The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
mickey_june's review against another edition
3.0
I have two minds about this book. It isn't that good, but I love it regardless.
Things I enjoy from it. This is a twisted fairy tale, but is actually pretty original. It has little to do with Snow White and mostly takes place a hundred years after the events of that tale. I thought this was a good choice and made for a more interesting story because I am personally tired of twisted fairy tales that are just the same story but from a different perspective (such retellings do not interest me or stray far from the source material). I loved how dark this tale was without delving into too much angst. Despite the darkness, the who story read quite quickly and felt light like a bedtime story. The prose are written prettily, and I enjoyed flow of flashbacks, internal monologue, and dialogue. I think the smoothness from flashback to the current conflicts was an excellent reflection of the mirror's loss of a sense of time.
Things that are bad but I reread this story regardless of them. Firstly, there is a lot of telling instead of showing, so all character development is laid out very simply. On that note, there isn't much character development to lay out, and it comes rather abruptly. The ending and the beginning I also found to be rather abrupt. The ending especially came out of no where, and had I been listening to the story rather than holding the book myself, I would have been surprised. Also, the ending just wasn't very good. Had there been a rational build up to it, perhaps it would have been good (that being said, I still always feel glowy and happy because the mirror does have a happy ending). The events throughout aren't quite predictable, but they are certainly unsurprising. I think a lot of these flaws have to do with the author being a newly published author, and therefore not as experienced to the craft, and perhaps a pressure from the publishers to keep the book short.
All an all, I still love this story--or at least the idea enough to reread this story despite the flaws. What I would love to see is the story rewritten and expanded for an older audience. I would also like the build up to the ending changed. I like that Mira/Mirror is happy...but I think it is easy for someone more impressionable to take the ending to mean that you should automatically forgive toxic people for abusive relationships. I think if this were for an adult audience and written better, there could be more nuance to the relationship and show more complicated thoughts than this book contained.
Things I enjoy from it. This is a twisted fairy tale, but is actually pretty original. It has little to do with Snow White and mostly takes place a hundred years after the events of that tale. I thought this was a good choice and made for a more interesting story because I am personally tired of twisted fairy tales that are just the same story but from a different perspective (such retellings do not interest me or stray far from the source material). I loved how dark this tale was without delving into too much angst. Despite the darkness, the who story read quite quickly and felt light like a bedtime story. The prose are written prettily, and I enjoyed flow of flashbacks, internal monologue, and dialogue. I think the smoothness from flashback to the current conflicts was an excellent reflection of the mirror's loss of a sense of time.
Things that are bad but I reread this story regardless of them. Firstly, there is a lot of telling instead of showing, so all character development is laid out very simply. On that note, there isn't much character development to lay out, and it comes rather abruptly. The ending and the beginning I also found to be rather abrupt. The ending especially came out of no where, and had I been listening to the story rather than holding the book myself, I would have been surprised. Also, the ending just wasn't very good. Had there been a rational build up to it, perhaps it would have been good (that being said, I still always feel glowy and happy because the mirror does have a happy ending). The events throughout aren't quite predictable, but they are certainly unsurprising. I think a lot of these flaws have to do with the author being a newly published author, and therefore not as experienced to the craft, and perhaps a pressure from the publishers to keep the book short.
All an all, I still love this story--or at least the idea enough to reread this story despite the flaws. What I would love to see is the story rewritten and expanded for an older audience. I would also like the build up to the ending changed. I like that Mira/Mirror is happy...but I think it is easy for someone more impressionable to take the ending to mean that you should automatically forgive toxic people for abusive relationships. I think if this were for an adult audience and written better, there could be more nuance to the relationship and show more complicated thoughts than this book contained.
annieotter's review against another edition
4.0
Hmm.
I'm not sure I liked this book.
It took me a long time to get through. I kept wanting to put it down.
The MC, the mirror, was really annoying and I absolutely hated her as the main character.
I dunno, there was really nothing special about this book, and it was boring. It didn't speak to me. :/
I'm not sure I liked this book.
It took me a long time to get through. I kept wanting to put it down.
The MC, the mirror, was really annoying and I absolutely hated her as the main character.
I dunno, there was really nothing special about this book, and it was boring. It didn't speak to me. :/
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
3.0
This is the story of how the magic mirror in Snow White came to be, and then to not be. Like the Disney movie Frozen, it is about a love other than romantic. Okay, but not dazzling. As some of the reviewers have already said, it's hard to feel much connection to Mira.
razishiri's review against another edition
3.0
What I liked most about this book was the message. This is a book about sisterly love, and how you can love and hate someone, and eventually forgive them. It's also about making a family for yourself; both pairs of sisters in the book are not biological siblings. The message is steadfast until the unexpected, if confusing ending.
The story is face-paced, expecially at the beginning, which really draws you in. And it is nice to see Mira's transformation into a less cynical, more likable character. Definantly worth a read.
(By the way... did anyone else think the Duke seemed like the Beast from [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285], at first? Especially since there's a magic mirror in that story, too.)
The story is face-paced, expecially at the beginning, which really draws you in. And it is nice to see Mira's transformation into a less cynical, more likable character. Definantly worth a read.
(By the way... did anyone else think the Duke seemed like the Beast from [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285], at first? Especially since there's a magic mirror in that story, too.)
bella_lettore's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great rework of a very old fairy tale, I was completely locked in from the moment that I saw the cover.
read_with_riley's review against another edition
3.0
Cute, a little weird, overall great...I just didn't love it.
magentabyfive's review against another edition
3.0
This is just really depressing. Like really depressing, and because she is a mirror she is never a really a main character in her story. I don't even understand the parallels' of her situation to the girls she follows. It's there, but I would say they were completely one equals the other and I don't agree with the findings Mira does and thus the ending is not satisfying, at all. It's just not satisfying, you are waiting for some really great ending, and I just don't agree with it and find unsatisfying.
fluffymao's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0