Review: Seeing Redd (The Looking Glass Wars, #2) by Frank Beddor

Spoiler warning! This is the second book in The Looking Glass Wars trilogy so this review will contain spoilers for the first book. If you haven't read The Looking Glass Wars then you can read my review of that here instead. You have been warned!

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

[Goodreads page]

Author: Frank Beddor Website|Twitter
Published: 3 September 2007 (Egmont)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Amazon: Paperback|Audio
Waterstone's: Paperback
Book Depository: Paperback

Source: Borrowed from friend

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Alyss of Wonderland's rule has only just begun, and already those who prefer chaos to peace are threatening to destroy everything worth imagining. Trailed by newly appointed royal bodyguard Homburg Molly, Alyss is doing her best to keep pace with the non-stop demands of being queen while attempting to evade Molly for a few private moments with Dodge.

Alyss' life is a challenging mix of duty, love and tough decisions, and then a series of phantom sightings set fire to an urban myth of Her Imperial Viciousness' return and have everyone...Seeing Redd.

Has Redd somehow freed herself and her chief assassin, The Cat, from the confides of the Heart Crystal? If not, then who has resurrected Redd's brutal foot soldiers the Glass Eyes and set them loose to attack Wonderland on all sides? 

My Review:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series so was excited to get into this one. Seeing Redd follows Queen Alyss as she adjusts to her life-changing new role, all the while knowing that Redd could be out there somewhere threatening the people of Wonderland.

What was interesting about this book was how much Alyss herself took a backseat to the story, but I actually quite liked that. It meant the spotlight moved to other characters such as Redd herself and my new favourite character - Homburg Molly. Her story had me completely invested and I really liked her fiesty atitude. As Alyss' bodyguard she has some kick-ass moves but she also has a lot going on in her mind, as she has to deal with stuff relating to her past and parentage. I loved the issue of halfers being addressed - people who are half-civilian/half-Millinery. It gave a real insight into the world Beddor has created and the prejudices which arise in that world.

Going back to Alyss, it was good to see a different side of her. In the first book she came across as more confident and self-assured, where as in Seeing Redd you got to see a lot more of her insecurities. I found that really fascinating and it was great getting to explore some of her character flaws and depths. I really enjoyed her plotline with Dodge and their developing relationship. I thought it was really sweet and my love for Dodge grew even more! Even though Alyss seemed slightly quieter throughout this book, she totally came into her own when it came to the back end of the story and I loved her key role in that.

Plot wise, I felt this book was more of a slow-burner than the first book, but in no way is that a negative! The suspense throughout was brilliant and there was this great build up as we learn what each respective party is plotting. I loved that you got to see Redd planning her comeback whereas at the same time you got to see the fear and worry she's causing to Alyss and Wonderland. It made the climax of the story even more exciting as well, because there'd been all that build up.

My only real flaw was that some of the more fast-paced action scenes were quite follow. I'd just struggle to keep up with exactly what was happening because some of the things were so fantastical that I couldn't get my head around it all. Otherwise it was a really enjoyable read.

Seeing Redd is a fantastic follow up to The Looking Glass Wars and is ultimately a great tale of good versus evil. The characters are so well written and interesting that I loved reading about them and seeing both their highlights and their flaws. I'm really looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor, the final book in The Looking Glass Wars trilogy
Books like this: Splintered by A. G. Howard

Review: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

[Goodreads page]

Author: Frank Beddor. Website|Twitter
Published: 2 May 2005 (Egmont)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Amazon: Paperback|Audiobook
Waterstone's: Paperback|Audiobook
Book Depository: Paperback|Audiobook

Source: Borrowed from friend

Plot Summary (from blurb):
You think you know the true story of Alice in Wonderland? Well think again. Alyss is destined to become Queen of Wonderland... Until her parents are murdered. She flees to safety in our world. Years pass. Now it is time to return.

My Review:
I hadn't heard of this book until a friend recommended it to me after seeing I'd read Alice in Wonderland. I was so excited to get stuck into a modern day twist on a story I'd so recently read. The Looking Glass Wars tells the story of Alyss Heart, Princess of Wonderland. Her evil Aunt Redd wants to steal her crown and take over leaving Alyss in danger.

In the prologue, we're introduced to Alyss and Charles Dodgson who has written the book Alice in Wonderland. Cue outrage from the real Alyss at this feeble attempt at portraying her story and her life. The book then launches in to the real Alyss' story and it's like a completely blown up version of the Wonderland we've come to know and love.

Straight away I was drawn in by Alyss and how she has the power to make things she imagines become real. Suddenly imagination is key to the story and is a force that can be used by both good and bad people. I thought it was fantastic how Beddor has made human inventions originate from the imagination of the people of Wonderland. It made the start to the book incredibly magical and I just knew I was going to love it!

Those familiar characters from Alice in Wonderland are given a brand new twist in this book. We have Bibwit Hart - Alyss' tutor - whose name is an anagram of White Rabbit and Hatter who's the head of the Queen's defense. Aunt Redd becomes the evil queen who has a penchant for crying "off with their head" and there the card soldiers that become in important when war breaks out. It's just such a great way of taking those well-known parts of the original story and making them into something bigger and better and I adored it!

The book is written in third person from multiple perspectives which was a great way to keep an eye on everything happening in the story as the locations move around. The chapters were nice and short which really helped with the pacing. Sometimes the book flashed forwards a bit, referencing things that were yet to come but I actually quite liked it. It gave the third person narrator a sort of unique voice themselves. I found some parts a little confusing and had to read over them just to keep up with what was happening, especially where more fantastical elements of the story were playing a key role, but overall I liked the style.

One of my favourite things about The Looking Glass Wars was how the book crossed over into Victorian London. Not only did it take Alyss out of her comfort zone but I loved the crossover with real life events and the contrast between that and Wonderland.

If you like books with kings and queens and wars then this will appeal. There's plenty of action and scheming, suspicious characters and violent assassins. I was really rooting for the good guys trying to keep Alyss safe - Dodge and Hatter were two of my favourite characters. Alyss herself really develops a lot throughout the story too.

I'm really excited to read the sequel because the ending hinted at much more to come! I'd recommend it to anyone who's familiar with both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and likes magic, fantasy and action adventure.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor, book 2 in the Looking Glass Wars trilogy.
Books like this: Splintered by A. G. Howard

Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

[Goodreads page]

Author: Lewis Carroll. Website 
Published: 26 November 1865 (Originally published)
Format: Hardback Illustrated Edition (Macmillan)
Pages: 192
Project Gutenberg: E-book 
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback
Challenge: 2013 Children's Classics Challenge

Source: Own

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Journey with Alice down the rabbit hole into a world of wonder where oddities, logic and wordplay rule supreme. Encounter characters like the grinning Cheshire Cat who can vanish into thin air, the cryptic Mad Hatter who speaks in riddles and the harrowing Queen of Hearts obsessed with the phrase "Off with their heads!" This is a land where rules have no boundaries, eating mushrooms will make you grow or shrink, croquet is played with flamingos and hedgehogs, and exorbitant trials are held for the theft of tarts. Amidst these absurdities, Alice will have to find her own way home. 

My Review:
This is one of the books that really prompted me to start this challenge. I've had it on my shelves since I was a child! Everyone knows the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland but how many people have read it instead of just hearing about it? It's one of those stories that everyone knows but that I've never read, so I'm very glad I've changed that!

What I really liked about this book was that the action starts straight away. I knew Alice was going to end up down a rabbit hole and I had to wait less than two pages until that happened - fantastic! I absolutely fell in love with Alice as a character because she takes all the bizarre things that are happening to her completely in her stride. Even as she's falling down the rabbit hole the most important thing to her is her cat Dinah. I thought her habit of talking to herself made for a really great narration of the story. Alice strikes me as someone who doesn't really think much before she speaks!

I think the title is very apt, in that the story definitely feels like a connection of adventures. Suddenly we move from one weird situation to another, with very little happening between each event except Alice very slowly moving through Wonderland. I was expecting the book to be bonkers but it was actually a lot more coherent than I thought it would be and very readable! Most importantly it was fun. I think my favourite part was the croquet match where you use flamingos as clubs and hedgehogs as balls. That's exactly the kind of imaginative, fun, lighthearted things I love in a story! Having the Queen around generally added to the entertainment as well. I thought she was hilarious!

The copy I have is illustrated and I would definitely recommend grabbing an illustrated copy of this book if you decide to read it. The description is magical enough to hold its own but I thought the pictures really brought it to life and just added something a bit extra!

Sure it goes off on a few tangents and that was my only real flaw I think - just some bits that I didn't quite likes as much didn't feel necessary. But overall this book has so many quirky things that make it so likeable. I loved the talking animals, Alice's frustration at never being the same size and the little rhymes, songs and poems that are scattered throughout the story, as well as the focus on word play. The writing was just so brilliant. If you've seen any of the film adaptations but never read the book then definitely go ahead and read it - I devoured it in a few hours!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Books like this: Splintered by A. G. Howard, Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter