Read History
2026 | Score: 3
Each book in the trilogy got worse. The first one had some fun, original ideas and new takes on old stories are always fun, but by the end of this book it didn’t seem like there was much plot or interesting stuff. The first book is a great kids book but the rest aren’t worth reading.
Format: Book
Days: 4
Date: 6/15/2026 -> 6/19/2026
Summary (Spoilers)
ArchEnemy
Frank Beddor
The Looking Glass Wars #3
ArchEnemy Summary
Wonderland is still trying to recover from the war with Arch and Redd, which got interrupted when King Arch’s weapon WILMA got activated wrong by Hatter, destroying imagination everywhere. The Clubs have been going around taking citizens who used to have imagination to Limbo Camps by force. Alyss and Dodge infiltrate one to see what the Lord and Lady of Clubs are saying. They are spreading a view that people with imagination have oppressed those without for a long time and this is their chance to fight back. Alyss gets recognized and they have to flee, a man named Dumphy helps them escape through a wall into a Limbo Camp, where they are trapped.
Redd and Arch retreated following WILMA’s activation, but once Arch confirms Redd is without imagination (thanks to the green caterpillar) he betrays her and all the forces of Boarderland and Redd’s mercenaries follow him. Red flees with the Cat and her closest allies. They go into hiding until her imagination can come back. Redd gets depressed (after talking to the green caterpillar) and they head to Mount Isolation. Arch starts attacking Wonderland again with his forces, and is winning without Alyss’ imagination to interfere.
Hatter and Homburg Molly have been grieving but return to Wonderland. The blue caterpillar appears and gives them a message for Molly, “You”. They are attacked by soldiers and forced to flee into the Pool of Tears and return to Earth, where Hatter leaves Molly with Charles Dodgson to keep her safe. She is very sad and sulky since her mother died. Hatter returns to Wonderland to try to help but does not do much the rest of the book. Alyss feels her imagination start to come back and readies caches of weapons for the prisoners to escape when the time is right.
Arch captures the capital and wins the war. He forces Bibwit to help him learn about the caterpillars and makes General Doppelganger control the army. Redd arrives at Mount Isolation and her imagination also returns. Alyss and Dodge sneak out of the prison camp instead of announcing she has her imagination back in an attempt to be stealthy. Redd and Alyss meet via imagination and agree to work together to stop Arch for the good of imagination and the heart crystal. They plan to make a big decoy attack to bait out whatever plans Arch has. Redd tames some Jabberwocky.
Arch has been building a sock out of caterpillar silk to put around the heart crystal which will dampen it and take away the power of imagination. Bibwit flees to help Alyss and he captures and tortures General Doppelganger. He sends his bodyguard Ripkins to Earth to hurt the Liddel family to lure Alyss to Earth. The blue caterpillar appears and tells Alyss this and she goes to help them. When she arrives Arch drains the pool of tears so Alyss is trapped on Earth. She meets up with Homburg Molly to plan an escape.
Redd has discovered where Arch moved the heart crystal, an old structure called the Iron Butterfly. She attacks and removes the sock, allowing imagination to return. Back on Earth Molly meets with an ex-wonderlander and creates a new pool of tears, allowing her and Alyss to return to Wonderland. Arch has attacked Redd for control of the heart crystal, and Alyss sneaks up on the battle. Dodge finally kills the Cat but almost dies in the process. Redd almost kills arch but he flees through the last of the Pool of Tears water. Alyss drops a bunch of bombs on the Iron Butterfly, killing Redd and her team and breaking the heart crystal. It turns into a big rainbow and the caterpillars turn into butterflies and say something about Everqueen. Dodge and Alyss get married and everything is happy. THE END.