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A review by breeburkitt
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone
3.0
"Mirrorland" opens with 12-year-old identical twins El and Cat found at the Granton docks in Edinburgh, in search of a pirate ship to join. Years pass and the two eventually become estranged after a falling out. Cat escapes to the US, while El marries their childhood friend, Ross, and remains in Edinburgh.
After El goes missing, Cat is forced to return to the place she'd never come back to and their childhood home. There, Cat finds herself falling back into memories of their childhood imaginary world, known as Mirrorland. Mirrorland is full of clowns, witches, pirates, elaborate adventure and imaginary friends. They turn to this fantasy place in an attempt to escape the violence, isolation and sadness of their own home life.
Cat is convinced her sister isn't dead and a series of elaborate clues and warnings only strengthens her beliefs. As she remembers more and more of her past, El finds herself faced with the question of what exactly happened to her sister and whether she herself is now in danger.
The premise of "Mirrorland" was intriguing, but it just wasn't for me in the end. I had to trudge through the fantasy" portions of the girl's childhood adventures. These sections were just too detailed and dragged on and on. My interest had waned by the time we finally reached the "thriller" portion to the point where I just didn't care. The twists were layered on top of each other that, by the climax of the novel, I simply didn't care.
After El goes missing, Cat is forced to return to the place she'd never come back to and their childhood home. There, Cat finds herself falling back into memories of their childhood imaginary world, known as Mirrorland. Mirrorland is full of clowns, witches, pirates, elaborate adventure and imaginary friends. They turn to this fantasy place in an attempt to escape the violence, isolation and sadness of their own home life.
Cat is convinced her sister isn't dead and a series of elaborate clues and warnings only strengthens her beliefs. As she remembers more and more of her past, El finds herself faced with the question of what exactly happened to her sister and whether she herself is now in danger.
The premise of "Mirrorland" was intriguing, but it just wasn't for me in the end. I had to trudge through the fantasy" portions of the girl's childhood adventures. These sections were just too detailed and dragged on and on. My interest had waned by the time we finally reached the "thriller" portion to the point where I just didn't care. The twists were layered on top of each other that, by the climax of the novel, I simply didn't care.