I really enjoyed this and I gave it a four out five stars. I really liked the story line and the characters, I liked the continuation of the other books. I would like to read more books by this author. They will definitely be an author I keep an eye out for new books by them. I totally recommend this book and the series.

Emily Henry writes some of the best dark twisted fairy tales. I do recommend reading the previous books in her Alice series or this collection won't work as well for you.

I'll read anything by Christina Henry and this is no exception.

Her ability to weave a little dark magic into a spin off of a classic always enamoured me.

Looking Glass is a four-novella collection set in author Christina Henry’s reimagined Alice universe. The novellas stand alone, and intertwine, to create a wonderfully whimsical yet darkly dangerous collection. The four tales take place shortly after Henry’s Alice duology concludes. If you have not read Alice and Red Queen, start there. Not only is the duology stunningly fantastic, it provides the context for Looking Glass. Readers of the duology are treated to enhanced closure regarding Alice and Hatcher. We are also teased with future installment potential.

Henry is a masterful storyteller with an unparalleled imagination. She has created several ‘re-writes’ of well-loved stories and has never disappointed. Each time she approaches a well-known tale, she does so with poignant style and fresh perspective. She expertly intertwines current-day sentiment with familiar tropes all the while retooling and restyling what we thought we knew.

Looking Glass is an experience I devoured. I loved each tale equally and was delighted to be reacquainted with favourite characters like Alice and Hatcher and introduced to new characters full of potential. The world of Alice is so magnificent, beautiful, and cruel. This rabbit hole is deep and I sense there are still scape and stories left to weave.

Rating: 3/5

Format: ebook

What it's like: This book is a set of short stories/novellas that take place in the same universe as her previous two works in this series (Alice and Red Queen). I found it lot like Alice obviously, but less dark and depressing.

To sum up: This book consists of 4 short novellas from 3 different POVs, all taking place after the events of Red Queen.

What I loved: I really liked hearing the perspectives from other characters. I feel that it added a nice depth to this world and new voices are always a nice change. I also appreciated that the tone wasn't so depressing as in Alice. I also enjoyed seeing where the characters from Alice and Red Queen ended up.

What was meh: Overall, I didn't feel these stories were totally necessary to have. They are nice additions but are critical to the overall world-building or character development.

Who I'd recommend it to: Fans of Alice and Red Queen, as well as Christina Henry in general.

The nitty-gritty: For fans of Christina Henry's Alice books, this collection fills in some of the blanks and gives readers a peek into the emotional lives of her characters.

Looking Glass is a collection of four interconnected novellas set in Christina Henry’s Alice world and gives readers some new glimpses into the lives of Alice and Hatcher, the main characters in this series. Word of warning, however: if you aren’t caught up with both Alice and Red Queen, you may find yourself a little lost at times. I personally have not read Red Queen, so some of the references in a couple of stories confused me. But I have to say, it’s a testament to Christina Henry’s talent that the stories are accessible and enjoyable despite this fact. It’s also strange to note that the story which was most grounded in reality was my favorite, and the oddest and most Alice in Wonderland-like tale was my least favorite. Go figure! Here’s a quick recap/breakdown of each story to give you a taste of what you’re in for.

Lovely Creature

Elizabeth Hargreaves can’t understand why everyone keeps calling her “Alice,” until she goes on an adventure of sorts and learns that she used to have an older sister of that name who went mad. Elizabeth has some magical abilities and is able to turn rose petals into butterflies, and she’ll need those powers to get herself out of a dangerous situation. When she chases after an odd man with a bird’s tail and beak, she finds herself in the Old City, where danger lies around every corner.

This is a great introductory story that mentions several familiar characters, like the Jabberwock, the Rabbit, and Cheshire. It’s also the story that has the least connection to all the others, although it does give us a nice lead-in to Alice and Hatcher. We’re also reminded of the world these characters live in: two cities—New City and the Old City—that are separated by mere walls, one where the rich and privileged live, and the other full of desperate and dangerous people. I loved that Henry imbues Elizabeth with plenty of grit and determination to save herself, despite her young age.

Girl in Amber

Alice and Hatcher are on the move and trying to find a safe place to settle before the winter snows come. Hatcher must turn into a wolf in order to feed his dark nature, and so it isn’t safe for them to settle down in one place for long. When Hatcher decides to leave Alice to scout ahead and find shelter, Alice embarks on an unsettling adventure involving a strange boy, a house full of doors, and some very scary creatures.

This story wasn’t my favorite, for some reason, and maybe because Hatcher is absent for most of it. Alice is led into a spooky house full of dozens of locked doors and must make her way through it before she’s attacked by the creatures inside. Alice reflects on her unhappy childhood where “every door had a lock,” as she’s now in a house where literally every door has a lock. Henry’s theme here is power, since Alice must find the power within herself to get out of the house alive and find Hatcher again.

When I First Came to Town

Hatcher reflects on his past life living in the Old City as a teenager and working at a fight club, the time when he met his future wife Hattie and how he got her away from a terrible man.

This was my favorite story. We get to see a glimpse into Hatcher’s past as a fighter, trying to earn enough money to leave the Old City for good. Back then, “Hatcher” was Nicholas. Nicholas’s boss Dagger Dan sets him up to fight the notorious Grinder, and as he trains for the big fight, he realizes that he has a touch of magic himself, magic that might help him win. The most chilling part of this story is that we meet Rabbit, an evil, mob-boss sort of character who both Alice and Hatcher tangle with in other stories.

The Mercy Seat

The final story is also the shortest. This follows chronologically after Alice and Hatcher have found a safe place to rest over the winter months. Alice has a surprising discovery and knows it’s time to move on. But according to Olivia, the witch they’ve been staying with, their journey will be extremely dangerous.

In this story, Alice and Hatcher discuss some traumatic events in their past, events from Alice, as they decide the best course of action to get to the place Alice has in mind despite the dangers ahead. Alice discovers she’s more powerful than she realized, and these powers come just when they need them. This was almost a “slice of life” tale rather than a full-blown novella, but it does have a happy ending, for which I was grateful. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. Christina Henry’s dark touch is evident, even if the stories don’t quite reach the horrors of Alice. My favorite part about reading these was trying to figure out the connections between them and how they fit into the previous two novels, and I love the relationship between Alice and Hatcher, who have had their fair share of trauma and heartache. Fans of this series are probably going to enjoy these just as much as I did.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

I don’t really go in for short story collections and I don’t really like the original Alice or her twee wonderland. But ah, Christina Henry is such a master that I forget all about that when I read her work. These stories are interconnected novelettes, complex and complete unto themselves, but even better when taken as a whole. Darkly magnificent and spellbindingly smart, these four stories make a book that belongs on every shelf and a fitting finale to Alice’s adventures.

Lovely Creature

Elizabeth is a haughty, self-absorbed heroine and I couldn’t love her more. She’s a jumble of willfulness and kindness and selfishness—in other words, she’s a child. A privileged child, to be sure, but still a kid. And although I was a very different type of child, Henry nails what it’s like to be a young girl, desperately curious about all the things adults don’t or won’t say. Elizabeth is even curiouser when her parents mention “Alice” in hushed tones, and curiouser still when she sees a strange figure in the crowds during a city-wide celebration. But when she goes chasing after, it’s not the same story as Lewis or even Henry has told before.

All the stories in Looking Glass still have snippets of the original Alice’s whimsy, especially in the dialogue. But none more so than “Lovely Creature,” in which Elizabeth converses with a mouse and is quite cross with a topsy-turvy world. But these stories are not games. And more than her charm, Elizabeth’s arrogance is critical to her survival. She needs to be in order to believe she can survive, can fight, can flee, even though she’s a child in a world of terrifying adults. Henry doesn’t punish her heedless confidence, only tempers it with a little wisdom and a little sorrow.

I desperately want to see more of Elizabeth in future works and hope that she’ll make another appearance soon.

Girl in Amber

This is Henry trying her hand at a haunted house story, although it turns out to be more of a hunting house. The entities in the house stalk her and the very walls seem to breathe down her neck. It’s a brilliantly tense take on the genre, because it’s actually a bit more like Alien than a strict haunted house story. The entities are straightforward rather than psychologically menacing, and the house itself is dangerous, much like the fragile walls and systems of a spaceship. Outside is a deadly cold, although in Alice’s case it’s a snowstorm instead of the void between the stars.

The suspense ratchets up to 11 very quickly and stays tense as a tripwire as Alice navigates a house full of monsters as well as a twisted inner landscape of fear and doubt. She still doesn’t fully understand her own magic and she still hasn’t been able to fully encompass her own trauma. Fighting on two fronts, the internal and the external, is more than doubly hard, but our heroine is up to the task. Mostly because she must be.

This story more fully examines the idea of saving oneself. Oh sure, it might be very noble and feminist for a lady to rescue herself, but it is also terrifying and exhausting and No Fun At All. This book says quite clearly that it’s okay to need people, and to need help, or even just to want it. Even if you don’t get it, the needing and the wanting is okay. We are human and we are not meant to be so powerful that we’re invulnerable (that way lies tyranny) or so aloof that we do not wish for help (that way lies madness). In fact, it’s Alice’s desire not to be alone that might be her greatest help and strength in this house of horrors.

When I First Came to Town

If “Girl in Amber” is Horror or Sci-Fi, then “When I First Came to Town” is classic Action. It’s Rocky with magic. Not just because it’s about boxing, but because it’s cinematic, iconic. The tension is ever more taut and breathless. It digs into that deep myth of the underdog and draws out all the things we love to believe, that goodness and cleverness will beat brute force, that the downtrodden can rise up through hard work and passion, and that everyone gets what’s coming to them in the end.

This is Henry, though, so it’s not quite that simple. There are tragedies that can’t be entirely undone by victory or defeat, and there are compromises to be made. But this story encapsulates one of Henry’s overarching themes: that you must try, that it is worth trying, and that ferocious will is the match of any evil.

The Mercy Seat

The difference between good horror (or mystery) and great horror (or mystery) is that great horror doesn’t require your ignorance. You can know exactly, or almost exactly, what’s coming and still be on the edge of your seat.

This is great horror. (Or mystery.)

Henry makes no bones about what’s coming to get Alice and Hatcher. They know there’s something bad, and that it’s unavoidable, and then they only learn more about it before they actually face it. And then it’s still bad.

Bad but brief. The tale ends a little too quickly given all the buildup and dread, even though it’s a satisfying ending. I don’t love the end to Wilhelmina’s story, since it also serves as the capstone of Alice’s journey with magic. It may be literarily fitting both to hoist someone on their own petard, and also emotionally fitting for Alice to use others’ abusive power against them rather than constantly digging into her own trauma to find enough fury to get the job done. And it’s certainly horrific in the particular way Henry is so excellent at conjuring up. But I wish it had come with a bit more reflection on these things.

That being said, I do love the end of Alice and Hatcher’s journey, both emotional and physical. Their road has been very long and they have more than earned the place where they come to rest. This last story again takes up both the inner and the outer battles, only this time Alice isn’t battling her own flaws but the mistakes others made that affected her.

No one really tells you how ugly and hard the road to forgiveness is. It’s supposed to be a beautiful thing and a final thing too, one-and-done. But as with saving yourself, forgiveness is hard and often ugly, and a much longer journey than it ought to be. If “Girl in Amber” was about self-forgiveness, then this is about the forgiveness of others, especially mothers, and especially Alice’s mother.

Alice’s mother brackets the book, first in “Lovely Creature” and then here in “The Mercy Seat,” and we see both her grief and her inaction. How can we not be angry with her? How can we also not pity her? She’s a girl in amber just as much as any of her daughters, only she’s been trapped forever. And if Alice doesn’t also want to be trapped in her resentment, she has to hold on to the thorny complications of their relationship rather than dismissing or embracing the memories of her mother. Parents aren’t perfect, and as Alice stands on the precipice of parenthood herself, she has to contemplate the terror of failing someone in her care, which is worse than failing to save herself. Forgiveness sprouts in this vulnerability rather than from her strength, and it’s here that Henry’s emotional insights really shine.

All the stories taken together are a wonderful, awe-full return to the dark wonderland of Christina Henry’s imagination. They terrify and surprise, delight and deepen, and collectively make a fitting finale for Alice, one of my favorite heroines of recent memory.

I didn't realize how much I missed Christina Henry's Alice, until I opened up this book!

HERE'S THE SUMMARY: Looking Glass is a book of four novellas. The first is told from the perspective of a grade-school girl in the Alice world whose wishes come true, the second from Alice's perspective after the events of Red Queen, the third from Hatcher's and the fourth returns to Alice. Hatcher's narrative is a story from his history before Alice. The last story seems to be wrapping up this entire series...BUT I REALLY HOPE THAT IS NOT THE CASE.

HERE'S THE REVIEW: If you don't know, the Alice book is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, if Alice had been magical and kick-ass, all the creatures she encountered were gangsters from Peaky Blinders, and there were buckets of blood and gore in every encounter. These new stories are such a brilliant follow up and addition to Henry's Alice lore. They are perfect companions to and fill in all of the things I wanted to know after reading the Alice duology. This book is full of magic and weirdness, violence and bloodshed, old friends and new enemies. Just a perfect read.

Before reading this, I would recommend picking up Alice and Red Queen. I don't think there is much point to reading Looking Glass without the perspective of the other two books. (Although, Henry is a brilliant writer and it might be worth your time - it's hard to unknow/unread what you already have?!?)

So my recommendation to you is to buy all three books in this series, and also buy Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook because that is one of my favorite books of all time!

3.5 rounded up.
I am a big fan of Alice Chronicles (the first two books of this series), so when I got the chance to review Looking Glass, the last in this series, I was excited! There are 4 novellas in Looking Glass, with Lovely Creature taking the bulk of it. (And yes, you’d need to read the first two novels to read the last installment). Here’s a brief overview of the 4 novellas:

Lovely Creature: We’re introduced to Elizabeth, who can do magic, just like Alice, as long as she wishes it hard enough, it’ll come true. We see that happen when she turns a red petal into a butterfly. She’s well-loved and cared for by her family, except for one thing – the parents had mistakenly call her Alice, not once, but many, many times. And the voice who kept calling her sister of Alice; just WHO IS this ALICE? On Giving Day, when she spotted an odd-looking fellow with a tail of a bird, far away, she decided to find out who he was. And of course, her curiosity got the better of her, and she was led into an adventure of her own. We see then, how Alice and Elizabeth weren't only connected through blood, but through magic too.

Although this novella felt like it was in the same vein as ‘Alice’ and shared a voice as hers, Lovely Creature was still an enjoyable story on its own.

Girl in Amber: Alice and Hatcher were looking for a place to rest. When it got colder, they parted ways as Hatcher decided to go ahead on his own to speed up the process, and told Alice not to stop moving no matter what. While moving at her own pace and fighting the cold, Alice stumbled into a castle, and decided to gain shelter from it, despite the dark energy she felt from it. There, her skills and confidence as a Magician was tested. Once again, this was about Alice getting used to having magic and gaining her confidence in using it.

This novella, unfortunately, was my least favorite. The idea felt kind of repetitive, and although I loved Alice, this novella didn’t feel necessary in this collection.

When I First Came to Town: Hatcher isn’t his real name. He was Nicholas, a bold, street-smart boy from the Old City, who hungered for success and a better life. His desire to succeed and ability to fight had brought him to the attention of his boss, Dagger Dan, who one day, gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse – to fight the greatest fighter, and feared by all – the Grinder. Of course defeated the Grinder, but at what cost?

This was definitely my favorite of all the novellas, and to me, was the heart of the entire book. Hatcher was such a great character that the author created!

The Mercy Seat: This is a story about Alice and Hatcher, in search for a place to call their own to start a family, for Alice was pregnant. But in order to get there, they’d have to pass through a ‘town’ called The Village of the Pure, a place where ‘There are always storm clouds above the village’, and no Magicians or magic is allowed there. They knew they had to lay low and stay out of trouble. But was it possible to not use magic to get out of there and not risk their lives?

This was my second favorite after ‘When I First Came to Town’. Alice and Hatcher make such a great pair. They're the only couple I absolutely LOVE in all the books I've read that had a 'love story' in it!

Overall, a pleasant read. It was good to hear Cheshire’s voice again! Love him! Would I recommend it? Only if you have read the first two in the series, or that you’re a fan of Alice.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Looking Glass by Christina Henry is a set of four novellas following the Chronicles of Alice books Alice and Red Queen. I absolutely LOVED the first two books, as well as all of Henry’s other dark retellings. She combines aspects from the original tales with this dark and gritty atmosphere that I just can’t get enough of. On top of that, Henry’s writing is so easy to fall into that I’ve read every single one of her books in one sitting. My disclaimer is that this is NOT a companion novel, and you definitely need to read the first two books in the series in order to read these short stories. My thoughts on each of the stories are below. In case you don’t want details though, just know that these stories were just as dark and twisty as the two novels, and were the perfect addition to the series.

Lovely Creature – This followed Elizabeth who keeps hearing the name Alice being mentioned but doesn’t know who she is/was. I loved this story because it showed who Alice might have become if she had someone helping her while she was in Old City the first time.

Girl in Amber – We switch to following Hatcher and Alice in this one. This story was so good because it showed Alice’s struggle with herself and her confidence, and it was dark and creepy to boot.

When I First Came to Town – We finally get to learn more about Nicholas, and this was the origin story I was waiting for. I loved meeting Nicholas for the first time in depth. It adds so much to his character and I loved getting to see the choices that caused him to become what was in the earlier books.

Mercy Seat – This was the most suspenseful story of the book. I knew something crazy (more crazy than what already happened) was going to pop up and MAN it was so good when it did. Alice and Hatchet are one badass pair, and this just proved it.

I really want to go back and revisit the entire world now, so a reread of the series looks like it will be on the horizon for me quite soon.

This was a very fast paced story that I could not put down. I loved how the book was split up and put together. It was very interesting way to tell a story. I loved Alice and the Jabberwocky. I love all things Alice in Wonderland and have pretty much read anything and everything. If you're an all time fan of Alice and her story then this one will totally be right up your ally.


Go Into This One Knowing: Four Novellas

Series Info/Source: This is a collection of novellas that mainly takes place after the main Chronicles of Alice books. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley to review.

Story (5/5): I loved this collection of novellas just as much as I loved the original series. There are four novellas here; one loosely relates to the main story, two follow Alice and Hatcher on their further journeys, and one is about Hatcher’s past. I loved the stories with Alice and Hatcher in them the best, but also really enjoyed the one about Hatcher’s past.

Characters (5/5): I love Alice and Hatcher and it was so fun to learn about what happened to them after the main events of the Chronicles of Alice. I really enjoyed having a bit more closure to their story. I also really enjoyed learning all the background on Hatcher.

Setting (5/5): The majority of the stories are set in “Wonderland” which I really enjoy. It’s such a dark setting but also very creative and magical in its way.

Writing Style (5/5): I am always a fan of Henry’s writing and have loved all of her books. This book was no exception; it was easy to read and the writing flowed very nicely. I enjoyed it a lot.

Summary (5/5): Overall this was a fantastic addition to the Chronicles of Alice series and I am so happy that Henry decided to release this. I absolutely loved it and it made me want to go back and reread the whole Chronicles of Alice series. I would definitely recommend reading this after you read the rest of the Chronicles of Alice for full impact. I would also recommend this whole series if you enjoy dark fantasy or Alice in Wonderland retellings.

A different ride on a familiar tale. I love how Christina Henry can take a beloved childhood story and turn it into something more. When I was finished with this book, I felt like I finally knew the full story of Alice in wonderland and what I had known previously, was just brushing the surface. The characters really made me want know them more and the world building was colorful. I really want to read more from Ms. Henry.

Review will be live on the Book Confessions blog on March 11th, 2020

And this is the end my beautiful and only friends as like Jim Morrison has sang.
Most of the readers have been disappointed after the second book which I read yesterday. (I devoted my three days to finish trilogy and the start was so impressive, at the second book we just startled by bumpy roads and disappointed by the direction and team Alcher’s absence because Hatcher turns into big bad bloody wolf and started losing his humanity parts)

So this book could be great conclusion of the story I fully invested and root for Alice and Hatcher a.k.a team Alcher forever! Or it could be another disappointment forced me howling to the moon and throwing eggs against my neighbors’ windows. (This is my hobby! They still have no evidence against me and any bad book ending can give me the motivation to avenge my noisy, prying neighbors anyways.)

At 58 pages I was a little pissed because we’re directly introduced to Elizabeth, the sister Alice forgot now replacing Alice in the family and surprise, surprise, Elizabeth is also a magician and she has powers like Alice.

Nearly half of the book is about her story and her meeting with Jabberwocky as a purple butterfly in a jar. I was a little frustrated at first because the book is already short and I needed more Alice and Hatcher time and their HEA or tragic ending (Whatever the author decided I was so ready to welcome it with open arms.) but after reading Elizabeth’s story, I liked her character and I understood connection of two sisters because they telepathically helped each other to fight against different kinds of monsters and save themselves. And I think this is a small indication that author is planning a spinoff about Elizabeth and we’re gonna see future stories of team Alcher as well.

Rest of the book was fast pacing. Alice and Hatcher’s adventures take an unexpected turn which means they’re so close to their HEA or be killed by a kind of cult a.k.a. a vicious council members. And there are some great news but I’m not gonna share it. Ending was a little fast and haphazard for me. I wanted to read more about this epic duo but I’m happy that the author gave us some glimpses from Hatcher’s Nicholas times.

So it was riveting, entertaining, bloody, moving, dark, unconventional read with Christina Henry’s unique, extra ordinary, amazing world-building. This is amazing trilogy and retelling of Alice’s adventures.

I gave Alice: Full four stars.
Red Queen: Three stars

This book keeps the first book’s Crazy train ride soul and promising writing but it was too short and seeing my favorite characters in the middle of the book was disappointing experience. So I gave 3.5 stars but I’m rounding it up 3.5 stars to 4!

OVERALL: I NEED MORE BOOKS OR A SPINOFF OF ELIZABETH ASAP!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this fantastic book’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review and thanks to Christina Henry’s amazing way of story-telling. I had amazing three days with unforgettable three books!

I just discovered Christina Henry last year, and I adore all of her work, with The "Alice" duology becoming a favorite of mine. I was absolutely thrilled to dive back into the world of the Old City and beyond. Henry definitely retains all of her gritty glory of "Alice" and "Red Queen" while skillfully flitting between different POVs and still giving us new tales with beloved characters.