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odrib's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Incest
stranger_sights's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for goodreads.
I really, really loved this book. This is definitely one of those ones that I’m going to probably find myself beating people over the head with (metaphorically speaking, of course) in an effort to try to convince them to read it. There is just so much here – not just the mystery of El’s disappearance, but the many mysteries of Mirrorland, of the bonds of sisterhood, and even of the human psyche. I feel like I could write for days about all the bits of this book that I loved.
Moderate: Death, Incest, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Blood, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
sarabara's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide
madarauchiha's review
- 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
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.
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
fleeno's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was quite the thriller and had me guessing all the way through. It took me a while to get used to the language used to describe the house - the clown cafe, bluebeards room, boomtown - and it was unclear how much was part of a childhood imagination and how much was real. Cat's poor memory makes her an unreliable narrator, she has blocked out a lot of childhood trauma, has a skewed view of her sister, and idolizes Ross. As some aspects of mirrorland turn out to be real I began to wonder how much of the world was real and what had happened during their childhood.
If you can persevere through the first part and get your head around the house and mirrorland the result is an amazing and imaginative story. It's rare that thrillers actually keep me guessing but this one did. The ending was superb, El and Cat are brilliant characters, the only draw back is the complex nature of the imaginary world which may be too convoluted for some readers.
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
lilacsandliterature's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Incest
kamin8882's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
El and Cat are Mirror Twins, exact reflections of each other. They feel each others pain, dreams, nightmares and are always together. When they are younger, they dream up Mirrorland....a magical place with pirates, clowns, cowboys and Indians....a place to escape. Mirrorland is with them until the very end, never really leaving their hearts. Something very horrible and traumatic happens, that causes them to completely stop talking or seeing each other....until El comes up missing and Cat goes home to figure out what happened to her sister. She knows in her heart she it not dead, now she just has to prove it. Little does she know she will be going on another adventure with the help of her sister. (thats all I will say to not spoil anything- its sooo good) The twists and turns in this book are unlike nothing I've ever read !!
This book was breathtaking. I am a huge fan of thrillers- especially the ones that leave you wanting more with every page, not wanting to even put the book down to go to sleep and this was all of that!! This book made me sad, happy, anxious, nervous, relieved, all of the emotions one can experience. The whole book has you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next and then you are completely surprised!! It was such an amazing way of showing how people use their imaginations to mask the truth.
Luckily, I was also able to get my hands on the audiobook. The narrator was Scottish which was great because the book takes place in Scotland! Perfect touch to the perfect book!! If you are looking for your next favorite book this one is it!! Did I mention this is Carole Johnstone's DEBUT NOVEL!! WHATTT!!! It was incredible !! LOVE LOVE LOVED IT !!
Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner books for sending me an advanced copy of Mirrorland in exchange for an honest review. I look forward so much to reading all her books too come!!
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
fictionmajorette's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My absolute favorite part was the pacing - it was immaculate. It was the kind of book that, when I was done, I put it down and just thought back over the whole story and how everything came together at just the right pace for me to be 100% completely enthralled. The thriller beats are timed out perfectly for my taste and the pacing worked with the information we learn from the book in order to expertly ramp up the tension. This is Johnstone's debut novel and, to me, it reads like a seasoned thriller writer. I had a bit of a rough time with the first 10-15% but once I got past that part, the book just flew by. It has been a while since I've had a book where it felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and this one hit that exact target for me. I think the scavenger hunt Cat goes on gives a natural cadence to the story and really helps push along the narrative.
This story has a very fantastical, some might say flowery, narrative style. The style is consistent through the book, but I found it the heaviest at the beginning and it leaned a bit too much toward the literary fiction side of prose for my personal liking. Very detailed descriptions, long paragraphs detailing Cat's feelings and thoughts and her surroundings. I know some readers will really enjoy this writing style, but it just isn't for me. However, once we got past that first 15% or so, the mystery side of the plot really picks up and it feels like the narrative has more to focus on rather than just feelings and setting. I'd say the writing style takes some time to get used to and sink into, but I really think it is a fantastic choice overall for the story and 100% worth the effort it might take getting through the first little bit of the book.
I really enjoyed the characters in this story and the way we slowly peel back the layers of characterization. Cat hasn't talked to her sister in 12 years so, in a way, we're discovering who El is right along side Cat as she tries to figure out what happened. Also, since this is the first time Cat has been back to Scotland in 12 years, she is sort of rediscovering parts of herself the longer she stays in town. I really liked how the scavenger hunt clues slowly revealed more and more information about their relationship and their upbringing in a very logical and methodical way.
I did appreciate how we get a lot of explanation and resolution after the final conflict so we can really see how Cat is doing after finding out all this information. By the end, I did find myself slightly more interested in finding out the truth about what happened in their childhood more than what happened to El but the two plot threads are connected in the end so it was satisfying on both counts. The one last twist was interesting but did feel a tad bit too convenient for my liking but I don't think it cheapened the overall narrative at all and I do think most readers will like it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The narrative style was unique and really fit the overall plot and mood of the story, the characters were complex and evolved during the course of the book, and the ending was incredibly well paced and plotted. I do think the narrative style can be hard to get into at first, but I think it is worth pushing through if possible to get to the body of the story because the payoff is 100% worth it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date is April 20, 2021.
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Incest
thecatladybooknook_penny's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Incest