Emma has been in a full-blown Alice in Wonderland phase since her birthday. The blue dress for Halloween, the Disney movie on repeat, a stuffed Cheshire Cat she named "Mr. Purples" that goes everywhere with us. So when I spotted Seeing Redd and realized it was basically Alice in Wonderland but reimagined as action-fantasy, I figured I'd preview it before handing it to my seven-year-old.
Smart move, as it turns out.
Not Your Daughter's Wonderland
This is Alice in Wonderland rebuilt as a political fantasy thriller. Alyss Heart is Queen of Wonderland, juggling enemies, an evil aunt clawing for the throne, and — in a detail I genuinely loved — a furious confrontation with Reverend Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) for getting her real story completely wrong in his silly children's book. That scene alone? Worth the listen. Alyss is absolutely livid that this man reduced her actual life to a nonsense tale about tea parties, and Gerard Doyle channels that fury so perfectly I laughed out loud while folding Sophie's tiny unicorn pajamas.
But here's the thing — this is Book 2, and it very much assumes you've read Book 1. I hadn't. (Classic Rachel move, jumping into a series mid-stream like I jump into conversations mid-sentence.) For the first hour I was basically assembling a mental puzzle of who was who and what "imagination" means as a literal power system in this world. I got there, but if you're starting fresh? Go back to The Looking Glass Wars first. Learn from my mistakes.
I did something equally impulsive with Eldest: Book Two—jumped into the second book before the first and spent half the listen trying to figure out which walls were actually ticking.
I did something equally impulsive with House With a Clock in Its Walls—leaped into the second book before the first and spent half the listen trying to figure out which walls were actually ticking.Gerard Doyle Is a One-Man Blockbuster
I need to talk about this narrator because he is the reason this works in audio. Gerard Doyle has this natural Irish lilt that gives everything a slightly theatrical, storybook quality — and then he shifts into Aunt Redd's voice and it goes genuinely menacing. It made me curious about his nonfiction work—I spotted Immortal Irishman, a biography he narrates, and his Irish accent must add so much authenticity to that story. High-pitched, dripping with malice, the kind of voice that would make Sophie cry if she heard it through the baby monitor. I got actual goosebumps during her scenes and I was literally standing at the kitchen counter cutting grapes into halves.
The battle sequences are where he really commits. There are minimal produced sound effects in this audiobook, so Doyle does them vocally — sword clashes, impacts, the chaos of combat — basically performing the whole action sequence with nothing but his voice. It shouldn't work. It absolutely does. He's won an Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and after nine hours with him, yeah. I get it.
Character differentiation is solid too. This book has a LOT of characters — Wonderland royals, card soldiers, real-world Victorians, various military types — and I could always tell who was talking even after pausing to wrestle a marker away from Lucas or answer the door for a package. Survived 47 pauses and still made sense.
I'm already hunting down other books he's narrated—Eldest is definitely going on my list.
And since Doyle narrated the whole Inheritance Cycle, Runaway King (The Ascendance Series, Book 2) is the next logical step after Eldest—I have a feeling the battle sequences will be just as jaw-dropping.
And since Doyle narrated the whole Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr: Inheritance, Book III is the next logical step after Eldest—I have a feeling the battle sequences will be just as jaw-dropping.I also grabbed Septimus Heap, Book Two: Flyte for the car queue — same narrator, completely different magic series, and I hear the audio is just as binge-worthy. And once we're through that, Septimus Heap, Book Five: Syren is already on my radar—Doyle narrates the whole series, and after this performance, I'd let him read me the back of a cereal box.The Mom Preview Report
So about that preview for Emma. There are beheadings. Intense battle scenes. A villain who is genuinely scary and not in a fun cartoon way. My seven-year-old? Not ready. Maybe at 9 or 10, depending on the kid. Lucas at 5? Absolutely not. This is solidly middle-grade-and-up territory. For now, our car rides are all about Roald Dahl Audio Collection, which is whimsy without the beheadings. And when Lucas is begging for something even sillier, Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space has saved many a drive—though I've had to explain why it's not okay to call your brother 'Captain Underpants' at preschool.
For ME though? I was surprised how much I got into it. Frank Beddor — who, fun fact, is a former World champion freestyle skier and the Hollywood producer behind There's Something About Mary, which explains SO much about the pacing — rebuilds Wonderland as this political landscape with its own military hierarchy and power structure, and it's actually clever. Not my usual lane. Give me a romance with a guaranteed happy ending any day. Though I did stumble into Crown of Coral and Pearl last month, and that one actually delivered both epic adventure and a swoony romance that left me satisfied. But the story kept pulling me through two full nap times and three garage-sitting sessions. At nine hours, I finished it in just under a week at 1.25x. Not bad.
I had a similar love/hate relationship with Days of Blood & Starlight—another dark fantasy sequel that yanked me out of my comfort zone and made me forget I was hiding in the car.The thing that bugged me: classic middle-book syndrome. It sets up a ton for Book 3 and the ending left threads dangling everywhere. I want my endings tied up with a bow, thank you. But that's the series game, I guess.
Who This Is Actually For
If your older kid (or secretly you) loves dark reimaginings of classic stories, this is a really solid listen. Faerie Guardian rides that same line—takes familiar magical beings and weaves them into a grittier, more political story that kept me just as hooked during my driveway-hiding sessions. Think Alice in Wonderland crossed with a fantasy war epic, narrated by a guy who could probably perform the whole thing on a stage with no props and still have you riveted.
Skip if: you haven't read Book 1 (seriously), your kids are under 8-ish, or you need a clean standalone ending.
Adding Book 1 to My Queue Now
Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. You need something that makes folding laundry and cutting grapes feel a little more epic. Car time approved. I'm going back for Book 1 now, which is probably what I should've done in the first place. My book club will love this. If I ever have time for book club again.
