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A review by fictionmajorette
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2021/04/mirrorland-carole-johnstone.html
My absolute favorite part was the pacing - it was immaculate. It was the kind of book that, when I was done, I put it down and just thought back over the whole story and how everything came together at just the right pace for me to be 100% completely enthralled. The thriller beats are timed out perfectly for my taste and the pacing worked with the information we learn from the book in order to expertly ramp up the tension. This is Johnstone's debut novel and, to me, it reads like a seasoned thriller writer. I had a bit of a rough time with the first 10-15% but once I got past that part, the book just flew by. It has been a while since I've had a book where it felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and this one hit that exact target for me. I think the scavenger hunt Cat goes on gives a natural cadence to the story and really helps push along the narrative.
This story has a very fantastical, some might say flowery, narrative style. The style is consistent through the book, but I found it the heaviest at the beginning and it leaned a bit too much toward the literary fiction side of prose for my personal liking. Very detailed descriptions, long paragraphs detailing Cat's feelings and thoughts and her surroundings. I know some readers will really enjoy this writing style, but it just isn't for me. However, once we got past that first 15% or so, the mystery side of the plot really picks up and it feels like the narrative has more to focus on rather than just feelings and setting. I'd say the writing style takes some time to get used to and sink into, but I really think it is a fantastic choice overall for the story and 100% worth the effort it might take getting through the first little bit of the book.
I really enjoyed the characters in this story and the way we slowly peel back the layers of characterization. Cat hasn't talked to her sister in 12 years so, in a way, we're discovering who El is right along side Cat as she tries to figure out what happened. Also, since this is the first time Cat has been back to Scotland in 12 years, she is sort of rediscovering parts of herself the longer she stays in town. I really liked how the scavenger hunt clues slowly revealed more and more information about their relationship and their upbringing in a very logical and methodical way.
I did appreciate how we get a lot of explanation and resolution after the final conflict so we can really see how Cat is doing after finding out all this information. By the end, I did find myself slightly more interested in finding out the truth about what happened in their childhood more than what happened to El but the two plot threads are connected in the end so it was satisfying on both counts. The one last twist was interesting but did feel a tad bit too convenient for my liking but I don't think it cheapened the overall narrative at all and I do think most readers will like it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The narrative style was unique and really fit the overall plot and mood of the story, the characters were complex and evolved during the course of the book, and the ending was incredibly well paced and plotted. I do think the narrative style can be hard to get into at first, but I think it is worth pushing through if possible to get to the body of the story because the payoff is 100% worth it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date is April 20, 2021.
My absolute favorite part was the pacing - it was immaculate. It was the kind of book that, when I was done, I put it down and just thought back over the whole story and how everything came together at just the right pace for me to be 100% completely enthralled. The thriller beats are timed out perfectly for my taste and the pacing worked with the information we learn from the book in order to expertly ramp up the tension. This is Johnstone's debut novel and, to me, it reads like a seasoned thriller writer. I had a bit of a rough time with the first 10-15% but once I got past that part, the book just flew by. It has been a while since I've had a book where it felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and this one hit that exact target for me. I think the scavenger hunt Cat goes on gives a natural cadence to the story and really helps push along the narrative.
This story has a very fantastical, some might say flowery, narrative style. The style is consistent through the book, but I found it the heaviest at the beginning and it leaned a bit too much toward the literary fiction side of prose for my personal liking. Very detailed descriptions, long paragraphs detailing Cat's feelings and thoughts and her surroundings. I know some readers will really enjoy this writing style, but it just isn't for me. However, once we got past that first 15% or so, the mystery side of the plot really picks up and it feels like the narrative has more to focus on rather than just feelings and setting. I'd say the writing style takes some time to get used to and sink into, but I really think it is a fantastic choice overall for the story and 100% worth the effort it might take getting through the first little bit of the book.
I really enjoyed the characters in this story and the way we slowly peel back the layers of characterization. Cat hasn't talked to her sister in 12 years so, in a way, we're discovering who El is right along side Cat as she tries to figure out what happened. Also, since this is the first time Cat has been back to Scotland in 12 years, she is sort of rediscovering parts of herself the longer she stays in town. I really liked how the scavenger hunt clues slowly revealed more and more information about their relationship and their upbringing in a very logical and methodical way.
I did appreciate how we get a lot of explanation and resolution after the final conflict so we can really see how Cat is doing after finding out all this information. By the end, I did find myself slightly more interested in finding out the truth about what happened in their childhood more than what happened to El but the two plot threads are connected in the end so it was satisfying on both counts. The one last twist was interesting but did feel a tad bit too convenient for my liking but I don't think it cheapened the overall narrative at all and I do think most readers will like it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The narrative style was unique and really fit the overall plot and mood of the story, the characters were complex and evolved during the course of the book, and the ending was incredibly well paced and plotted. I do think the narrative style can be hard to get into at first, but I think it is worth pushing through if possible to get to the body of the story because the payoff is 100% worth it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date is April 20, 2021.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Incest