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laurazdavidson's review against another edition
3.0
Ridiculous plot twists. So many childhood fantasies (and traumas) continuing to play out in the characters' adult lives. Maybe I'm just tired of the unreliable narrator. It was endorsed by Stephen King.
abbyweber's review against another edition
4.0
Super dark and twisty in the best way. Unreliable narrator at its finest.
irishlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I was pulled in, though there are more holes in the plot than a pasta strainer and not one likeable character. A+ for an engrossing story that demands you finish it, though (and clowns, to terrify me.)
stipnsauce's review against another edition
3.0
The only reason I finished this book is because my partner and I both bought a copy and read it together while we were apart for a month. He already finished and I couldn’t just DNF it - Altho I really wanted to.
When we bought the book, I expected Mirrorland to be a real place, and for this to be more of a Fantasy type situation, so I spent the first half the book super confused because so many people knew about Mirrorland and despite all the details given I could not picture it in my head at all.
I found the writing style very hard to follow, my brain just couldn’t seem to comprehend what I was reading, and had troubles translating it to images in my head.
However, now that I’ve finished the book I can’t stop thinking it and I’m so glad I finished. Despite the fact that I am not fond of the details and writing style, written as it was was unique in the aspect that we only knew what Cat remembered, which was a trauma response.
In the end, the thing that has me hooked is Mouse. My empathy for that poor girl, and how badly she was treated.
I’m very bad at giving stars for books, because i don’t have a very good rating scale. I either like it or i don’t, but I’d have to put it at a 3-3.5 stars.
Worth the read, but wouldn’t read it again.
When we bought the book, I expected Mirrorland to be a real place, and for this to be more of a Fantasy type situation, so I spent the first half the book super confused because so many people knew about Mirrorland and despite all the details given I could not picture it in my head at all.
I found the writing style very hard to follow, my brain just couldn’t seem to comprehend what I was reading, and had troubles translating it to images in my head.
However, now that I’ve finished the book I can’t stop thinking it and I’m so glad I finished. Despite the fact that I am not fond of the details and writing style, written as it was was unique in the aspect that we only knew what Cat remembered, which was a trauma response.
In the end, the thing that has me hooked is Mouse. My empathy for that poor girl, and how badly she was treated.
I’m very bad at giving stars for books, because i don’t have a very good rating scale. I either like it or i don’t, but I’d have to put it at a 3-3.5 stars.
Worth the read, but wouldn’t read it again.
henrymarlene's review against another edition
3.0
When you think of a mirror, you think of a reflection, a reverse image. We are provided with many dichotomies of such in this story, starting with 36 Westeryk Road. It is the home of Cat and her twin sister El. It is sinister and creepy. What and who dwells within it are equally so. Inside the home is Mirrorland, a place that sounds so real and so fantastical at the same time. It seemed like a place to escape to, but equally it was somewhere to escape from, all at the same time, like the rotting remains of a street carnival and a scary image lurking in the background.
Cat returns to the house, and Mirrorland, at the news that her sister is missing, feared dead. The house conjures up memories that do not wish to feel the light of the sun. The connections to the house are equally fragmented and so thick they blind all rationality. They force Cat to remember what she doesn't want to, and to confront the very things she did not know but knew were waiting for her. Sounds cryptic, right? Because it is. It is almost like trying to decipher a reflection in a reflection you may not have known was there. It's like in Bladerunner when Deckard uses the esper photo scanner: Cat begins to analyze and remember memory fragments photos, allowing her to rebuild memories of things that didn't happen back into the reality hidden away from view.
The premise of the connections between multiple birth siblings and requited love triangles seemed predictable. The hidden abuse and childhood traumas that were unearthed were rather horrific. And Mirrorland somehow, although gritty and chilling, was a saviour in so many ways, right up until the end with the start of the third life, which was the ultimate surprise of all.
Cat returns to the house, and Mirrorland, at the news that her sister is missing, feared dead. The house conjures up memories that do not wish to feel the light of the sun. The connections to the house are equally fragmented and so thick they blind all rationality. They force Cat to remember what she doesn't want to, and to confront the very things she did not know but knew were waiting for her. Sounds cryptic, right? Because it is. It is almost like trying to decipher a reflection in a reflection you may not have known was there. It's like in Bladerunner when Deckard uses the esper photo scanner: Cat begins to analyze and remember memory fragments photos, allowing her to rebuild memories of things that didn't happen back into the reality hidden away from view.
The premise of the connections between multiple birth siblings and requited love triangles seemed predictable. The hidden abuse and childhood traumas that were unearthed were rather horrific. And Mirrorland somehow, although gritty and chilling, was a saviour in so many ways, right up until the end with the start of the third life, which was the ultimate surprise of all.
squirrelsonbookshelves's review against another edition
5.0
I hate star ratings, and this book is a key example as to why. It is marmite. You'll find just as many one star ratings as five.
Mirrorland has the feel of a Gothic fairytale. It has the far-fetched plot of any great Agatha Christie book. It has hard and complex subjects and relationships. Psychology, and the power of memory and imagination.
When is a child's imaginary world an adventure? When is it fake? What if it's real?
I loved the beauty and confusion and pain of this book, but I can guarantee that many of you will say it's confusing and unbelievable. If you can believe though, believe.
Mirrorland has the feel of a Gothic fairytale. It has the far-fetched plot of any great Agatha Christie book. It has hard and complex subjects and relationships. Psychology, and the power of memory and imagination.
When is a child's imaginary world an adventure? When is it fake? What if it's real?
I loved the beauty and confusion and pain of this book, but I can guarantee that many of you will say it's confusing and unbelievable. If you can believe though, believe.
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really tough one to review without giving anything away. Let me start by saying this story won't be for everyone. There is an element of fantasy (in the sense of a child's make-believe) that muddles the waters and at several points I (and my fellow Pigeons) had no clue which way was up. (Seriously, if you don't like to be confused and go huh?! at every turn, you might want to skip this one.) However, after a while it all starts making sense and I came to highly appreciate what the author had done.
I loved the overall darkness of this story and the depth and multi-layeredness of the characters, although I didn't particularly like any of them.
Overall I really enjoyed Mirrorland, it comes highly recommended by Stephen King and I can certainly see why he would. It's cleverly plotted, it has the twists you'd expect in this kind of a story, and a bunch of things you might not. I have to admit that I did see some of those twists coming, although that didn't spoil my fun.
What I liked least about Mirrorland is its ending. I do get why the author ended it this way, it is entirely in line with some of the aspects of the story, but I feel the story would have been tauter and the finale much more powerful had it been in line with other aspects of the story. That last stave, or even the penultimate one, felt like overkill to me.
Still, I had a great time with Mirrorland and I look forward to finding out what Carole Johnstone comes up with next.
Huge thanks to the Pigeonhole and Carole Johnstone for the opportunity to read Mirrorland for free. All opinions are my own.
I loved the overall darkness of this story and the depth and multi-layeredness of the characters, although I didn't particularly like any of them.
Overall I really enjoyed Mirrorland, it comes highly recommended by Stephen King and I can certainly see why he would. It's cleverly plotted, it has the twists you'd expect in this kind of a story, and a bunch of things you might not. I have to admit that I did see some of those twists coming, although that didn't spoil my fun.
What I liked least about Mirrorland is its ending. I do get why the author ended it this way, it is entirely in line with some of the aspects of the story, but I feel the story would have been tauter and the finale much more powerful had it been in line with other aspects of the story. That last stave, or even the penultimate one, felt like overkill to me.
Still, I had a great time with Mirrorland and I look forward to finding out what Carole Johnstone comes up with next.
Huge thanks to the Pigeonhole and Carole Johnstone for the opportunity to read Mirrorland for free. All opinions are my own.
glamatronic's review against another edition
5.0
I loved Mirrorland and all its twists. It starts off a bit slow and I wondered exactly where the story was going. The beginning started as more of the imagination of two children in a pirate fantasy, but trust me, it gets much better and there is a good reason for slow intro.
El has gone missing and her sister, Cat, who moved to America 12 years ago comes back to Scotland to find her. After missing for several days, she is assumed dead by most, but Cat insists she knows she's alive. We learn the sisters have complex relationship with both an intense bond and major issues. Cat ends up staying in Scotland with her sister's husband, Ross, who we find out was their childhood friend and love interest of both sisters.
Cat is soon sent on a journey back into her childhood after receiving mysterious emails that she believes are from missing sister, El. Cat is finding her sisters old journal entries and treasure hunt clues in their childhood home and begins remembering Mirrorland. Mirrorland is the world she and her sister imagined as children and starts off as a fun playland that eventually unravels into much more the further you get into the story. Cat's memories begin to blur and she isn't sure what is reality and what was imaginary.
Through all the twists, you begin questioning if El is just missing and alive, or is she dead? Did she get murdered? Was it an accident? Was it a suicide? Was it planned? Is there much more to the story than meets the eye? All options seem possible.
Overall, I really enjoyed the magical realism infused throughout the story, the blurred lines between reality and imagination with Cat, the flaws in the characters that made them seem like real people, and the twists along the way. I'd highly recommend reading Mirrorland.
El has gone missing and her sister, Cat, who moved to America 12 years ago comes back to Scotland to find her. After missing for several days, she is assumed dead by most, but Cat insists she knows she's alive. We learn the sisters have complex relationship with both an intense bond and major issues. Cat ends up staying in Scotland with her sister's husband, Ross, who we find out was their childhood friend and love interest of both sisters.
Cat is soon sent on a journey back into her childhood after receiving mysterious emails that she believes are from missing sister, El. Cat is finding her sisters old journal entries and treasure hunt clues in their childhood home and begins remembering Mirrorland. Mirrorland is the world she and her sister imagined as children and starts off as a fun playland that eventually unravels into much more the further you get into the story. Cat's memories begin to blur and she isn't sure what is reality and what was imaginary.
Through all the twists, you begin questioning if El is just missing and alive, or is she dead? Did she get murdered? Was it an accident? Was it a suicide? Was it planned? Is there much more to the story than meets the eye? All options seem possible.
Overall, I really enjoyed the magical realism infused throughout the story, the blurred lines between reality and imagination with Cat, the flaws in the characters that made them seem like real people, and the twists along the way. I'd highly recommend reading Mirrorland.
melissadelongcox's review against another edition
*Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC!*
I should've known when the blurb said Room that this book wasn't for me, but I continued on anyway. While the concept as described in the blurb felt interesting, this didn't work for me and I DNFed it incredibly early - at less than 20%.
I should've known when the blurb said Room that this book wasn't for me, but I continued on anyway. While the concept as described in the blurb felt interesting, this didn't work for me and I DNFed it incredibly early - at less than 20%.
lmatthysse's review against another edition
4.0
Read. This. Book.
Don't let negative reviews sway you. This is definitely worth the read. The book gets off to a slow-ish start, but will quickly suck you into the plot.
Don't let negative reviews sway you. This is definitely worth the read. The book gets off to a slow-ish start, but will quickly suck you into the plot.