This book surprised me in the best way! I flew through it. It was so easy to get lost in this story.
The characters were wonderful. I loved getting to know Agnes and Oskar who later become the parents of the real main character Elva. Agnes and Mathilda had the cutest friendship and I was so heartbroken when she allowed Oskar to persuade her to end that friendship. It was a very good way to have a backstory before the "real" story started. The rest of the story is the aftermath of that broken promise between Agnes and Mathilda.
Elva is a great female character. She cares so much about her family, but realizes that the gift she has is just that, a gift, not a curse and she wants to go against her family to really perfect it. She was a great friend to Mathilda and I loved the growth of their relationship. Cay was an absolutely adorable brother.
The plot was very interesting as well. I was immediately sad that Elva was supposed to hide her power of seeing the future just because other people might not like it. Once she finally used it and saw the big storm coming to ruin the family's farm I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the vision would come to be.
The only thing that kind of bothered me was how over the top Mathilda was. In my opinion she completely overreacted at once certain thing that I don't want to give away having to do with Elva. After all Elva did and all the promises she kept, one thing happened and she threw a tantrum and literally moved away.
Knowing that this is the first book in a series that spans over several generations, it really sets up well for the rest of the series!

I read this book, in part, because I was fascinated by the concept: a story told over generations by four different writers. The Mirror: Broken Wish begins the story, and tells a story that, while it seems similar to many of the fairy tales many Western people have grown up with, it’s not based on any one specific story. The story starts with Agnes, as she accepts the help of a woman who is outcast in their village, to have a child. She makes a promise to the woman, who has become her friend, to stay in touch and keep the woman company. She makes a promise to her husband to break connection to the woman immediately so that they won’t be looked down on in the village. In the end, Agnes keeps the promise to her husband and betrays her friend. The woman is so hurt that she flees the town.

The point of view of the story then flips to Elva, Agnes’ daughter born with Mathilda’s help, as Elva turns sixteen. Elva can see the future in bodies of water, from the washing basin to a flowing river. Her gift terrifies her parents, and she has forced herself to shun it, closing her eyes every time she so much as drinks a glass of water since she was a child. But one night, forgetful, she lets her eyes rest too long and has a horrible vision of her family’s farm destroyed by a terrible storm. She seeks help from the Witch of the North Woods in order to better understand her gift and, hopefully, stop the storm from occurring. What follows is a story of friendship, love found and lost, and ultimately betrayal, with tragic consequences.

There is much made of a family curse that has been caused by Agnes’ broken promise, and there’s no telling how long the curse could last: years, decades, or generations. When Elva sees farther into the future, she see glimpses of other people who all have the same basic facial structure as her, making her think they may somehow be her family’s descendents.

I was skeptical about this book when I started reading it. I knew I was interested in the concept, but Agnes as a narrator was off putting to me. As an adopted kid, I struggle with stories about women who are so desperate to get pregnant and equate pregnancy with the only way to have a child, even in fantasy versions of old European towns. When it was also clear that Agnes was going to betray her friend, I was furious and almost put the book down. But I thought I’d stick with it for a few more chapters, especially once I realized the narrator changed, and I’m glad I did.

Elva’s story is compelling, funny, and engaging. Like so many characters in fairy tales, by trying to avoid her fate, she causes it. She learns what love is and what it isn’t, and she learns that there are some mistakes you can’t fix, some bells you can’t unring, some lines that can’t be uncrossed. The end of her story sets up a series that could cover generations of a family curse, and the idea of having different writers craft each segment of the story is fascinating to me, a brilliant way to make sure that a fresh perspective is there for each narrative.

Future volumes will come from Dhonielle Clayton, Jennifer Cervantes, and L. L. McKinney. I’m most familiar with the last of these authors, but if any of the volumes are as compelling as this one, I’m going to be absolutely in love.

I would recommend this book to most teens; preteens who are comfortable with a little bit of romantic content should enjoy it as much as their older counterparts.

This was a fun read! It kept my attention throughout the whole thing and I enjoyed the world Dao created. I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters, which was a problem for me. Still, I think this one could be a lot of people's favorite!

I read an e-ARC of Julie C. Dao's beautiful book and I just loved this incredibly lush fairytale. The world is so well developed and sparkles with magic, and I couldn't help but root for the MC. The story felt very fresh while also having this lovely fairytale structure. I can't wait to buy this book when it comes out so I can put in on my shelf!

I received a copy of this novel on Netgalley for my honest review.

This novel does a great job of retelling some of the Grimm's fairy tales in a cohesive storyline that makes sense. Many tales are referenced including Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and more. The author did a terrific job combining these fantasy elements into a story that flowed easily and was believable.

One major issue, though, was that the voices of the characters seem immature in relation to the issues that they face. The naïveté of the protagonist (which changes as time passes in the story), is a bit unbelievable especially when considering the choices and actions they take. It is almost as though this novel is intended as a middle grades novel but includes more YA issues and themes.

Overall, this story is a bit too sunny for the dark issues that are explored. It improves as the novel continues, but I would say that it is a lightweight treatment of a hefty tale. Kudos to the author for the fantastic blending of the plot elements! I feel that some revision to the dialogue would help this novel immensely.

Is it worth your time to read? Yes, but if you aren't enjoying it after the first several chapters, your opinion probably won't change.

Enjoy, my friends.

Even as an adult I still love a good fairy tale. I'll take the saccharine Disney version or the gritty versions that are much more Grimm. It's been awhile since I have read a good one, but The Mirror: Broken Wish has broken that spell.

Elva has heard whisperer of the evil witches that occupy the woods near her village. But she doesn't take much stock in that because she herself has visions and knows that magic is not inherently evil. When the sixteen yer old seeks out the local witch, she learns a lot about herself, about her own family, and what magic can and can't do.

Julie C. Dao has created a magical world set in Hanau, Germany in 1865 giving this story a very classic feeling. The trappings of the past and the familiarity of old tales, build a story that is original but seems like yet another story by the Brothers Grimm. Dao shows hope and beauty and mixes it with despair and darkness gripping you emotionally and bonding you to the characters.

I love this book. I loved the hope and the despair. I love the morals and the magic. I look forward to see what the other entries in this series entailed but will be sad that Dao is only the author for the first.

The writing in this book was just as whimsical and fairy tale-like as I would have dreamed!

Overall this is a great story. It's written in such a way that you just FEEL like you're reading a fairy tale of ye olden days, even though of course it was published in 2020. The characters are great, everyone from Elva's family to the friendships she builds.

Julie C. Dao’s The Mirror: Broken Wish is a dark fantasy where all magic comes with a consequence. The story follows Elva, a 16-year-old girl with a mysterious gift that allows her to see the future in reflective surfaces. Longing for a way to control her gift, Elva turns to the mysterious Witch of the North Woods for help.
One of the things I really liked about this book was how reminiscent it was of traditional fairy tales (the Brothers Grimm were even referenced a few times). The small German town, the enchanted woods, all worked together to make the novel very atmospheric.
I will say that I wasn’t terribly invested in Elva. She wasn’t particularly interesting to me, and I wish more of the book would have been focused on the witch, whose character I really enjoyed. This book seemed to mostly be a set up for the rest of the series. However, it was a fun, quick read, and I will be reading the sequel.

Disney fairy tales have always been my favorite and always will be. I was really excited to read this book from Disney Hyperion. What drew me in was the classic, Grimm Brothers type writing, but what pulled me through was the plot. I really didn't know what would happen next, and even though I guessed at what would happen, I was somehow still surprised by how it ended. Plus, I really enjoyed the references to the Grimm brothers and especially a present-day future, grounding this story in wholly the past, with magical elements.

I'm unsure, however, if this was supposed to be a fairy tale re-telling or just an entirely new fairy tale? I recognized elements of many different fairy tales including Snow White, Into the Woods, Sleeping Beauty, and others. But they were so loose, this story pretty much took a life of its own. And while I enjoyed the writing at first, I think it ultimately fell flat for me. I had a really hard time connecting to Elva and the other characters. Though we were in third-person limited perspective, I still felt quite distanced from the characters. I think had the writing style changed just a tad I would have enjoyed the book more. But, I recognize the literary practice put into place by emanating that of the old fairy tales, and for that, I respect it.

I don't know if I'll pick up the next book, though I'm curious to see how the story continues on after this!

3/5 stars

A Young Adult or Upper Middle Grade read that I am still gushing over. This story is the first of three planned books (written by different YA authors) following one family and the curse that begins in this volume. If there had been an Audible version, I would have picked it for both my MG and YA Bookish Society members. I am an unabashed fan of the fractured fairy tale trope, and this story brings new twists and turns to what otherwise would be a common tale.
Quick synopsis: Woman wants baby, makes a deal with the witch, backs out of the deal only to have her baby daughter grow up with magical powers, and in the 1800s, Germany isn't ideal for getting along with the neighbors. Her daughter finds the witch, and they form a friendship. Any more info will spoil it; while there is romance, it isn't kissy or graphic, pretty mild, which I why I think my voracious middle-grade readers will eat this classic fairy tale up.
I adored this and can't wait for more.

I received a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This does not impact my opinion of the book

I found myself pretty time strapped for reading when I started this one, so it took longer to finish than it should. This would be a pretty fun (perfect for this season) quick read under normal circumstances. Overall, I enjoyed! This is going to be a series of four books, each one by a different author, that follows a family through generations as they grapple with a family curse. This one begins in 1865 Hanau Germany

The writing and the feel of this story had a very fairytale-esque quality which I really enjoyed! I loved the descriptions of The North Woods especially! I kind of got Hansel and Gretal vibes and I'm here for it.

I loved the focus on different relationship dynamics too- sibling, parental, friendship, romantic, found family- there was a good mix of relationships and they were layered and made more complex as characters dealt with the effects of choices.

I also appreciated how difficult topics were handled. There was discrimination, the pressure to act a certain way to "fit in," the dismantling of friendships and romances, and none of it seemed like a plot device. It fit in and flowed seamlessly.

I can't wait to see where this one goes next! Thanks to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for the review copy!

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Broken Wish is the first book in a fantasy series that is very intriguing. It follows a cursed families over generations, with each book being written by a different YA author. This first installment is set in 1865 Germany and lays the groundwork for following books. I want to say up front that I think I would have loved this more if I was an actual teenager, but I still think there's a lot to like and I'm interested in continuing with the series.

Thematically this is a book about acceptance, being true to yourself, and the dangers of caring more about what people think than about doing what's right and being kind to outsiders. I think the messaging here is fantastic and always timely. We get a fairly well-developed magic system for a fairytale, although that sometimes comes with heavier exposition than I prefer. The main character is Elva, a sixteen-year-old girl with a secret magical ability and a family curse tied to a broken promise her mother made to a witch. Set in a time and place where powerful women were feared and persecuted, we see this struggle of what it means to be different when that is not accepted. I won't say too much more about the plot, but I generally liked the direction it took.

The first third of this book was incredible and completely sucked me in. Much of it focuses on Elva's mother as a young wife and her complicated relationship with Mathilda who is believed to be a witch. It's tightly written and emotionally compelling. The later portion reads much more like YA directed at teenagers, and I had more mixed feelings about it, but I'm also not the target audience. This is where we follow Elva and her getting to know Mathilda. A lot of my struggle is that Mathilda behaves and responds like a teenager, not like a grown woman and I had a hard time taking her seriously or finding her believable as a character in this section. Elva can be overly optimistic and naive, but she's 16. If I was a teenager, that might not have bothered me.

Overall, I think this is a strong start to a series that will be great for teens and I'm curious to see where it goes. I received a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

This book is utter magic! Iam so excited to see mroe from this series as there are oging to be three mroe books by other powerhouse authors. The first book in this series was absolutely beautiful and evocative of classical fairytales that many adore.

I love Julie Dao's writing so much. This is a gorgeous retelling based on Grimm's fairy tales. With expert pacing and well-developed characters, this story tells the tale of mistakes made by a mother that have repercussions for her entire family. An age-old tale of how society fears intelligent, strong, independent women.

<i> It’s so easy for some to be accused of being a witch. Girl and women who are pretty, who are rich yet unmarried, who are passing through town, who hums songs the church doesn’t like.” </I>

I love fairytales. Julie C. Dao had done a marvelous job on the first installment of this modern, fractured fairytale. It blends classics themes with more modern themes, creating a story about outsiders, loneliness, family, love, loyalty, and broken promises.

A broken promise leads to a cursed family and calamity for all involved. This story has a witch, but is she really the dangerous person she has been made out to be or is she misunderstood? Does she react to a world that has treated her with nothing but cruelty in a way that makes sense?

<i>I have lowered my voice, I have bowed my head, I have made myself smaller.</i>

My heart ached for Mathilda and her lonely heart. Mathilda lives on the fringes of society, unable to find acceptance. Her heart is disappointed over and over again.

Then there’s Agnes who sees Mathilda, but is too afraid of what the world will think of her. Afraid of the inevitable judgment that comes from caring for those on the outside who need to be cared for the most.

Elva is young and optimistic. She believes in a better world that isn’t ready to be better.

This story is touching and sweet, while it is also terribly sad at the end.

I can’t wait to see what Danielle Clayton does with the next book in the series. I will definitely be reading.

This is a great book for kids middle school and above who enjoy fairytales.

The Good
– Interesting dynamics between complex women and girls
– Elva's unflinching kindness and goodness
– Mathilda is easy to empathize with
– Solid storytelling
– Lovely sensory details

The Bad
– Slow start / beginning doesn't grab you
– Dao's writing style is clunky and rough around the edges
– Romance between Elva and Willem is a hard sell
– Predictable at times

Story—★★★☆☆
1848: Agnes and Oskar have recently moved to the little town of Hanau, Germany, escaping the stigma surrounding Oskar, who grew up a bastard. Agnes has befriended their shy neighbour through the exchange of letters and goods, despite Oskar's disapproval and gossip that Mathilda is a witch. Overjoyed with her new friend, the lonely Mathilda offers Agnes a concoction to cure her infertility. In exchange, she asks Agnes promise to remain her friend. Agnes takes the concoction, but between nosy neighbours and Oskar's fear Hanau will shun them, she stops responding to Mathilda's letters. Shortly after, Agnes finds herself pregnant and that Mathilda, heartbroken, has moved deep in the North Woods.

1865: Elva, daughter of Agnes, sees helpful visions in reflective surfaces. At her parents behest, she has hidden and avoided her abilities. Between catching a vision of a dreadful storm wrecking her family's farm, her mother's insistence that a curse plagues the family, and discovering letters between Agnes and a woman who might be the witch of North Woods, Elva seeks out Mathilda for magical aide.


Something really cool about The Mirror series is that's it's generational saga about a family curse, told over four volumes by four different authors of colour. In this regard, Broken Wish reminded me a little of R.L. Stine's Fear Saga, but like, if the central forces of the story were the power of kindness and female friendship, and not gore and vile humanity.

Dao does a good job building the tension up over the length of the story. We've seen this type of story before, so we KNOW something bad's going to happen, but between Mathilda's loneliness and Elva's steadfast warm heart, it's easy to root for the best possible outcome. Dao's also provided ample evidence for both the fearful villagers and for the goodness in people to come out on top. We see how Agnes has raised her children to be kind and doggedly reject gossip and how Elva's powers are occasionally celebrated, but we also hear the empty-headed gossip about Mathilda and how quick people assign blame to her.

Broken Wish's weakest point was the beginning. It's not a poor start, but it goes on a bit too long and it's hard to attach ourselves to Agnes when we know she's not the main character. Also, given Agnes and Mathilda's exchange of letters combined with Elva's ability to see into the past, Dao could easily work these parts into the book as it went along.

Dao's done a solid job on the setting. Some food and clothing choices seemed intentionally vague, but her grasp of daily life and descriptions of the area sold the place and time period.


Characters—★★★★☆
Although the story opens with Agnes, it is Elva and Mathilda at the heart of Broken Wish.

Mathilda is a bitter woman with a closed heart. Time and time again, society has proven she cannot trust it. At best, people will use her for their own gain while keeping her at a distance. At worst, they will hunt and condemn her to death. After Agnes broke her promise to remain friends, Mathilda packed up and retreated deep into the North Woods, hiding herself behind walls of both the emotional and magical sort.

Enter Elva.

Elva is furiously kind and deeply good-hearted. Her ability to see into the future means she has something in common with Mathilda that Agnes didn't, and she wants to believe she can use this ability to bring happiness and prevent strife. Don't make the mistake of confusing Elva for a pushover: Elva is determined and willing to do what needs doing. She slowly cracks open the shell around Mathilda's heart with her unrelenting kindness and steadfast belief in others,

I found Mathilda to be more relatable than Elva or Agnes, but then again, I was the Weird Kid in school growing up. While she opened up at a realistic pace, her behaviour was too polarized. It felt more Bitter Mathilda and Open Mathilda were two completely different characters, rather than one character after different experiences.

Elva isn't as dynamic a character as Mathilda, but she does a great job as our main POV character: she's likeable and she gets things done. Her character arc is steady, believable, and the end of it reveals her greatest flaw in such a perfect and painful way.

Dao's greatest strength in all her characters is easily establishing their motivations and letting those motivations drive the characters in a way that is both clean and straightforward, but not heavy-handed. 

Elva's romance with Willem is a tricky thing. They have their ups and downs, and Dao certainly describes Willem in a swoon-worthy manner, but Broken Wish isn't a book you read for the romance, like, say, The Wrath and the Dawn. Their romance is a subplot and it functions like one. You want it to work out for them because Elva is a good person you want good things for, but Willem isn't one of those guys who gets assigned "book boyfriend" status. Sorry, romance fans.


Writing Style—★★☆☆☆ (2.5 Stars)
Broken Wish is told in third person, past tense from primarily Elva's point of view, but also features Agnes', Mathilda's, and Cay's points of views at various points in the book.

Honestly, Dao's writing style is disappointingly amateurish for an author who's written four or more books now. It's awkward, it's clunky, it's just getting the job done. It's like watching someone cutting soft, fresh bread with a butter knife. Or a surgeon using a hammer instead of a scalpel. A bit embarrassing, since free programs (example: ProWritingAid) can pinpoint most of the issues—like redundant and filler words—and help fix them. 2020 might be a mess, but your prose doesn't have to be!


However, it's unfair to categorize it as all bad. Dao is still a solid storyteller and focuses on the right elements in her scenes and always keeps things moving forward. Additionally, she does a lovely job with sensory details and recurring thematic elements.

Themes and Representation—★★★★☆
Broken Wish centers on the power of kindness, openness and understanding vs stigma, lies, and the push for conformity through fear of rejection. Dao handles the war of these elements superbly, and with a tidy execution. I've brought up the other elements a few times, so I find it important to touch on the battle of openness vs lying here, mainly how nothing good happens when a character intentionally lies to another, even with good intent. Agnes takes Mathilda's cure for her infertility and promises to remain her friend, knowing she intends to break that promise. Elva lies to her parents, telling them Mathilda can take away her powers. Likewise, Mathilda can't find a true friend until she tells the truth about some of the nasty little things she's done to protect herself in the past.

Given the time period and setting, there isn't much room for a dearth of representation, but Dao deals with the core parts—like the ostracism of anyone different, particularly unusual women—quite well, and does include lesbian supporting characters in Mathilda's past and Asian characters in the background. There's also Cay, Elva's younger brother, who's interested in hobbies which weren't traditionally masculine, such as embroidery.


Overall—★★★★☆ (3.5 Stars)

Recommended For...
Fans of dark fairytale-style stories; mentor-mentee dynamics; steadfastly kind and good main characters.

I really enjoyed this dark, fractured fairy tale that was a nod to the Brothers Grimm. The story takes place in a small village (Hanau) in Germany at the edge of the North Woods in 1699, which was during the time that the Brothers Grimm were collecting their fairytales. Folks readily believed in magic and the supernatural but considered it the work of evil. There is a lot of relevance to modern-day issues of racism, prejudice, and how you treat others, but what I loved about this book was the atmosphere and creation of this fictional village that felt very realistic. Although there is magic in this book, it feels believable as the mix between magic and reality becomes somewhat obscured. I ended up enjoying this story very much and can recommend it for teens and adults alike.

Special thanks to the author and publisher, and also to NetGalley for this advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have read two of Julie C Dao's books before and with this third one I have yet to be disappointed!

Broken Wish has all the stamps of the Disney brand with a sweet, kind, and plucky heroine in a feel good story. Of course with some variations.

Elva was a great protagonist. She's sweet and kind but it doesn't feel forced - it just exudes out of from her naturally through her actions and dispositions. I absolutely loved her family dynamic and the way she interacts with her siblings. Loving, patient, but also willing to apologize and listen. She tries her hardest to make things right, or see the best in people even though it doesn't always end up that way.

The story moves through swiftly and I really enjoyed the scenes where Elva is learning about her magic. I wish we had more insight into her curse about what it really does but I suppose that's what the future novels in this story will do. There's no violence, cursing, or risque moments so I think this would be perfect for a younger audience as well.

I wish the ending had more kick as it shifts to another person's perspective but it doesn't really bring the story down.

Good stuff! Nice fairy tale vibes in here.

eArc provided by NetGalley

Broken Wish spans the lives of a mother and daughter and the unforeseen consequences of choices. Agnes longs to have a child and when her new friend says she can help she is excited by the opportunity- except that her new friend is called a witch by the townspeople and her husband fears the scorn of those people if Agnes continues her friendship. Fast-forward 16 years, Agnes' daughter Elva has been told to keep her powers a secret for fear of being scorned by the townspeople. But Elva longs to know more about what she is capable of, especially when she has had a vision of danger, so she goes on a quest to find a witch...


To be completely honest, while I appreciate the plot and the magic of the story, I found this book to be really sad (I guess as all real fairytales were, with a lesson to be learned). All acts have consequences and fate will find you no matter how you try to hide. There were so many moments that I wanted to intervene (particularly with ALL of Agnes' choices) and shake sense into the character, but alas without bad choices we would not get the magic of fairytales and lessons.
While this story wrapped up completely, this is the first book in a series where each book is written by a different author about different characters and I am interested to see where this series will go next.

Broken Wish was basically a love letter to all the fairytales out there. This story took bits and pieces from so many well loved and know stories to create something so unique and wonderful, something that felt like it belonged among the classic tales itself while still being unique. I also loved how the author occasionally mentioned the Grimm brothers and their quest to write the real tales in this book, adding a layer or reality to what would otherwise be a fantasy. I would recommend this to anyone who loves the magic of fairytales as well as the idea that you better be careful what you wish for.

4.5 Stars

There’s so much to love about Broken Wish. It’s slightly darker than your average Disney fairy tale and a lot more nuanced. The book takes place in 19th century Germany and even makes reference to the Grimm brothers and their collection of stories. The German setting grounds the story, giving readers an exact idea of culture and events.

Though Elva is the “main character,” there are two more women that also play a huge role — Elva’s mother, Agnes, and the so-called witch, Mathilda. All three women are well developed and compelling. The book would not be as strong without Dao’s strong development on their part.

What makes Broken Wish so strong is Dao’s deft ability to stray from the expected while still creating a world that is familiar. The pacing is perfect, making you want to devour and savor at the same time.

Broken wish is a book I already want to reread, and I am excited for the rest of the series.

*Review based on advanced copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.