Queen of Hearts Audiobook Summary
The first novel in Colleen Oakes’s epic, imaginative and twisted series, perfect for fans of Dorothy Must Die and Heartless, tackles the origin of one of the most infamous villains–the Queen of Hearts.
This is not the story of the Wonderland we know. Alice has not fallen down a rabbit hole. This is a Wonderland where beneath each smile lies a secret, each tart comes with a demand, and only prisoners tell the truth.
Dinah is the princess who will one day reign over Wonderland. She has not yet seen the dark depths of her kingdom; she longs only for her father’s approval and a future with the boy she loves. But when a betrayal breaks her heart and threatens her throne, she is launched into Wonderland’s dangerous political game. Dinah must stay one step ahead of her cunning enemies or she’ll lose not just the crown but her head.
Don’t miss Blood of Wonderland, the must-read sequel to Dinah’s story!
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Queen of Hearts Audiobook Narrator
Moira Quirk is the narrator of Queen of Hearts audiobook that was written by Colleen Oakes
Colleen Oakes is the bestselling author of books for both teens and adults, including the Queen of Hearts trilogy and the Wendy Darling saga. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son and surrounds herself with the most lovely family and friends imaginable. When not penning new books, Colleen can be found swimming, traveling, reading, or advocating for adoption and literacy. Visit her at www.colleenoakes.com.
About the Author(s) of Queen of Hearts
Colleen Oakes is the author of Queen of Hearts
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Queen of Hearts Full Details
Narrator | Moira Quirk |
Length | 6 hours 55 minutes |
Author | Colleen Oakes |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release date | May 03, 2016 |
ISBN | 9780062448361 |
Additional info
The publisher of the Queen of Hearts is HarperCollins. The imprint is HarperCollins. It is supplied by HarperCollins. The ISBN-13 is 9780062448361.
Global Availability
This book is only available in the United States.
Goodreads Reviews
Hailey
March 21, 2017
3.5/3.75ishAs a lover of Alice in Wonderland, I think me enjoying this at least a little bit was inevitable. But, I loved how this book reinvented the world of Wonderland. It took elements from the original series and used them in very unique ways. As opposed to other Alice retellings I read, this one very much focused on the political aspect which was interesting. It also highlighted the darkness and brutality of Wonderland. I will say I found this dragged quite a bit, the plot took quite a while to actually get going but once it did I was pretty hooked. Overall a solid retelling, I think I'll be continuing with the series eventually.
High Lady of The Night Court
January 07, 2021
"I am the Queen of Hearts, born to sit on one of two Heart thrones. I am the Queen of Wonderland and I will have the crown that my brother made for me.” I know a lot of people have been frustrated by Dinah’s character, that she’s not the smart kind of evil, but I think that’s exactly why this book is so good. It’s supposed to be the story of the Queen of Hearts, not Alice. If Dinah’s character was overly interesting and made sensible decisions it wouldn’t do justice to the original character. I would, personally, recommend reading all the books before making your mind. No matter what path this retelling takes, I feel like it maintains the integrity of Alice in Wonderland. No matter what happens the fundamental characteristics of the Queen of Hearts are seen throughout the story. While the original by Lewis Carrol focuses on Alice’s journey many forget that Wonderland must have a past that goes way farther back than the glimpse that we see and watching such a retelling of the story of the Queen of Hearts reminds you of that. It reminds me that if we saw Wonderland through the eyes of the Queen of Hearts, Alice would only be the smallest speck in what could be a huge story of her own life and what drew her to be who she is. As the story progresses all the way from the first book to the last one, Dinah’s character definitely goes through quite the arcs, but through this journey every facet of her being reflects at least one of the main characters we see in the original queen of hearts, her arrogance, the anger, the pride, the self righteousness, all of it plays a huge role in just about everything. But the part that fascinated me the most was watching her get that rage and ambition of hers under control. Dinah recognises the power seeking part of her which not one of her predecessors did, which I believe is the reason she is where she is right now.The writing of this book was, as I keep saying, impeccable, and it's unlike Alice's innocent and beautiful musing yet the description maintains the glamor that Lewis Carrol wrought out of the original. The books were written expertly and was amazingly descriptive revealing the wonders of Wonderland. Dinah’s personality is split in two and those two parts are constantly warring with each other but I loved that the best parts of her always come out on top. Haris and Sir Gorran are the last people who could ever be related to her but they play the biggest role in guiding her selflessly even when her own family wouldn’t. Her mind is the sharpest part of her but her capability to comprehend situations better than anyone else allows us to see the world in ways another character wouldn’t.Dinah’s life, while it was always luxurious, causes her a lot of pain simply because the people she loves always slip away from her in one way or another. Her mother died when she was young and her father has never loved her, the brother she loves more than anything can barely reflect his love for her because of his madness but both Dinah knows that he loves her which makes her relationship with her brother the most important one she has. I, personally, loved Charles’s character and that reinterpretation of the Mad Hatter. His artistic skills and his mad ramblings which always seem like poetry was a lovely contrast to the rather serious demeanor of the royal family.Clearly there is a re-read of Alice in Wonderland waiting to happen for me. I loved these books and recommend to all Alice lovers.
Monica
November 15, 2019
Desde que lo vi me llamó muchísimo, tanto por la portada, que tienen que admitir es una lindura, hasta la sinopsis, que nos muestra la historia de la reina de corazones desde un punto de vista bastante diferente, a la que ya todos conocemos.La historia es buena y el desarrollo de la trama también, el pero más grande es el cómo está editado, en realidad.Cada dos o tres palabras se mencionaba el nombre de la protagonista, Dinah, Dinah, Dinah, y más Dinah que terminaron por hartarme y desear abandonarlo. En situaciones como está es cuándo más impotente me siento, porque en serio, la idea de la autora es increíble, y su pluma es muy creativa.El asunto es que la editorial no le dio un buen presupuesto a su edición, porque dejó mucho que desear.La Fantasía, los personajes y ese final me encantó. Aunque debido a esta situación con la edición, estuve en peligro de no terminarlo. Si esto también es un inconveniente para ti, te prometo que la historia es muy muy buena, solo trata de ignorar (aunque sea muy difícil lo sé) y no te arrepentirás.Vale mucho la pena, es un giro fresco y muy creativo para el usadísimo mundo de Alicia. Una reina con un comienzo difícil, pero que en definitiva no debemos perder de vista.
Caffeinated Fae
July 08, 2019
I have wanted to read Queen of Hearts ever since I knew of its existence. When I saw that Colleen Oakes was going to be at Denver Pop Culture Con, I knew now was the time to finally pick up my dusty book and give it a read. I was already reading a physical book, so I opted to listen to the book instead and spent an audible credit on Queen of Hearts. The narrator was genuinely excellent and brought the book to life. Something that I loved about this book was that we got to read an origin story for the Queen of Hearts. I liked that I sympathized with her and genuinely cared about her as well. It was a strange experience to care for the villain of Alice in Wonderland. The characters were well done though at times I found Dinah a little too whiney. I would have loved for her to pick up on some of the clues she received as well. Something else that didn't sit right with me was how dark the book was. I knew that this was going to be dark, but I didn't expect it to be so dark that it would make me shudder at moments. Queen of Hearts is not for the faint of heart, and at times it verged into more of the horror genre. Even though it was a little too horror-y to me, I enjoyed the book. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. This will be the perfect book for teens and adults who want to get a feel for the horror genre without jumping into the pool. It's dark, twisty, and sure to keep you entertained.
Trang
March 21, 2016
Full review here: https://bookidote.wordpress.com/2016/...Amazing retelling of the Queen of hearts story! I enjoyed this book so much because the Alice in Wonderland references were on point ! The author plays on words and pictures and it was perfect! However, a lot of plotholes and questions are left.. Definetely looking toward the sequel! Trang-Book Blogger and Book reviewerhttp://bookidote.wordpress.com
Nainika
July 27, 2022
Alice and Wonderland retellings are always...meh, but Queen of Hearts? Always fascinating! This was no exception. Full of deceit and terror and morally gray characters, this was a fantastic first book!
Dani
November 23, 2016
Queen of Hearts is one of those titles that I really cannot explain why I have not read it sooner. Every time I come across the beautiful cover and wonderland themed retelling, I am intrigued. This book promises everything I could want within a title. It is a retelling, it is centered upon the characters of Wonderland, and it comes in a gorgeous package. And after having read Seas (Wendy Darling Vol 2) I know that I connect well with the author’s writing. So how did this anticipated read fare for me?Full review here.
Raven
February 01, 2017
When I started this book, I hated it. HATED how contrived it seemed and how typical. I felt like I'd read this story 1000 times before. But then? Something changed around the third chapter and I suddenly couldn't put it down. There were changes and developments and the plot took turns I wasn't expecting. I was concerned and felt for the characters! I really loved this book, and I CANNOT wait for the second one!
IzamaRi
February 18, 2016
Reseña completa ➜ http://goo.gl/Rv5R1EPrimero que nada debo decir que le tenía muchas ganas a este libro por tres cosas. Primero por mi superficialidad que al ver la hermosa portada y los detalles metálicos de esta se volvió loca y supe que lo necesitaba en mis codiciosas manos.Segundo, amo a los villanos. Desde que era una dulce y tierna niña (o quizá no tan dulce ni tierna xD) he amado a los villanos como casi nunca he amado a los buenos. Yo era esa niña que siempre apoyaba a labruja del mar, a la reina malvada y a la reina de corazones para horror de mi mamá, así que imagen mi felicidad cuando me enteré que este libro por fin iba a contar la historia de una de mis villanas favoritas.Y tercero, desde que leí mi primer retelling (La bestia de Alex Flinn) por allá del 2008 quede encantada con este género literario donde los autores nos cuentan un nuevo punto de vista de los clásicos que todo el mundo conocemos, así que trato de leerme todos los retelling que se me cruzan en el camino. No todo cuento de hadas tiene un final feliz. La reina de corazones nos cuenta la historia de Dinah (y aquí tengo que hacer una pausa para felicitar a la autora que por fin le dio una verdadera personalidad y un nombre a la reina de corazones, ¿por qué han notado que no muchos villanos tienen su nombre?, eso es discriminación para los villanos. Ellos sólo quieren llevar al mal a la casa de todos, ¿Por qué los odias mundo?) una chica malcriada y crédula que ha sido criada para ser reina. Dinah no tiene una buena relación su padre, el gran y temible Rey de Corazones quien siempre la ha despreciado. Un buen día su padre hace una reunión donde anuncia a sus súbditos la existencia de su hija bastarda quien de ahora en adelante será conocida como la Duquesa de Corazones.Dinah se siente humillada tras el anuncio pues su padre que siempre ha sido frio con ella parecer trata de una forma muy distinta a Victoria.La cosa no termina ahí pues parece que algo pasa en el castillo y que Dinah es el centro de todo y si quiere conservar la cabeza en su lugar tendrá que averiguar lo que está ocurriendo sino su cabeza será la siente en rodar. Esta es la historia de una princesa que se convirtió en villana. Como ya les decía más arriba, realmente quede encantada con la autora pues no solo tiene una pluma ligera que te envuelve a penas unos cuentos capítulos, sino que también por fin se ha tomado el tiempo de darle vida a una villana que todo el mundo conocemos pero de la que en realidad no sabemos nada.Gracias a la autora conocemos a una reina de corazones que no quiere otra cosa más que el cariño de su padre y estar al lado de su mejor amigo (del que está enamorada) y poco a poco la vemos transformándose un poco más en esa reina del clásico.La autora también nos muestra a varios personajes del cuento de Lewis en una faceta totalmente distinta, como por ejemplo al Sombrerero loco quien me enamoro con sus escasas participaciones (como siempre suele hacer sin importar que versión este leyendo). También está Cheshire como nunca lo había visto.Lo único malo del libro es que a mi parecer es demasiado introductorio. El libro termina de una forma abrupta justo cuando lo mero bueno empieza y ya saben lo desesperada que soy así que me puso de malas no poder continuar con el viaje villanesco de Dinah. Reseña completa ➜ http://goo.gl/Rv5R1E
Holly
May 19, 2016
I really enjoyed this re-telling of Alice in Wonderland. It show's how the Queen came to be how she is: mean. The way she was treated, I can't say I blame her! Not a lot happens in this book. We watch as the princess grows up a little, we watch as her father belittles her, we see her love, and we watch as the world she knows comes crumbling down. The end really picks up and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
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