The Wonder by Colleen Oakes

So after reading Queen of Hearts, I was so excited to read The Wonder. I managed to get a NetGalley ARC, and for the first time, had it sent to my kindle account (thankfully there's an iPad app). This book was as good as I expected, and now that I've finished it - in one day I might add, I need MOAR.

The Wonder continues where The Queen of Hearts left off. Fleeing from her father, The King of Hearts, Dinah goes into the Twisted Woods. Somehow or the other, she, she ends up at the Yurkei (sp?) camp, and the book ends when the next step is decided.

While nothing much happened with regard to the whole "I'm being chased after my father who wants to kill me" thing, there were so many surprises. And much feels too.

Top surprises:

Chesire. Ah, I really want to tell you what's going on with Chesire, but I won't spoil the surprise. Just know that to me, this was the biggest plot twist in the entire book. And Chesire moved up a few ranks in my estimation.

Wardley. I didn't really talk about Wardley in my previous review, but that was because his part was basically "love interest". I'm still very ambivalent about what I think about him, but after one plot twist (which to be honest, I guessed from the very start of the book), I don't think I like him that much anymore.

Dinah. Dinah starts off as very spoiled, and she's still rather spoiled and demanding. But, she's learning to be a Queen, and it's interesting to see how she's struggling to control her temper. I'm not sure how she'll end up a villainess, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

Special mention characters:

Sir Gorrann. Cute grumpy old guy with a backstory. He's basically here for the "gruff outside, kind inside" role that is in so many many novels. He plays a fairly important part in the story.

Mundoo. He's the chief of the Yurkei, and what I like about his character is that it's rather unconventional. He's not hostile, and he's not a wise old man. He's practical and can be vicious if need be. He definitely reminded me (if Dinah's journey through the Twisted Woods didn't), that Wonderland is not a happy place.

I can't wait for Book 3! I desperately want to know what's going to happen next!

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review. The fangirling was entirely voluntary.