Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage

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Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage
Illustrator: Kevin Keele
The Lost Wonderland Diaries #2
Published by Shadow Mountain on September 13, 2022
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: ARC, Physical
Source: Publisher

After returning from Wonderland, Celia and Tyrus journey to the Looking-Glass World to reclaim their mirror images and stop a war between two powerful queens.

When the Bandersnatch steals one of Lewis Carroll’s lost diaries, Celia and Tyrus try to get it back, only to tumble through a magic mirror into the Looking-Glass World, a place where everything—themselves included—is divided in two. Celia’s logic and Tyrus’s imagination now belong to their mirror images, Lia and Ty.

Left without their greatest problem-solving skills, Celia and Tyrus must rely on each other as they play a massive game of chess to try to catch their mirror images. Along the way, they engage in a rhyming battle with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, seek advice from Humpty and Dumpty, and learn how to believe in the impossible from the White Queen, who remembers the future as if it were the past.

As the final battle draws near, Celia and Tyrus form an uneasy alliance with Lia and Ty to find the legendary vorpal sword—the only weapon powerful enough to stop the war. If they fail, not only will two kingdoms be destroyed, but Celia and Tyrus might never regain their stolen talents and could be trapped in the Looking-Glass World forever.

A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.

Secrets of the Looking Glass was an unexpected (but pleasant) sequel to The Lost Wonderland Diaries that I didn’t know I needed until I heard it was happening. But I definitely missed Celia’s and Tyrus’s adventures, and it was a joy to go back into the world J. Scott Savage created.

This second book in The Lost Wonderland Diaries continues Celia’s and Tyrus’s journey in exploring Lewis Carroll’s four journals after they return from Wonderland. But it’s not long after their return before they’re pulled into the Looking-Glass World to get back the second journal after the Bandersnatch steals it, along with the best parts of their selves (Celia’s logic and Tyrus’s imagination).

Much like the first novel, Secrets of the Looking Glass was fun and full of adventure and wordplay; Savage draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s works while also taking his own spin with this sequel. I’ve mentioned in my review for The Lost Wonderland Diaries that Savage really captures the essence and writing style of what many of us associate with Alice in Wonderland, and this definitely continues with the second novel! I especially liked the format inspired by Through the Looking Glass mentioned in the author’s notes, the illustrations accompanying the story, and the vivid imagery of the writing that brought the story to life.

(I mean, there’s literally an implementation of chess in an entire fictional world going on here; I can’t even properly describe my Squishmallow.)

I also liked Savage exploring the question, “who are we without the best part of ourselves?” and I think this plays a huge part in the novel (heck, character development is a large part of the series, and it’s one of my favorite things in books). In the first book, Celia and Tyrus grew to recognize their differences from those around them were strengths they utilized to save Wonderland. In the second book, they essentially swap roles as they try to reclaim their mirror images (Lia and Ty) and stop a war between the Red and White Queen, but they also realize there’s much more to them than their greatest strength.

It was great to dive back into the world created with The Lost Wonderland Diaries, with the right amount of pacing and magical adventure that will delight fans of the first novel. Whether there’s a third novel or not, I’m looking forward to reading more of Savage’s works.