Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Mirror Season

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

49 reviews

thewildmageslibrary's review

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4.0

I had to take this one slower. It's my first by the author and won't be my last!

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princessgonchar's review

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I think the reason that this didn't resonate with me as soundly as it did with everyone else is because I thought it was going to be a different story than it was. The synopsis suggests, at least to me, a fairly magical landscape. Not *fantasy* per se but just vaguely ~magical~. However, the story reads like a fairly standard (if well-written) YA novel with the teensiest bit of magic that honestly was probably mostly a metaphor and less of, like, real magic.

That's not to say that the book would have benefited from being more magical (whatever that means), but I do think the book would have benefited in my eyes from being marketed or described more accurately.

I think waiting to reveal that our protagonist was the one who sexually assaulted Lock was the wrong choice. Graciela makes it clear that she remembers that night moment by moment from the beginning. Keeping the information from the reader in some sort of "gotcha" dramatic irony moment feels ... weird? I suppose one could argue that it puts you in Lock's shoes and maybe that helps you justify either one of their reactions, but ultimately, I don't think readers should be treated the same as another character in the book, especially as we're experiencing everything with Graciela. I feel like if we knew that she was hiding this incredibly heavy secret from Lock, it would just make the rest of the story make a bit more sense.

Ultimately, I didn't dislike it. I thought it was solid. I just didn't love it.

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karlisimp's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

this one is deep, dark, and depressing. I actually started reading in March of 2022 and have now just finished it. The twist of the novel is something I would hope never happened and yet, it is a loosely based story of the author’s experiences.

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hell_o_ana's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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lyd41's review

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book was just so beautiful. The writing was full of imagery that felt poetic in nature. I am so glad the author decided to share their story.

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mandkips's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

nerdinthelibrary's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I hold him. He holds me.
I am held. He is held.

This book... god, this book really hit me. I've only read one other Anna-Marie McLemore books, When the Moon Was Ours, and I read that way back in 2018/2019. I gave it a 3.5, really liked it but didn't adore it. In the years that followed, every book McLemore put out was one I was interested in but for some reason just never picked up. Until finally in 2021 I impulsively pre-ordered The Mirror Season. For the first 40ish pages of this book, I felt how I remembered feeling while reading When the Moon Was Ours - I was liking it but not loving it, more respecting what was clearly fantastic writing than actually enjoying anything. And while I wouldn't necessarily say I enjoy this book, I did begin to fall in love with it after those first 40ish pages. It really snuck up on me and suddenly I was reading almost all of it in one sitting.

This is a tough book. There were moments when I was gripping it so hard I was genuinely worried I would break it. There were other moments where I had to hold back tears. But there were also moments where I was smiling so wide it must have looked silly. The relationship between Celia and Lock is one of the most beautiful I've read in a very long time. The complex dynamic they have because of what they've been through and their different but oh so similar experiences, and the way they navigate their relationship... I just loved it. McLemore's writing is as strong and gorgeous as ever, making me adore a book in my dreaded first-person and present-tense. A much-needed reminder that I need to prioritise their books more.

Not a book I would recommend without caveats (please look at those trigger warnings), but one that I will recommend with my whole heart.

We cannot keep each other together. Neither of us can do that for the other. It's our own work. But we help each other keep track of the pieces.
We make sure nothing gets lost.

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