Through the mirror to the fae world.

This book was entertaining, had likeable characters and had a pretty good story/plot. I was really invested in figuring out what was going on but it did feel pretty easy to figure out and who was the love interest etc. I wish there was a bit more mystery or build up, especially since there will be more than 1 book. There was a lot of room for more building imo.

Overall it was entertaining, not too taxing on the mind and easy to speed through.

Also, I love a good one horse moment ;)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I like the premise of the story, but there were several elements for me that didn’t make this work for me.

Eva’s acceptance of her new situation and the fae world was extremely fast which just seemed weird and unrealistic to me. You were attacked and essentially abducted, but everything is cool? Your best friend might be involved and has clearly lied to you about your entire upbringing and background and you’re not at all upset?

I didn’t need to finish this book to understand why she’s so drawn to Bash, the foreshadowing was way too obvious. I’m not a huge fan of insta-love, and I didn’t really understand what made Eva feel so trusting of Bash after exchanging a total of 5 sentences. The lake scene didn’t have much build up in terms of chemistry, so I just wasn’t into it when it was happening.

My biggest issue was unfortunately the style of writing. The writing was very “tell not show”, which is something that I really have a hard time with in books because it doesn’t attach me to the story in any meaningful way. I found myself distracted half the time while reading. I also found that I right away was flooded with the most generic tropes, but they also didn’t really feel fleshed out to me as they were occurring.

I still think the author has potential and the story did too - I’ll definitely still check in on future works.

Eva finds out that she has been hidden away for most of her life in the human world and that she is destined to break the curse that will destroy both the Fae kingdom and the human world. Or so Eva has been led to believe…. Something feels wrong !!! Torn between the prince she has been told she must marry and the king she has come to trust who will Eva choose ?? What secrets will come to light in this first instalment of the Mirrored Trilogy. Well done to Dana Evyn for this enchanting tale of fated mates with forced proximity and duel POV. Looking forward to finding out how the story will continue in the second part.

I had so much fun reading this book! It was one of those books where I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't know how they were going to fix it until they did!

I loved Bash (of course) and the way he cared for Eva throughout their whole journey. I think he was so aware of the literal whiplash that being thrown into a whole new world made Eva and he made sure to comfort her along the way.

And omg the cliffhanger... I am not ok that I have to wait for book 2! I definitely can't wait to continue reading through this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Dana Evyn for sending me an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own

Quick and nice read, it's really good to cure you of a book slump.

The story was well written, I didn't have any issues with the language used and the world building.

I loved how Eva becomes so strong and gets to know herself better and discovers what and why the beginning of the book happened.
The MMC is sweet and caring, but he'd do anything for Eva, that's for sure. 🥰

Loved how he helped her train and discover her power, you could see Eva and the MMC were drawn to each other, and their powers too. 🥰

I'll for sure read the next book! I need it sooner than later tho, with that cliffhanger we've had. 🥺

The Other Side of the Mirror is the perfect fantasy romance to scratch that itch! We have fae, mates, evil, mystery, found family, and steamy romance packed into the first book in this trilogy!

Eva’s family was murdered 7 years before the start of the book. Now she’s found herself kidnapped and inside of the faerie realm after living a mortal life for as long as she can remember. She starts piecing together her past and what her family’s death truly means while being taken to her mate in order to end a curse all while accompanied by a man named Bash. She leaves everything she knows behind to go on this journey. I thought this story was so fun and I NEED book two!! I felt as though the world and magics could have been a little more fleshed out, the writing was well done and I wouldn’t have been opposed to reading more of it! Sometimes the extra pages can make a difference but overall I thought it was a great story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Dana Evyn, and City Owl Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait for everyone else to read this on April 9th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will post a Tiktok review within the week before it releases.

With thanks to the author, Owl City Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book and the opportunity to read and offer my own opinions.

3+ -4*
The market is presently flooded by fae-rom so creating something that stands out is going to be difficult.
Was this a good every day read? Yes
Do the plot and characters warrant following to Book 2 and beyond? Yes
Were there elements that were a lacking, yes - the pacing, atmosphere and supporting characters were underdeveloped.

Seven years ago, Eva and her family were attacked in the mortal world. She is the sole survivor. Now, she is again attacked in her home but this time, a good looking Fae arrives to whisk her back to the Faerie realm. Away from harm and into the prophesied arms of a Prince. Yet not all is as it seems.

The use of some favourite tropes including found family, fated mates, hurt/comfort, a sweetie pie MMC and a nudie swim when sparks fly kept things moving. The use of the mirror as a portal to other places was an interesting choice. It was nice to see an FMC who is in her mid-20s even if her Fae counterpart was in his mid 50s (I guess in Fae years thats almost parity?).

I was disappointed in the supporting characters - they exist, they are there but they are 2D. I do wonder if they will come out in Book 2?
It might be me, but when the penultimate smex scene arrived, the change in tone in our MMC, from previously in all ways respectful, to the use of language and behaviour that was in stark contrast had me cringing.

I look forward to Book 2 as the cliffhanger has my interest piqued.

I LOVED THIS! I couldn’t turn the page fast enough. I was up all night reading. I loved everything about this book. Fae romantasy with great chemistry! I really liked the magic system and the whip lash of a cliff hanger!

I am so excited to see where this trilogy ends up. I thought this was a great first book. I loved that this book was Dual POV from early on. So, you could love Bash and Eva from that start for their own personalities. In the beginning I was a tad frustrated with Eva for just following blindly. But I quickly got past that because I mean who wouldn’t follow a handsome man like Bash😂 I loved the “Inner circle” trope vibes in this book between all the characters. It was reminiscent of the ACTOR family. I also have to mention and applaud how refreshing it is to have FMC & MMC in their 20’s instead of been teens.

Before reading please be sure to check the TW list before reading. And be aware that this book does have open door spice.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dana Evyn. I will certainly be ordering the beautiful sprayed edge edition so I can have a physical copy of this book to reread before the next one is released!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

If you are a fan of ACOTAR, fated mates, and romantasy, this is a great read for you. I immediately was hooked after the first few chapters. The banter between the main characters was great and I loved Eva’s sarcasm. There is also a great aspect of healing after losing parents that I feel added depth to the characters. The struggle between heart and duty is also touched on and makes a compelling read as the tension builds during the beginning half. I absolutely love the character of Bash and he is definitely added to the list of amazing book boyfriends. He had such a genuine heart and protective side.

I really enjoyed the world that has been built so far and can’t wait to see how it continues in the rest of the trilogy. I hope to see more of some of the side characters in the next books!

- Fairytale world, but make it darker
- Fated mates
- Unexpected twists
- WORLD CLASS spice
- Great pacing
- Beautiful writing
- only one horse
- Fae powers
- Prophecies and saving the world
- Pay attention to the TW list

This book was a wonderfully unexpected surprise, and I loved it! What a great story with great characters, an imaginative world and a very interesting concept. This book was well developed and had faaaabulous romance and chemistry. In the beginning, I wanted to SHAKE Eva and Bash and yell ‘are you freaking blind??’ But the story made up for it and really delivered on their relationship. There are scenes that might make some uncomfortable - so pay attention to the TW list.
I loved the twists, although I saw them coming from a mile away, boy was it satisfying to see it play out. I would certainly recommend this book!


Book review:
Evangeline survived a horrible fire in her teenage years that killed her parents and, possibly, her twin brother. There are so many mysteries surrounding that night, but as she gets older, goes to therapy, and tries to distance herself from it, she begins to accept that she never saw what she thought she did. On the night of her birthday, she comes home to her date having turned into a monster, attacking her, until a handsome and freckled man saves her and reveals secrets about her life and her ties to a faraway land. She decides to trust him, and as they travel to her fate and a powerful and handsome Prince, they grow closer together and can’t deny their attraction to each other. She must face new dangers, betrayal, and learn to trust others again, all while trying to survive a cruel world that would rip her to shreds.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. Seven years after her family dies in a mysterious fire, Eva is attacked by a magical creature in her apartment. Bash, a fae comes to her rescue, but not before she kills the creature herself. Then Bash tells her she has to come with her to the fae realm to meet her soul mate to end a world ending curse. There she meets Rivan and Yael, Bash's friends, and they form a tight-knit group. Eva and Bash also quickly develop feelings for each other but resist because they are delivering her to her soulmate. But once there, things are not what they seem.

Things I liked: the eau de ACOMAF, the strong friendships

Things I didn't like: there's almost no world building; Eva accepts the fae world and her new reality weirdly quickly; the eau de ACOMAF sometimes feels more like a ripoff; why why why do female characters always have to experience character growth through SA? Her brother was also captured but he didn't experience SA. If we can imagine a world with magic and fairies, why can't we imagine a world without rape. Disappointing.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Thanks to City Owl Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is beautiful. I love that there was a map included. The description sounded promising. I started having issues with this book by chapter two.

"I texted back the location of my spare key so Clay wouldn’t be stuck outside, along with a promise I would be there shortly." She just met this guy the day before?! He shouldn't even know where you live and if he did know he could wait outside. Then a few paragraphs down from that.
"My former military, security-minded dad had taught me early on about situational awareness—ingraining the need to always find my exits, note the best place to hide in every room, and stay ever vigilant." Yet she told a guy she met the day before where her spare key was?! Like girl what?! Coming from a military family this makes zero sense to me if her dad taught her things about security and self-defense.

I continued reading after this, but I'll be honest it was hard. I liked that the characters were older, but the writing and situations felt juvenile to me. I really wanted to like this book too. 🥲

Thank you to NetGalley, City Owl Press, & author Dana Evyn for this ARC.

#TheOtherSideoftheMirror #NetGalley

LOVED The Other Side of the Mirror. Great romance and world building- and even though a lot of our tried and true, beloved romantasy tropes were present it still took me by surprise a few times! A big bad that is BAD, fated mates... all the good stuff.

It did leave me wishing for more in the beginning- more showing and less telling when it came to the conversations and adventures that our two main characters had (summaries of conversations that didn't actually tell us what was said, etc). However, what I did love about the book outweighed disliking that aspect for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC- all opinions are my own.

3.75 stars

Seven years after the death of her family on her seventeenth birthday, Eva’s now quiet, unassuming life is forever changed when she comes face to face with a creature not of this world. Eva must come to terms with the fact that the life she thought she knew was a lie, and her destiny awaits on the other side of a magic mirror.
Told in dual POV. Our FMC Eva and MMC Bash.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Other Side of the Mirror.
Dana Evyn did a great job with the world building and magic system. You can tell that there’s so much more to explore in this world.
There are a few things in this romantasy that I really appreciated.
First, I loved that the main character wasn’t a teenager. The teenager saves the world is such an over used trope and I’m grateful that the author stepped away from that and gave us a FMC in her mid twenties.
Second, we got a MMC that looked differently than the typical tall dark and handsome. It was great to see our handsome love interest as a tall red head with freckles and two different colored eyes. It was a refreshing change.
Three, I just loved Bash and the fact that we also get his POV. He was such a swoon worthy MMC. His connection with Eva was so beautiful and for everyone who loves a “shadow daddy” Bash does not disappoint.

This book kept my interest and I really wanted to see where the story would take us. The story did feel very rushed though. I felt like things progressed too quickly. The writing also isn’t very consistent. Some places it really doesn’t flow and can take away from the story and other times it flows seamlessly.
For the characters, Bash was perfect and compliments Eva’s character perfectly.
The supporting characters seemed undeveloped and one dimensional but I’m sure they’ll develop more in the next book.
For a debut, overall I think the author did a really great job.
The book ends on a cliffhanger and I’m excited to see where the story takes us.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like
-Forced Proximity
-Fae
-Hidden Truths
-Spicy Romance
-Dual POV
-Prophecies
-Fated mates

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly I would love to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me with a free ecopy arc in exchange for my honest review!

ladies and gents, we have a new series that’s become one of my new favourites! this book ah this book! it has everything!! swoon worthy characters, a badass FMC, brilliant pacing, not a dull moment, amazing world building! I found myself devouring 70% of this book in just two days as i just didn’t want to wait to see how it ended and now I don’t even want to think about the wait i have for the second book!

if you’re sensitive to violence and sa then maybe this book isn’t for you, however even though these things are mentioned, it’s not done just for the sake of it, it does actually add to the story and the overall character development of the book!

I. AM. OBSESSED!!
First of all, thank you so much Dana Evyn for the E-ARC, I'm sooooooooooo grateful and happy I got to read this book because I've REALLY enjoyed it.

Eva, our 24 year old MC, is trying to go through life even as her past trauma haunts her day and night, the day when her family died in a terrible fire. Seven years have passed since that fateful night, but everything Eva thinks she knows is about to change drastically when a magical creature attacks her. Enter a handsom fae, Bash, who claims she is the predestined to the fae king and insists on taking her with him so the curse that has been damaging both worlds, fae and human, can be broken.
Eva agrees to this, only because it's an opportunity to know more about her parents' deaths and all the secrets they kept from her. But there are more things brewing under the surface than she thinks, while she develops an unlikely bond with Bash, discovers hidden secrets, and stands face to face with evil. Will she be strong enough to conquer her fears or will the weight of them drown her?

I LOVED IT! I really liked that the characters weren't always perfect, they were flawed and showed character development, which I love to see. Bash and Eva fell hard and fast, even when the odds were against them, and they knew they shouldn't. THE ANGST WAS ON POINT.
One thing I think I'd love to see more of is the bond between the group and Eva. Also where is Quinn? I need to know more about her and her story!!
Prince Aviel... Yeah, I'm not going to say anything about him :)
THE ENDING?!?!?!?! I need book two 😭😭

Go give this book a chance, you may discover your new book addiction and a new book boyfriend for the list.

It's rare these days to find fantasy books with an unique plot and my heart sings with joy when this happens. I've loved this book and Eva and Bash held me glued to the page since the begining. I need book two like yesterday

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

I need then to drop the next book..., expeditiously!
At first it was a slow build for me. Eva seemed just like a bore and someone who was just miserable. But who can blame her when you continue to learn about her past!
Needing to understand more and more as to what was going on, I soon couldn't stop reading!
The world building was chefs kiss, as well as the character building. The back stories had me crying for each character.
I had so many guesses as to how things would unravel with certain situations but each turn caught me by surprise! Lol
It definitely takes a spin on most typical fae stories that I've read so far. So I highly recommend this one!

Such a good read and I can't wait to continue and see what comes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the ARC. This review is honest and freely given.

“The Other Side of the Mirror” is a romantasy that has tons of potential. If you were a fan of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” this book has those vibes. But before you get too pumped, there were things that were done well, but I kept feeling like with a little more time could have been even better: Eva’s character was likeable, however I was annoyed by the first 40ish pages kept going back to the fire….I felt like I was being beat over the head with it. Some of the relationships between characters seemed like “insta-love” and I would have liked it if some of the big reveals took longer. I also wish the world building and magic system had been a little more in depth. In a lot of ways, this book seemed rushed….. it could have easily been two books. Finally, I was distracted by some of the same references being used over and over. I am not sure how many times our main character “succumbed to the darkness” or how many references to things “Shining like twin stars” there were, but it was more than enough for one book.

There are some trigger warnings, so don’t skip the Author’s note. It did include themes of sexual assault, violence, loss of loved ones, near-death experiences and does include explicit sexual situations. This book is for 18+ None of these things bothered me personally, but they do occur in this book, and could bother some folks. You will have to decide if this book is for you or not with regards to the trigger warnings.

There is a cliffhanger ending which sets up book 2 very well. If you are looking for a 5 star, epic read, I don’t feel like this one hits the mark. But if you are looking for an entertaining read, with likable characters, magic and a little bit of spice…..this isn’t a bad way to spend the afternoon. I don’t know if this a re-read for me, it is more of a “oh wasn’t that nice” kind of read.