Step through the looking glass. Slay the Jabberwock. Seek the King.

Alice is not prepared to face what awaits beyond the Tulgey Wood. When she and the rest of Team Heart enter the fourth and final Wonderland Trial, it’s up to her to lead them to victory. But this Trial is more than a game. If Alice and the others fail to defeat the Jabberwock and reveal the truth about Wonderland, more than points and fame will be lost.

Chess Shire never believed he’d make it this far. Now he’s stuck navigating a Trial he’s seen but doesn’t remember, all while searching for the brother he left behind. Not everything is as black and white as the game that shares his name. And if Alice discovers his deepest regret? Chess might just lose her too.

Apart, Chess and Alice scour the eight squares of the Heart Trial in search of memories, truth, and an Ivory King who seems more illusion than reality. Will they learn to lead together to face their greatest fears? Or will they remain pawns in a queen’s game, never truly seeing the Wonderland they’ve come to believe in?

Book 2 of The Curious Realities series.

Sixteen-year-old Alice Liddell survived the darkly whimsical Wonderland and its first three trials. Now every playing card has been used, and her next game moves into chessboards and a final battle versus the mighty Jabberwock. In The Looking-Glass Illusion, author Sara Ella’s next adventure follows fast after The Wonderland Trials for this conclusion to the Curious Realities duology. Alice and Team Heart explore new riddles and the magic of Wonderland along with themes of haunting memories. Some resolutions may bound in more rapidly than some readers expect. Yet the whimsy of the series shines with Alice’s journey and the new voice of Chess Shire.

Best for: Fans of dystopian stories and modern versions of classic fantasy.

Discern: Deceptions and authority abuse by leaders and trusted adults, some violence to teenage heroes in the context of competition.