I originally reviewed The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor on September 21st, 2006
All in all there is a lot to recommend here though it is not without its faults. It contains some very clever moments and the re-imaginings of the main characters are a constant source of enjoyment that keeps you on your toes. The characters are a little thin but this is marketed as a YA book. The biggest problem for me with the characters is that there is no grey area for them. If they are presented from the beginning as good or bad then they don’t change, there are no grey area characters just black and white. The characters could have benefited from more depth. There do appear to be some holes in the plot, but for a probable explanation please see my thoughts below. The story model is that of The Lion King with little or no variation which some have argued is itself a watered down Hamlet. I say it’s a simple tale simply told. Now that the primary arc is told, the predictable arc as it were, I’m really interested to see what the next two volumes will bring. Unlike other introductory novels of a multi-book sequence there aren’t many broader arcs that are left unresolved to be picked up at a later date, everything kinds of wraps itself up nicely.
Bottom line: Flawed but recommendable and I’m especially curious about later volumes
