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melreadsabit's review
The writing style just wasn't for me and I didn't want to pick it up again after putting it down.
hoosgracie's review against another edition
3.0
This book is trying desperately to be like Harry Potter to the point that the main character is an orphan with one friend who's a boy and one who's a know-it-all girl. Unfortunately, at least for the first half of the book, the girl is so obnoxious that it's distracting. The concept is OK - Darwen moves from northern England to Atlanta after his parents die. When he visits the mall with his aunt (guardian) he finds a mirror shop, which turns out to have magic mirrors that are windows to another world. When he is given one of the mirrors his adventure begins. [return][return]Unfortunately, the character development is weak and I didn't like that nearly every single person (teacher and student) at his school is cruel - not just mean, cruel. The book did get better as it went along, but I would hesitate to recommend this.
wiseowl33's review against another edition
4.0
A bit difficult at first to get into, but glad I stuck with it. Darwen became a likable character and the story held my interest. Very much enjoyed the world on the other side of the mirror.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
5.0
1/11/12 - I read quite a bit of YA lit. But it's rare that a book that's aimed at the Juvenile set appeals to me as an adult. This one's an exception. I liked it a lot! Darwen wasn't stupid (like Charlie Bone, for instance), but he's a kid. He doesn't always make the best decisions, but they are certainly age-appropriate and not really dumb decisions. For instance, Charlie Bone is warned time and time again to not tell people something. (Pick something, he does it all the time.) But then he tells everyone. Darwen is warned once not to tell anyone. How boring would that be? But he only tells when he's forced to or he judges it to be important.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent. I liked this book a lot and I'll definitely be passing it on to my Little. I think she'll like this one a lot too. With the exception of almost ALL the teachers, the "normal" world in this one felt more real. It wasn't like some Juvenile Lit where all the adults are one-note caricatures of real people. That said, I didn't get why all the adults were so mean. Maybe this is the start of a series and it will be revealed, but for now, I didn't get it.
Anyway, highly recommend!
5/2/12 - So, after I read this the first time, I knew my Little would like it. So I put it on her shelf. Well, after we finished Goblet of Fire, she wanted to take an HP break and read this one. She liked it a lot. The author's working on the 3rd in the series now, but the 2nd hasn't been published yet, so we're eagerly awaiting those!
Anyway, sorry for the tangent. I liked this book a lot and I'll definitely be passing it on to my Little. I think she'll like this one a lot too. With the exception of almost ALL the teachers, the "normal" world in this one felt more real. It wasn't like some Juvenile Lit where all the adults are one-note caricatures of real people. That said, I didn't get why all the adults were so mean. Maybe this is the start of a series and it will be revealed, but for now, I didn't get it.
Anyway, highly recommend!
5/2/12 - So, after I read this the first time, I knew my Little would like it. So I put it on her shelf. Well, after we finished Goblet of Fire, she wanted to take an HP break and read this one. She liked it a lot. The author's working on the 3rd in the series now, but the 2nd hasn't been published yet, so we're eagerly awaiting those!
clarkco's review against another edition
4.0
Old-fashioned, yet enjoyable, "Narnia-like" fantasy with a bi-racial hero.
mheinlein's review against another edition
3.0
11 year old Darwen Arkwright had to leave his native home in Northern England to move in with his Aunt Honoria in far off Atlanta, Georgia. While in an Atlanta shopping mall, Darwen followed a strange creature into a shop of mirrors run by the mysterious, and sometimes deceitful, Mr. Octavius Peregrine. Mr. Peregrine sees fit to present Darwen with one of his mirrors to take home, which ends up being a door to a strange new world that only a few people with special abilities can enter and exit. With a new home also comes a new school, so in addition to exploring his new environment and Silbrica, the new mirror world, the protagonist has to explore a new school. It turns out the new school and Silbrica may have some connections.[return][return]My thoughts on this story are mixed. First I will share what I did not like about the story then I will share what I did like about it. [return][return]We are presented with plenty of secrets in the story, and one of them was the fate of Darwen s parents. When the big reveal to this question was presented, it was a bit anti-climactic. Secrets in a story are necessary, but in order to be a worthwhile secret, it needs to have more shock value to it. Some of the secrets in the story were worth the wait, and some were not. I also felt the story had a strong beginning, a slow middle, and a hastily finished ending. I felt the author may have tired of the book and just threw something together for the ending to get it over with. It was a somewhat satisfying ending, but some important details were neglected or mentioned as an afterthought much later than they should have.[return][return]The story did have an interesting plot. If you are working with a child who enjoyed, or if you yourself enjoyed, The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 1), by Jacqueline West, this would be a good book to read. Exploring Silbrica was fun, and the characters were likable& unless they were bad guys, then they were able to inspire dislike. There was a surprise with one of the characters that was pleasantly shocking, as well as leaving a story line open for a future book or for one to work over in their own imagination. I may recommend this book to a child that enjoys the fantasy genre and can t get enough of other world stories, but I would not introduce a child to speculative fiction with this book.
kateegreenlee's review
y'all. THIS BOOK. it gave me more mysterious-benedict-society vibes than the actual mysterious benedict society books!!! to be honest, i don't remember much else about it, other than really REALLY enjoying it and checking the author/illustrator multiple times to make sure they weren't the team behind the great kate weather machine and george (sticky) washington.
ljbentley27's review against another edition
3.0
I read Monsters in the Mirror a couple of months ago and even as I write this review I remember how impressive it was as a middle grade fiction.
Monsters in the Mirror is the story of Darwin Arkwright. He has just moved from a small city in England to America to live with his aunt. He is dealing with the loss of his parents, living in an unusual place, having to go to a new school and make new friends. Oh and he has a mirror that leads to another world filled with monsters.
Sounds a bit random but for a middle grade fantasy this is pretty good stuff. Darwen soon realises that he has a mission within this other world and with a small circle of close friends he manages to start out on his epic adventure.
There were some aspects of this book that were truly terrifying. Some of the monsters are so creepy that I, a fully grown adult, was creeped out by. AJ Hartley has managed to make the monsters sinister but also very original. I often think that monster stories can be overdone but Hartley sets the correct tone and allows the imagination of the reader to soar.
This is a really good middle grade novel. I am looking forward to the sequel.
Monsters in the Mirror by AJ Hartley is available now.
Monsters in the Mirror is the story of Darwin Arkwright. He has just moved from a small city in England to America to live with his aunt. He is dealing with the loss of his parents, living in an unusual place, having to go to a new school and make new friends. Oh and he has a mirror that leads to another world filled with monsters.
Sounds a bit random but for a middle grade fantasy this is pretty good stuff. Darwen soon realises that he has a mission within this other world and with a small circle of close friends he manages to start out on his epic adventure.
There were some aspects of this book that were truly terrifying. Some of the monsters are so creepy that I, a fully grown adult, was creeped out by. AJ Hartley has managed to make the monsters sinister but also very original. I often think that monster stories can be overdone but Hartley sets the correct tone and allows the imagination of the reader to soar.
This is a really good middle grade novel. I am looking forward to the sequel.
Monsters in the Mirror by AJ Hartley is available now.
heypretty52's review
3.0
I put this book down around page 300. As much as I wanted to love this book, the juxtaposition of fantasy world to real seemed forced and unrealistic in this book. Darwen's future-archaeologist friend was much more interesting and likable that Darwen himself, and the loss of his family did not come through in the emotional expression of the character. Also, Atlanta read like a foreign country- even though I live 45 minutes from there. I may try to finish this book in the future simply because of how kind and interesting the author was!
goldenbooksgirl's review against another edition
4.0
In the first of a trilogy, we’re introduced to Darwen, who discovers he has the ability to travel to other worlds via mirrors, when he stumbles into a mysterious shop shortly after moving to America. I have to admit I found this pretty slow paced, but once I got further in, I found the plot really interesting and there were some twists as to who is putting the magical worlds into danger that I really enjoyed as well. I also liked the friendship between Darwen, Alexandra and Rick- watching it develop throughout the book was lovely. Mr Peregrine, who owns the Mirror shop, was my favourite side character, but Darwen’s Aunt Honoria was brilliant as well. There’s so much left I still want to discover about this world, and I’m sure I’ll catch up with the rest of the series at some point.