Listening to the audiobook on this one and really enjoying the man's voice who is doing the reading. They added in lots of effects for the different characters which is fun, and makes it really easy to distinguish who is speaking. Well this book was certainly not as good as the first book. It wasn't bad, just a bit disappointing. The entire time I was reading I was like what are these people thinking? Why can't they just talk to one another, be a bit honest. If they would they would have so many less problems.The writing is very visually driven. The landscapes, weapons, etc are extremely vivid and well described, but it also means whenever something necessary to the plot occurs there is a major shift in the writing. It almost reads like a screenplay. You are going along getting all these wonderful descriptions, then its dialog-dialog-dialog, then back to descriptions. And the segways are not often subtle.Also, I am not all that interested in the characters. For instance, this book gave major insight into the character of Hatter Madigan, but instead of endearing him to me I was more annoyed at what led to the situation. Furthermore, I don't even have much of an interest in the main characters. Alyss is very much 'the Queen'. In the first book she was interesting with her conflicting internal emotions. Was she a child, a Queen, a rebel, or a simple Earth girl? This book she is a Queen and nothing else. They try to hint at that else with her feeling for Dodge but they didn't seem very genuine. She was basically as stiff as a bored. Even Redd who was so awesome in the first book seems more boring this book. It's almost as if she went a bit soft in this book.I will definitely read the 3rd book in the trilogy to determine what happens from this giant mess Beddor has created in their world, but I am not sure I will be impressed.
The evil Redd Heart has disappeared into the Heart Crystal, and Alyss is now the rightful queen of Wonderland. But there is lots yet to be done: buildings to repair, morale to strengthen, relationships to mend… And Alyss is so busy with politics and using her White Imagination to make sure the queendom is running smoothly that she barely has any time to spend with Dodge, her best-friend-turned-true-love guardsman.But people are not going to make her life as queen easy. King Arch of the neighboring kingdom Boarderland has some sinister plans up his sleeve. First he kidnaps Homburg Molly, Alyss’ teenage bodyguard; then he messes with the emotions of the best Milliner in all of history, Hatter Madigan, who is suddenly forced to decide between family and duty as he has never had to do before. All the while, Arch is planning the unleashing of a formidable weapon, one that, if properly completed, can wipe out the entire country of Wonderland and all surrounding countries.As if that wasn’t bad enough, Redd is back, more dangerous and vengeful than ever. She is determined to complete her Looking Glass Maze, achieve the full potential of her imaginative powers, and reclaim Wonderland, destroying Alyss in the process. The giant army that converges upon Wonderland at the command of Redd and Arch seem on the path to the obliteration of Alyss’ world as she knows it. Is there anything to be done that can put off the seemingly inevitable end?SEEING REDD has more sit-and-wait political discourses and emotional chapters than the first book in the trilogy. However, Redd’s villainy will be sure to keep fans attracted to this series. All the characters are wonderfully created, the world flawlessly imagined and detailed. This is a tale of high fantasy that you won’t want to miss.
What do You think about Seeing Redd (2007)?
The problem with Beddor's books is that he's created a world so wonderful, so fantastic, and then he doesn't give you enough. Alyss, barely a character in Looking-Glass Wars, really, is not all that more intriguing here. She's growing into a strong queen, but we have no real sense of her as a character. Redd is frankly cartoonish. And many of the oft-mentioned creatures of Wonderland are never described. What's a gwormmy? A spirit-dane? Anyone? Anyone? Despite this I still couldn't put the book down.
—Jessica
Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.comSEEING REDD, the second book in THE LOOKING GLASS WARS series, continues off from where the last book ended. Twenty-year-old Alyss is now queen of Wonderland. Her aunt, Redd, has disappeared into the Heart Crystal along with her sidekick, The Cat, and everything is starting to calm down. But soon glass eyes start appearing out of nowhere and causing mayhem. Everyone believes that Redd has somehow come back and that they're all doomed. Little do they know that these aren't Redd's glass eyes. Someone else is having them made. And that someone else is the King of Boarderland, Arch. King Arch has plans to take down Wonderland and all of the surrounding cities. And he is determined to do so. He has Molly (the Queen's bodyguard) captured and intends to have her father, Hatter Madigan, come rescue her. Meanwhile, Redd and The Cat find their way to Earth and Redd gets a whole new group of followers. She is determined to get back to Wonderland and kill Alyss so she will finally be Queen. Alyss and Dodge come to terms with the fact that they are meant to be together. But Dodge is still set on killing the beast that killed his parents. Nothing will get in his way -- besides Alyss, that is. Wonderland is in a world of trouble with King Arch and Redd doing all they can to finally get Alyss out of the picture once and for all. Full of violence and mayhem, SEEING REDD is an intense read. It's a pretty good second book to the series; parts were a bit slow but, overall, it was a good read. I definitely liked THE LOOKING GLASS WARS much better; for some reason it didn't seem as wordy as SEEING REDD. But this was still a good book. I especially liked the way it ended, and it should definitely be read by those who enjoyed the first book in the series.
—Jennifer Wardrip
Queen Alyss Heart now reigns over Wonderland, rebuilding what was destroyed by her evil aunt, and Redd is destroyed once and for all...right?Unfortunately, Redd Heart knows exactly how to manipulate the Imaginations - specifically Black Imagination - and manages to find herself quite alive, although she is trapped on Earth. But this presents her with a unique opportunity - she raises an army of exiled Wonderlanders and makes plans to overthrow her niece and regain control of Wonderland.Meanwhile, in a territory not far from Wonderland called the Boarderlands, King Arch has plans of his own. He also covets the Wonderland throne and has woven Alyss and those closest to her - including Hatter Madigan and the young Milliner Homburg Molly - into an elaborate scheme to gain control.Three rival forces will clash, and only one will come out victorious. Who will it be? Discover the answer as you become enthralled once again in Frank Beddor's miraculous second novel.
—Ash E.
