A review by keepcalmblogon
The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I was so glad to get approved for The Mirror of Beasts, sequel to Silver in the Bone, as I was impatient to find out what happens next for Tamsin and friends!

Unfortunately, I do have to start off with a bit of a downer: since I had to wait over a year between the books, I didn’t remember all of the plot points, and when searching online for some sort of refresher, I was unlucky. So throughout the second book, there were events, characters, and references I simply did not recall, which overall didn’t prevent me from following the plot, but did make the story connect with me less. If I could have had some refresher of the split between priestesses and sorceresses and Avalon and the Otherlands and the overall magic system, etc., I think this story would have hit so much harder. 

But, I did get the overall gist and was able to follow the new plot and new twists fine enough to enjoy the story. I will say though, with so many connections and such a unique magic system, I was often left confused within the story of Mirror of Beasts itself, and I did go back and reread my review of Silver in the Bone and had the same notes on that book. So, overall this duology does have an issue with clarifying the lore. I also had to look up the pronunciation of so many names, I wish there had been a guide.

On to the good part! I still really enjoyed that instead of a retelling, this was a story in its own right using elements of Arthurian legend. I think if you enjoyed the show Merlin, you’d like this duology! I loved the found family connections and the action as well as the star-crossed lovers, so I’m giving this four stars!

I’m excited to find out if Neve gets her own book??