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A review by jlynnelseauthor
ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
2.0
PLOT:
The Heart Crystal's power has been depleted and Imagination along with it. King Arch leads an all-out assault on the capital of Wonderland, while Alyss and Redd remain powerless without the use of their imaginations. So they must do the unthinkable, join forces to save Imagination for their world and ours.
REVIEW:
I love Beddor's take on Alice in Wonderland. I think it is extremely creative the way he weaves our world and Wonderland together. I think I suffered a little with this reading as it has been a long time since finishing up the second one. I could not remember any of the side villains that showed up in the other books.
I think the main problem with this book is that it reads like a screenplay. The plot seems extremely disjointed and jumpy. Segways are abrupt. The usual transition is a noise that Beddor spells out. You're not sure what the noise is, only that it spells trouble. It's hard to follow things in your head because you cannot picture who says what and who is where. I often had to re-read a section to put the pieces together. I still cannot picture what the chessmen look like or General DoppleGanger or Milliner equipment because so little time is spent on establishing the characters. It's like a movie with too much CGI in it.
I've never felt much of a connection to Alyss. Her "romance" with Dodge is pretty much nothing in this book and when mentioned, feels contrived. She seems a little under whelming and under emotional. It's Redd who's been the draw for me. Redd is a fantastic villain, but her prominence in this story was not as much as the other books. She was underused, and her fate at the end was too quick. She had some good lines though!
I think too much time was spent on Molly's ability to solve problems. It went on too long because the result of it was a very quick discovery. It felt unsatisfying because of the small amount of time spent on the solution and its implications. Plus her character is overly whiney and gives us nothing of what she was before. She becomes uninteresting.
I think the revelation of the Everqueen was a smart ending, but the name really did not make sense. Everqueen is more of an essence than a person, and the name implies a person. The final revelation was kind of like, "huh?" And after so much build up, it all happens so fast. Did the author just give up? After three books, he had enough?
The end coda keeps me wondering and feeling unsettled. It ends with a mention that King Arch will be "as well known to Americans as he is to Alyss Heart." WHO IS THAT??? Just give it to me!!!!
The use and lack of imagination drove me a little nuts. It's strange that it could be turned on and off as easily as flipping a switch. I don't know, but that part of the plot just did not work for me. Keep Imagination around and have Redd's and Alyss's joined forces become the main tension in the story. SO much underused potential there!
Overall, I enjoy the world. The characters are kind of blah in this one, the transitions are confusing, but everything gets tied up (albeit a little quickly for a three-book climax). I would love to read more! Confusing? I guess I'd say it was worth the read, but it's not on my favorites list (too much needless strategies since the caterpillars can see it all anyways). I love the world though and would like a little more!
The Heart Crystal's power has been depleted and Imagination along with it. King Arch leads an all-out assault on the capital of Wonderland, while Alyss and Redd remain powerless without the use of their imaginations. So they must do the unthinkable, join forces to save Imagination for their world and ours.
REVIEW:
I love Beddor's take on Alice in Wonderland. I think it is extremely creative the way he weaves our world and Wonderland together. I think I suffered a little with this reading as it has been a long time since finishing up the second one. I could not remember any of the side villains that showed up in the other books.
I think the main problem with this book is that it reads like a screenplay. The plot seems extremely disjointed and jumpy. Segways are abrupt. The usual transition is a noise that Beddor spells out. You're not sure what the noise is, only that it spells trouble. It's hard to follow things in your head because you cannot picture who says what and who is where. I often had to re-read a section to put the pieces together. I still cannot picture what the chessmen look like or General DoppleGanger or Milliner equipment because so little time is spent on establishing the characters. It's like a movie with too much CGI in it.
I've never felt much of a connection to Alyss. Her "romance" with Dodge is pretty much nothing in this book and when mentioned, feels contrived. She seems a little under whelming and under emotional. It's Redd who's been the draw for me. Redd is a fantastic villain, but her prominence in this story was not as much as the other books. She was underused, and her fate at the end was too quick. She had some good lines though!
I think too much time was spent on Molly's ability to solve problems. It went on too long because the result of it was a very quick discovery. It felt unsatisfying because of the small amount of time spent on the solution and its implications. Plus her character is overly whiney and gives us nothing of what she was before. She becomes uninteresting.
I think the revelation of the Everqueen was a smart ending, but the name really did not make sense. Everqueen is more of an essence than a person, and the name implies a person. The final revelation was kind of like, "huh?" And after so much build up, it all happens so fast. Did the author just give up? After three books, he had enough?
The end coda keeps me wondering and feeling unsettled. It ends with a mention that King Arch will be "as well known to Americans as he is to Alyss Heart." WHO IS THAT??? Just give it to me!!!!
The use and lack of imagination drove me a little nuts. It's strange that it could be turned on and off as easily as flipping a switch. I don't know, but that part of the plot just did not work for me. Keep Imagination around and have Redd's and Alyss's joined forces become the main tension in the story. SO much underused potential there!
Overall, I enjoy the world. The characters are kind of blah in this one, the transitions are confusing, but everything gets tied up (albeit a little quickly for a three-book climax). I would love to read more! Confusing? I guess I'd say it was worth the read, but it's not on my favorites list (too much needless strategies since the caterpillars can see it all anyways). I love the world though and would like a little more!