The best book I read this month was a collection of novellas called Looking Glass by Christina Henry. The collection is the third book in Henry’s The Chronicles of Alice series, which are retellings of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland books. The first book in the series, Alice, is one of my most favorite retellings ever. This one felt very similar.

Looking Glass is made up for four novellas. The first follows a young girl named Elizabeth. As her story progresses, we learn about her connection to Alice. Two of the novellas focus on Alice and Hatcher (Henry’s Mad Hatter character). The fourth introduces us to Hatcher’s life before Alice.

Of the four stories, the Elizabeth story is my least favorite—because Alice is peripheral to the story and Hatcher doesn’t appear at all. For me, the Alice series is the story of Alice and Hatcher, and that was missing from the Elizabeth story.

My favorite of the stories was the novella that portrayed Hatcher’s backstory. While the story did not include Alice at all, it did provide a deeper view of a beloved character—and revisited one of the villains from the first Alice book. It was a satisfying visit to the past.

I highly recommend this book and this series, but it’s a case where the series really does need to be read in order. So start with Alice. You won’t regret it.