A review by dandelionfluff
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

3.0

A vibrant and entertaining tale! I always love being brought into the worlds of royalty, imagining the true material luxury of their lives. I look forward to reading the last installment in the series. However, there were more than a few questions I had regarding the story:

Spoiler

How could they so easily step into these alter-egos? When Nisha becomes Paribanou, she describes a history to her alter-ego that she doesn't remember, but others do. Did she acquire a life that wasn't her own, pushing another soul out? Was this life and story magically created to accommodate them? I didn't quite understand. Where exactly did the evil magician go? The evil felt a bit flat, and the consequences equally so. Even though nameless lives were lost in the conflict, it didn't feel as though it mattered. Especially not when memories will be erased of what happened. How will people, then, understand the loss of life? Unless I missed something, there are a few loose ends here. Nisha's decision to stay was quickly made and quickly taken back. I actually would have been alright with her staying behind, becoming a powerful figure in her own right and time. But, I suppose that's not to be.

I do recommend this series to anyone who's interested in Indian fantasy settings. It's entertaining and well-written, despite the occasional loose ends.