A review by camiandkitread
The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

adventurous funny mysterious fast-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

4.5

New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken returns to a world where Arthurian legends are real in the electrifying sequel to “Silver in the Bone.” 

Avalon is gone and Tamsin and her group of unlikely friends are all that stand between Lord Death and his goal to unleash the horrors of Anwnn on the world of the living. While the Wild Hunt wreaks havoc across continents, Tamsin scrambles to assemble Allie’s and to track down artifacts with the power to stop Lord Death, in particular, The Mirror of Beasts. 

Legends say the Mirror of Beasts is powerful enough to even trap Lord Death in its cursed glass, but Tamsin soon learns there is more to the mirror than the legends revealed. If she hopes to tap into the mirror’s strength, she must first face her own dark secrets and difficult truths. 

“Mirror of Beasts” was touted as a “riveting conclusion” to the Silver in the Bone duology and it definitely delivers. The book picked up where “Silver in the Bone” left on and jumped us right back into the action-packed world where Arthurian legends are real. 

Without risking giving anything away, the character development in the book is fantastic. Tamsin grows exponentially as does Cabell and my favorite character, Emrys. Some of the primary side characters also get more development, and we learn more about their backgrounds. We also learn more about Nash, who turned out to be a very fascinating character. 

The book’s plot is basically a fetch quest, but Bracken wrote it well. She balanced the research-focused scenes well with action scenes and sprinkled plenty of emotionally driven scenes through the story. 

In “Mirror of Beasts,” the theme of love and betrayal run through the entire story, just as they did in “Silver in the Bone.” Bracken did a fabulous job of balancing those themes and giving adequate page time to them. Love and betrayal are often two sides of the same coin, which Bracken masterfully illustrated in her latest book. 

“Mirror of Beasts” truly is the riveting conclusion to the “Silver in the Bone” duology. It’s filled with nail biting action sequences, heartwarming and tear jerking emotional scenes, and spooky and intriguing mythology. It serves as a definitive conclusion to the duology, but the world seems open for a spin-off of Bracken wanted to return to that well. I personally vote for more “Silver in the Bone” books! 

I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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