[1] The book was published on October 15, 2009 by Dial Press and is heavily inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass.

Redd has lost her imagination, the ability that allows her to control vast amounts of magical power, including illusions, conjuring objects, and remote-viewing locations.

However their reprieve is short, the loss of imagination goads one of the other founding families of Wonderland, the Clubs, into an attempt to seize power.

Alyss attends one of these rallies in a disguise, attempting to find out the truth of whether the Clubs are plotting against her and also trying to understand the resentment being aimed towards her.

In the enemy camp, due in part to the manipulations of the Green caterpillar-oracle, Arch regains control over the Borderlanders and sends Redd and her companions into flight.

Hatter takes Molly to Earths for safety as, still distraught over the death of the mother she knew only shortly, she is unable to resume her duties and protect herself in the coming war.