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gellyreads's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think the main things I enjoy about this book are the way that it examines abuse and how it affects people and how well spaced out plot reveals are. This book has made me realize just how much I think I hate last minute twists in books that think they're clever, or make no sense, or just try to trick the reader. Although, you could argue that this book attempts to do that with the reveal that El is alive and that Mouse is their sister. I was really annoyed that the book FINALLY convinced me that El was dead when we got her ashes and we saw Cat's grief, so when she was revealed to be alive, I won't lie, my petty ass made me lower this from a 5 to a 4 star book. I enjoy the way this handled dark topics and generational trauma. This book is not for the faint of heart or a light read, but if you're in the mood for it, I think it is worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Incest, Alcoholism, Violence, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
harleyqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wonderful debut novel handled themes of trauma respectfully .2 sisters create a world to protect them from their own reality
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Minor: Rape
kate_reads_books's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
This book was an interesting reading 'journey' for me. I was so close to not finishing this book. I found part one of the book veryyyyy slow. I had to really focus to stay engaged and found the story hard to follow, this isn't a problem I usually have. The descriptions of 'Mirrorland' were sometimes hard for me to picture and understand but this may be because I struggled to remain focused in the first half of the book.
But part two. Wow. Once the story sped up and got interesting, it got REALLY interesting. And the twists! Many I didn't see coming.
There are some very graphic scenes depicting death in this story as well as other distressing content so please beware & read trigger warnings. It could easily be distressing to read for some.
I really enjoyed this book, not as much as I was expecting as the claims and blurb hyped it up for sure, but I'm definitely glad I stuck with it and finished it as I did almost quit reading this one in the early stages.
But part two. Wow. Once the story sped up and got interesting, it got REALLY interesting. And the twists! Many I didn't see coming.
There are some very graphic scenes depicting death in this story as well as other distressing content so please beware & read trigger warnings. It could easily be distressing to read for some.
I really enjoyed this book, not as much as I was expecting as the claims and blurb hyped it up for sure, but I'm definitely glad I stuck with it and finished it as I did almost quit reading this one in the early stages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Incest, and Rape
anmariefweeks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved this one
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
tabby2920's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Incest, Rape, and Sexual violence
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a good thriller, with a lot of twists and turns you don't see coming and an eerie setting of an old gothic house in Edinburgh. I do think it relied a little too much on trauma for some of the twists, so please be wary of the content warnings.
It's told from the perspective Cat, who is estranged from her missing twin sister and her sister's husband. I liked how we slowly learn about what's happened in the past and the relationships between these three characters. As soon as I thought I had one thing figured out, I learned something new that threw a wrench in everything.
I enjoyed listening to the audio, especially with the narrator's Scottish accent, though I have to admit that for the first few chapters, I thought she was saying "Maryland" instead of "Mirrorland"...once I finally realized what she was saying, everything made more sense lol.
The narration does switch between present and past pretty often, and also between reality and the fantasy world of Mirrorland that the girls created. With the audio, it was sometimes difficult to notice either switch, and I found myself getting confused about what was happening when and if certain things were actually happening or just their imagination. Maybe these distinctions were clearer in the print book.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Simon & Schuster Audio, and the author for my ALC!
It's told from the perspective Cat, who is estranged from her missing twin sister and her sister's husband. I liked how we slowly learn about what's happened in the past and the relationships between these three characters. As soon as I thought I had one thing figured out, I learned something new that threw a wrench in everything.
I enjoyed listening to the audio, especially with the narrator's Scottish accent, though I have to admit that for the first few chapters, I thought she was saying "Maryland" instead of "Mirrorland"...once I finally realized what she was saying, everything made more sense lol.
The narration does switch between present and past pretty often, and also between reality and the fantasy world of Mirrorland that the girls created. With the audio, it was sometimes difficult to notice either switch, and I found myself getting confused about what was happening when and if certain things were actually happening or just their imagination. Maybe these distinctions were clearer in the print book.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Simon & Schuster Audio, and the author for my ALC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Incest and Rape
madarauchiha's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
โค๏ธ ๐งก ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐งก โค๏ธ
It's a standard who dunnit mystery with plenty of plot twists and a great pay off. I greatly dislike the incest plot, but it worked well enough.
Content warnings:
medium self harm, pedophilia, incest, drug overdose,
major racism about magical non existent tribes, child abuse, mouth trauma, blood, dental trauma, scars , guns, stalking, paranoia, suicide, incest, domestic abuse, abuse, manipulation, unhealthy relationships, marital infidelity, child abuse, gaslighting, NSFW, suicide threats, suicide, medical scenarios, death, murder,
About the incest warning. Major spoilers.
the 'bluebeard' character is actually the grandfather. The grandfather is also their father, having imprisons one of his adult twin daughter and raped them off screen, impregnating her at least once. The incest / csa is not depicted explicitly but it is implied and confirmed to have happened. The plot is focus more on the current day, as the grandfather is long since dead.
It's a standard who dunnit mystery with plenty of plot twists and a great pay off. I greatly dislike the incest plot, but it worked well enough.
Content warnings:
medium self harm, pedophilia, incest, drug overdose,
major racism about magical non existent tribes, child abuse, mouth trauma, blood, dental trauma, scars , guns, stalking, paranoia, suicide, incest, domestic abuse, abuse, manipulation, unhealthy relationships, marital infidelity, child abuse, gaslighting, NSFW, suicide threats, suicide, medical scenarios, death, murder,
About the incest warning. Major spoilers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
thecatladybooknook_penny's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I really enjoyed this book, I'm not sure the typical fast-paced thriller lover will give this book enough of a shot before setting it down. It is marketed as a thriller, but it feels more like a mystery/fantastical/slow-burn story with a few thrilling elements. It's very dark and tense; very gothic in feel.
If you like dark, slow-burn stories with a few twists; if you like fantasy and imaginary play, I think you'll like this. Even those who read literary fiction may even like this if they also enjoy mystery/thrillers.
Cat and El (mirror twins) have a very vivid imagination as children, encouraged by their mother, which lends very heavily to the fantastical elements. There are even times where Cat as an adult leans in to what she knew as a child which made the house seem to take on a life of its own. When I first started reading this, I was slightly confused, but I'm used to reading 1000 page fantasy novels. I was willing to ride it out and see where this story would go. I'm really glad I did.
There were some moments in the story where Cat would be narrating the story and she goes back to a childhood memory as a flashback of sorts which can be a little confusing for some because you aren't told "this is flashback, and okay now, we're back to real time". I didn't mind that once I saw the author using that technique more and more. The writing style was simple without being overly simplistic and was easy to read and imagine what was happening within the story. A really good debut novel!
I highly recommend this book for the type reader I described above. Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner books for this free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you like dark, slow-burn stories with a few twists; if you like fantasy and imaginary play, I think you'll like this. Even those who read literary fiction may even like this if they also enjoy mystery/thrillers.
Cat and El (mirror twins) have a very vivid imagination as children, encouraged by their mother, which lends very heavily to the fantastical elements. There are even times where Cat as an adult leans in to what she knew as a child which made the house seem to take on a life of its own. When I first started reading this, I was slightly confused, but I'm used to reading 1000 page fantasy novels. I was willing to ride it out and see where this story would go. I'm really glad I did.
There were some moments in the story where Cat would be narrating the story and she goes back to a childhood memory as a flashback of sorts which can be a little confusing for some because you aren't told "this is flashback, and okay now, we're back to real time". I didn't mind that once I saw the author using that technique more and more. The writing style was simple without being overly simplistic and was easy to read and imagine what was happening within the story. A really good debut novel!
I highly recommend this book for the type reader I described above. Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner books for this free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Incest
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