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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
minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Atmosphere: 👍
You know how childhood memories can be both extremely vivid and super foggy? The writing style nailed that feeling. Set in a home with lots of nooks and crannies, it has a whimsical atmosphere with an underlying sense of danger that builds until it starts taking over.
-If you feel lost, there's a layout of the house on the author's website, because they based it on their grandparents' actual house!
-If you feel lost, there's a layout of the house on the author's website, because they based it on their grandparents' actual house!
Main POV: 👍
A twin in their 20s/30s returning to their childhood home. They were all too happy to leave behind their twin sister and hometown as a young adult to become a content creator in L.A., and returning has brought back not-so-welcome memories of their shared childhood.
Growls and Howls: 🐺
-If you write a story but don’t give much detail, I will start filling it in with my imagination. And if you suddenly get descriptive and smash all my little imaginings to bits halfway through I will be so mad at you. That’s exactly what this author did BUT I was fully there for it. The fantastical and strange is gradually shaped and smashed into real life Horrors and I loved it.
-The ending wasn’t necessarily a bad one, but it was so rushed that one of the characters had to explain everything to us and the MC. And I was still confused…I wish the beginning half of the book was cut down to draw out that ending so we could discover some of it out on our own.
Show'n'Tell: 😵💫
Show with a sudden switch to tell just when it was getting good. Like bringing a Pokemon card in for class, then ending with “oh yeah I have two special edition ones too”. Flashes them up just as the bell rings.
Cred Rating: 👍🤡
Best to go in with suspended disbelief. Like, the treasure hunt would have been over if anyone in that house ever picked up a Swiffer. Realistic police investigation and portrayals of how we process childhood abuse.
Reading Journey: 👍
You know those city walking tours on YouTube? The one for Edinburgh went through strobe-light carnivals at the base of a giant castle on a cliff, sidewalks with gothic looking structures scattered about, and house music blaring through a maze of alleyways. That’s what reading this felt like.
Good match if you like:
-Unreliable NarratIVES (MC is sure of their memories but also starting to doubt them, yet others are having the same troubles and we aren’t sure which one is the true version and who to trust)
-Childhood trauma and resilience themes
-"Good for her" trope
-"Good for her" trope
-Puzzles
-Dark family secrets
-Evil/psychic twin bond energy
Vibes: 😢🤯😵💫
Format: Library E-book via Libby
Format: Library E-book via Libby
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Self harm, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Blood, Drug abuse, and Violence
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Mental illness rep involves dissociative disorder and repressed memories. One character is described as paranoid schizophrenic by someone, but also recognized by others as suffering from extreme lifelong abuse. Sexual content that is explicitly described in the book is consenting adults,cinderrunner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
This book and its concepts are admittedly a little complex. It is heavy on the psychological aspect of psychological thriller. A lot of negative reviews are complaining that the concept of Mirrorland is too involved, but I think that is exactly the point. The flashbacks and convoluted nature of Mirrorland go hand in hand with Cat's mental state. The story unfolds as Cat's memories do, the reality hits us as it does Cat. This is a truly interesting and complex look at trauma and the way it impacts every aspect of a person's life (even long after the specific traumatic events are over). The mystery aspect is very well done thanks to the confussion we get as a result of Cat. I got a grasp early on about what the elements of Mirrorland stood for, but I was never fully confident on their real life counterparts until it was revealed. Everytime I thought I knew how the plot would unfold, I never felt like I could trust my instincts. Even when I was right about one plot element, something else would get thrown into the loop that i didn't see coming. This isn't a straigh forward, cut and dry mastery/thriller. You actually do have to think. That's not everyone's cup of tea and not everyone is willing to use the extra brain power it takes for a story like this. I feel awful for Mouse, she deserves justice more than Cat or El.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
brandilovesbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Mirrorland is an incredibly complex story. Cat returns to her childhood home when her twin sister has gone missing. She receives clues that force her to remember her life before. Each clue not only leads her to a place full of memories, but also a page of her sister's journal. Her memories are full of colorful imaginings. These include people, a witch, Bluebeard the Pirate, the Toothy Fairy, a girl named Mouse, a pirate crew, clowns, and more. "Perhaps everyone’s childhood memories are the same: part truth, part fantasy. But this house and our mother and her stories turned our imagination into a melting pot, a forge. A cauldron. And, I’m beginning to realize, I can trust nothing that came out of it." The plot is full of unexpected twists.
I almost stopped reading when the climax happened with 25% of the book left to read. I'm glad I persisted. The twists kept coming until the very end.
I almost stopped reading when the climax happened with 25% of the book left to read. I'm glad I persisted. The twists kept coming until the very end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Incest
britt_coin's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.25
Impeccably imaginative and tragic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Child abuse, and Violence
mallory10100's review against another edition
i didn’t like the main character and found the plot very confusing at times. i struggled with the time jumps unlabelled mid-chapter and didn’t like how the main character was so weirdly in love with her missing-possibly-dead twin sisters husband.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
ekclar's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
jamierose's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I should stop picking up thrillers. For every one I love, there's five that remind me why this isn't my genre. If you like thrillers, and can cope with some seriously disturbed family dynamics, you'll probably enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Confinement
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
rachclark's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Incest, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Suicide attempt