Looking Glass Wars By Frank Beddor Release Date: Buy it Today! Dial Ratings Action Romance Characters Overall Purchase on Amazon. Purchase at Powell’s. Find independent bookstores.

Ever since that "Alice in Wonderland" book came out, everyone thinks they know the true story–a fantastic romp through a world of giant white rabbits and silly tea parties.

But Lewis Carol couldn’t even get her name right, let alone the story.

Princess Alyss Heart escapes from Wonderland as a young child after her evil aunt Redd kills her parents and spends the next decade believing it was all a fantasy. But when Hatter Madigan finally finds her, she must return to Wonderland to lead her oppressed people in rebellion against Queen Redd.

This book instantly charmed me. The quick and easy pace kept me going and it was truly a fun book to read. There were some slow moments and a period where I put down the book (right after Alyss got back from Wonderland, a spot a friend also admits to being distracted by), though I still finished the book in a matter of days. I don’t think the writing was stellar, but there are plenty of great stories with mediocre writing.

Wonderland is portrayed as an absolutely wonder filled world, so imagination intensive on some pages that I found myself having trouble properly picturing what was going on. Now, when it comes to battles, I might have difficulty following the battle to begin with, but with so many imaginary weapons and fighters thrown in, I really couldn’t keep track of the final battle. On the other hand, Beddor used the neat element of Alyss’s imagination as her fighting tool. He seems to be limiting its uses well enough so far that I could see it as a believable asset and not simply god-modding.

One of the best things about this book is how Beddor took the inhabitants of Alice in Wonderland and recreated them into new and unique characters. Yet, you can still see how Carol would have created them into the caricatures that he did, in this version of the truth. Beddor’s own imagination and flair for storytelling is the best part about these books, though as I mentioned before, I do think he goes overboard. But it’s fitting that a book touted as the "fight for imagination" is so imaginative in itself.

Ratings Reasons:
Action 4 - Very action packed, but loses a point because I wasn’t always sure what was going on, action-wise.

Romance 3 1/2 - The relationship was only begining, since this is the first of three books, so I’ll hold off judgment until I’ve read all three. Still, I like where the romance is going and have high hopes for the other volumes"

Characters 4 - I found the characters to be fun and interesting, especially Alyss. She was complex enough that all of her decisions felt like they were what the character really would be doing. It’s hard to make a character have a realistic/sympathetic debate over keeping their current life or going back to lead a rebellion. Too often the character can come off as selfish or silly.

Overall 4 - I didn’t feel like the writing itself was anything spectacular, but the overall story was fascinating and I’d definitely recommend it to others. Unfortunately, the sequel isn’t going very well for me, and it’s taken me the last few weeks to read even half of it.