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samantha_randolph 's review for:
The Looking Glass
by Jessica Arnold
Alice Montgomery isn't surprised when her younger brother picks a haunted hotel for their family vacation. She is surprised when she wakes up and doesn't know what's happened to her or why she can hear voices, but can't see anyone...until she looks in the mirror. Alice had hit her head while swimming in the hotel pool, but now her spirit is stuck in a strange, 19th century version of the hotel while her body is in a coma in her own time. When Alice discovers a diary by an 1880s inhabitant, the rumored insane and witchy Elizabeth Blackwell, she learns that the hotel is cursed, and she will be the next victim if she doesn't break it soon.
THE LOOKING GLASS is a completely mesmerizing novel. Much like Alice, I found myself transported to another world; but unlike Alice, it is a world I didn't want to leave. Jessica Arnold's writing pulls the reader in from the first chapter, and it doesn't let go until the very end. The scenes have a way of feeling so real that you might be glancing twice at the mirror while reading. I'm a huge fan of any retelling/reimagining, but what I love most about this book is that it has such a life of its own. It feels more inspired by the traditional Through the Looking Glass than a highly paralleled retelling (though both are great!), so whether you are big on Alice in Wonderland or not, you can easily find entertainment in these pages.
If you have any enjoyment in spooky tales with ghosts, mirrors that never seem to really reflect what they are shown, or curses all with a touch of romance and an intriguing crazy person, THE LOOKING GLASS is not one to miss. Overall, I just love the whole feel of this book, and the amazing and even surprising character development that Alice goes through. The ending answers just the right amount of questions, leaving you with a satisfied feeling of closure. I do wish I could have seen more of Alice prior to the hotel visit, but I did enjoy the scenes that gave great flashbacks to show her life before. Her story is happily on my favorites shelf, and I can't wait to see what Arnold writes next!
THE LOOKING GLASS is a completely mesmerizing novel. Much like Alice, I found myself transported to another world; but unlike Alice, it is a world I didn't want to leave. Jessica Arnold's writing pulls the reader in from the first chapter, and it doesn't let go until the very end. The scenes have a way of feeling so real that you might be glancing twice at the mirror while reading. I'm a huge fan of any retelling/reimagining, but what I love most about this book is that it has such a life of its own. It feels more inspired by the traditional Through the Looking Glass than a highly paralleled retelling (though both are great!), so whether you are big on Alice in Wonderland or not, you can easily find entertainment in these pages.
If you have any enjoyment in spooky tales with ghosts, mirrors that never seem to really reflect what they are shown, or curses all with a touch of romance and an intriguing crazy person, THE LOOKING GLASS is not one to miss. Overall, I just love the whole feel of this book, and the amazing and even surprising character development that Alice goes through. The ending answers just the right amount of questions, leaving you with a satisfied feeling of closure. I do wish I could have seen more of Alice prior to the hotel visit, but I did enjoy the scenes that gave great flashbacks to show her life before. Her story is happily on my favorites shelf, and I can't wait to see what Arnold writes next!