and dark/black = evil" fantasy BS in this modern diverse book starring a badass black female protagonist? I hope that unfortunate element is explored further and given depth in the sequel.
I'm still not sure if I'll ever even read the sequel. I wonder if it'll be worth it (I've heard it's more queer...?) (Before, I'd also missed the slight implication that Alice may be bi). Oh well. The first book in 'The Nightmare-Verse' series will be a keeper for me.
A giant shout-out for diversity! For diversity in fantasy!
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'A Blade So Black' is like a student film in YA novel form. And of course I mean that to sound positive: it is ambitious and passionate, if a little cheap and rough around the edges due to the lack of the pristine, high budget quality needed for a fantasy epic.
As a debut, it is solid and addictive. I read 300 pages of it in one day and I didn't want to stop. I enjoyed the characters, the diversity, and the action. Reading it is like devouring colourful candyfloss - one bite, one light, fluffy taste, and you fall under its sugary spell. It's a good candied apple snack.
'A Blade So Black' is yet another retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland' - it's an action adventure, and Alice is an African-American teenager. Imagine, a black Alice Kingston from "the hood" (precisely, Atlanta), who's an action heroine, in what's not only fantastic representation - protagonists of colour are still generally rare in modern fantasy, which is shameful - but in a book that can be read as light, silly fun, regardless.
Let black women write and star in popcorn, pop culture entertainment, containing modern, serious issues too.
There are quite a few pop culture references in 'A Blade So Black'. Alice is a 'Sailor Moon' fan (love her already) and loves to cosplay as her, and she even yells out "Cosmic moon power!" when finishing a job with her blade after hunting monsters, called Nightmares. Plus she is called "black Buffy" ("Or just Buffy," she retorts) in-book. It's so corny, I dig it.
Alice is a great heroine. She's inexperienced, she makes mistakes, she tries, she gets nauseous, anxious, worried and scared, and she never gives up. She loves her mother and her friends, both in the real world and the dream world Wonderland. Throughout her battles, with knives and daggers, plus her "Muchness" inner-belief power, Alice is dealing with terrible grief after the unexpected death of her father. They were going to go to a con together the same day. This kickstarted her encounter with a horrible, shadowy beast, a Nightmare, born from humans, in an alley. From there she gets rescued, and she discovers the fantasy world of Wonderland, and her destiny as a Dreamwalker, for it is humans who make Nightmares, and it is only humans who can destroy them.
Maybe Alice is something more...
Adding to that is another tragedy of a black girl, Brionne, who was recently shot and killed by the police, in Alice's town. She worries about how her own death at the hands of Nightmares and other Wonderland horrors would affect her already-shaken, overprotective mother, and she considers giving up the superhero life for her sake, the loss of life being too great a risk. Serious issues such as this are present in starry constellations throughout 'A Blade So Black'; it's not all light and simple.
Darkness lurks; in reality, things scarier than Nightmares lie in wait. Police brutality, racism in the United States - this is not mindless junk food.
Sure there are YA clichés - there's the hot mentor love interest, Addison Hatta, a white Englishman (hi Giles) from Wonderland who looks Alice's age but is hundreds of years old and has got a punk rock thing going on. He is fun to be around for banter, but is hiding a dark past (surprise). Every male is described as unnaturally handsome; nearly all are young-looking and therefore good pickings for Alice.
There is a slight love triangle, but thankfully it's not a priority - the plot, action, and Alice and her development are. She's not a Mary Sue, but it's awesome to read about a teen woman of colour who is important and worthwhile in her own pseudo-wish fulfilment fantasy story. She takes center stage and is even allowed to be badass on her own at the end.
But to top off the YA tropes: the book ends on a massive cliffhanger. I hate that cheap gimmick. But at least here I liked the characters enough and cared enough about what might happen next to not mind much.
The 'Alice in Wonderland' references come across as almost superfluous to the story as well. There is a lot of namedropping - Alice's real world friends Court(ney) and Chess, her cats Lewis and Carol (got to laugh at that), and Hatta, Maddi (Madeline) the Poet, or potion maker, a Looking Glass pub, a Cheshire Cat clock, the Duchess, fellow Dreamwalkers the twins Dee and Dem Tweedlanov, the Knights, the Queens, "Curiouser...", "We are all mad here," and the chapter titles. I'm surprised there is no one called Dinah. On their own they're cool, but I feel at the end, 'A Blade So Black' could have been about anything other than Wonderland; its plot is fairly standard YA fantasy. It didn't really matter if the references were overt or not. It was namedropping without much examination or intricate, clever twisting in terms of the original source material's themes.
Still, the writing is enjoyable enough for this to not become a huge issue. The diversity sells - Maddi the Poet is described as looking Latina, and princesses in Wonderland have dark skin, and there is a female White Knight named Xelon, an awesome fighter. Along with the rich, prima donna with a heart of gold, Court, Alice has an abundance of female friends. It is often the men who are either dead, damsels in distress, or visible villains.
Despite its flaws - not least the shafted plot points at the end for the sake of that damn cliffhanger and sequel hook - 'A Blade So Black' is a ride of Muchness! The writing is breezy and action-packed, and the characters are wondrously memorable, in and out of Wonderland and its sweet, colourful surroundings and dark undertones.
Curiouser and curiouser indeed. It's a nice little princessy treat; a slice of frosted birthday cake, that leaves you wanting more to be filled up and satisfied. A guilty pleasure read.
And come on - it's YA 'Alice in Wonderland' action starring a black Alice and a gay princess. Yes, a gay princess! And her lady knight!
Sold yet? Give 'A Blade So Black' a go and listen to and support diverse voices writing all sorts of stories, be they "high art" or fun entertainment. Especially in the fantasy YA book market.
Black girls should forever be able to see themselves as heroes in their own stories. And in the fantasy genre.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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