Looking at this book in retrospect, the plot is fascinating, and the suspense is maintained throughout. We are constantly guessing along with one half of the mirror twins, Cat. And all the characters are great at maintaining a poker face - who me? Not me! And the ending was very twisty, indeed.

I know I will be the minority voice, but for some reason I could not immerse myself in the twins' childhood fantasy world. I had a hard time imagining how the fantasy played out in the alleyway, and I had trouble imagining that they shared their fantasy with Ross, El's husband.

The pace picked up in the second half and it started to make sense for me, but I think I might have enjoyed it more if there had been a little more separation in the chapters between past and present. And it is definitely a story that will stay with you long after you have read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader's copy.

This story was like nothing I have ever read before! It's wild and twisted, that's for sure. There was a whole lot of creativity going into this story. This had a touch of fantasy to it, which I didn't expect. For some reason I didn't really love the touch to different genres in this book, even though I normally don't mind it. I think I was just way more invested in the investigation behind what was happening in the book and wanted to read more into that. This one was really hard to rate because there are so many elements to it. If you want to read something different than you've ever read before, I say do it. Would I read this again? Nope.

I had trouble getting into this story for the first quarter of it (seemed slow and confusing) but then the characters and plot hooked me. Everyone lies so I spent the entire book figuring out what, if anything, was true. Well told and filled with emotion, it offers enough twists to please readers who love psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone is a unique thriller about twin sisters, Cat and El. They invented Mirrorland as little girls--it was an imaginary place in the basement of their house where they could get away from real life and pretend play with pirates, witches, and clowns. Cat moved away from the childhood home many years ago, but now she has returned because her sister has disappeared. Is her sister actually dead? Did her husband kill her? There are so many questions that Cat needs answered. This book was truly unique, but I felt like the backstory of Mirrorland was too much at times. I did enjoy the ending, though. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a pretty amazing book as it blends whimsy, gothic elements, and Stephen King-like creepiness! Cat and El are identical twins--"mirror" twins; when El goes missing in a sailing accident, Cat returns to their childhood home and re-connects with her sister's husband, Ross whom she loved at one time. Here's where time, fantasy, and real life blur as we go back and forth in time to when Cat and El found both solace and terror in the house they grew up in. Even in the present Cat isn't truly sure what was real and what was imagined and this is what makes the book so compelling as we are constantly off-base with what really happened. It's impressive for sure and I look forward to more by this author!

Thank you Net Get Galley for an ARC of MirrorLand I am a big fan of psychological thrillers so I thought this book would be right down my alley. It is based on twins that were close as children but one of them had moved away from Scotland where her family lived to California. She hadn’t seen her twin for 12 years but comes back when her sister is missing. A big part of the book goes on about the description of the old house they lived in. All the rooms have different names and a different bell chimes for each room. It seems to take a long time to get to the better part of the book where it becomes more thrilling. It wasn’t my type of thriller but from a lot of great reviews I know there will be lots of others that will really enjoy it.

I loved this so much. Mirrorland was an intense ride full of twists and turns I honestly did not see coming. Cat really had to discover who she was without her twin sister El, to overcome the past and present. Ross seems so sweet and innocent, but definitely has his own demons to conquer. I will definitely be thinking about this book for awhile!

Wow, what did I just read!? Twisty and dark doesn't even begin to describe this book, cataclysmic and spiraling, my mind was bent over and over again.

In the beginning it was a little hard to get into which is normal for a fantasy world, and then just when I felt like I had a handle on what was going on the script flipped, and then it flipped again, and again and again. I have to admit that by then end it was a little bit ridiculous, my suspension of disbelief was stretched thin but by that point I also didn't care anymore because I was thoroughly entertained. I don't think this is a book that everyone is going to love, but if you do you really do.

I'll be honest, I was very hesitant to pick this up as I have been majorly scorned by twin thriller tropes in the past. I must admit, Mirrorland is different. It is outrageous, but in a believable away. I could not stop turning the pages and imagine many readers will be do the same!

Not a very likable protagonist and the mystery of Mirrorland is too long and drug out without enough pay off at the end.

What a wild and trippy ride! This book sucks you in and doesn't let go!

I could not put it down, but wanted to with how creepy it was, which was spectacular!

One of the best mystery and suspense novels of 2021 thus far. This book has mystery, betrayal, identical twins, a love triangle, missing persons, revenge, and a whole lot of imagination.

Growing up, identical twins Cat and El devised an entire world known as Mirrorland. In Mirrorland, nothing is as it seems. Every room in the house holds secrets, is privy to exciting and imaginative adventure, and is its own unique world. Pirates on the seven seas, maniac clowns in a cafe, cowboys in saloons of the wild west, and more. However imaginative and playful Mirrorland may seem, it is also charges with covering up some of the childhood horrors that the twins endure. Mirrorland is a physical and mental safe haven for the girls, and, without its magic, they are forced to confront the harsh reality of their girlhood lives.

As adults, the sisters pull away from each other, even living on different continents (one in the UK, one in the US). When El goes missing and is presumed dead, Cat returns to their childhood home and begins to relive all the memories of Mirrorland. Once again though, Mirrorland is deceptive and Cat starts to remember things differently than through her adventurous childhood recollections. As the days go on, it seems that El has mysteriously disappeared on her sailboat, and is most likely dead. Cat would believe that, however, were it not for the suspicious emails and notes being left for her.

Cat suspects El isn't dead after all, and is, for whatever reason, forcing Cat to find clues to her location through a game of clues that lead her through Mirrorland and her memories. Soon, the game takes on a threatening tone and Cat is forced to play along if she wants to find out the truth. The truth is more than just whether or not El is still alive, but becomes truths about Mirrorland, her family, and events that have long since been forgotten.

Carole Johnstone makes a mark for herself in the genre of mystery and suspense with the excellent debut novel. Johnstone has previously published short stories in the genres of science fiction and horror. A must read for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lucy Foley, Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, and Liane Moriarty.

Mirrorland took me into a story I wasn’t prepared for and honesty one I wasn’t interested in until mid-way through part two. So many readers loved this book and I kept waiting for it to pick up. Pick up it did.

If you are willing to sit through a back story that was a bit too long and a narrator whom you weren’t really sure where she was going. You will be rewarded. The second half of the book is worth the wait. A great conclusion to an interesting read. Thank you to Libro.fm and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

This was a difficult one for me. The comparison to "Gone Girl" made me want to read it and made me stay with it waiting for the turn. The pirate imagery and transitions from present to past weren't smooth and often left me confused. I almost gave up. Then I got to Part 2 and things started to come together. First half I'd rate 3, second half I'll bump up to a 4.

It’s been 12 years since Cat left her mirror twin and Edinburgh behind. When her sister, El, disappears, Cat finally returns to her idyllic childhood home. As the story progresses the reader is taken back and forth in time to the fantasy their mother created for them as they grew. The house played a major part of the story, but the fantasy part of the story was overdrawn and at times confusing. Was Mirrorland as idyllic as Cat remembered or is there more to the story? Slowly things are remembered and Cat must go on a journey she wasn’t prepared to take. There were parts of the story I enjoyed, but while it was well written and contained some good twists, it wasn’t a book that I liked.

Cat and El are identical twins who have been estranged for several years now. Cat moved clear across the globe from their home in Scotland. Cat hoped that the distance would allow her to put the secrets of their childhood behind her. Instead, she leads an empty existence in her self-imposed exile. And then Cat catches an international news story. Her sister, El, has gone missing. She went out sailing one day and never returned. And that is all it takes for Cat to return to the home she wants was desperate to escape. There she finds her sister's husband and her childhood friend, Ross, grieving her sister's disappearance. And then the first email is received by Cat, and it sends her on a scavenger hunt for the truth. A hunt that forces her to face the secrets of their past. Is El really gone or is she just playing a game with Cat?


Mirrorland was one of the best books of the year so far. I love books where the house plays such an integral part in the story and Mirrorland has one of the creepiest homes I have ever read. Cat and El had a pretty dark childhood, and they created this imaginary world called "Mirrorland" to survive it. There were so many twists and turns that I was constantly left in awe of the author's technique. The further into the book you get, the more of their past is revealed and you can understand why Cat blocked so much of it out. Cat, El, and Ross are all deeply flawed human beings, but it is easy to feel empathy based on their childhood. It doesn't excuse what happened, but I can understand it. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS



Bottom Line - Mirrorland is so full of twists, turns, and trigger warnings. It is a very dark book with some very dark themes, so read with caution. But if you risk it, you will not be disappointed.


Details:

Mirrorland by Carol Johnstone
On Twitter
Pages: 320
Publisher: Scribner
Publication Date: 4/20/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting more of a horror/supernatural story. I was surprised at how the book unfolded. At one point I was afraid that it was going to evolve into a romantic thriller. I was so glad when that did not happen. It was a downhill story as it kept gaining momentum. I had to read the last third of the book in one sitting because I could not put it down. Great characters and a compelling story. Sometimes had trouble with the British terminology. Overall, a great read!

Wow, mind-blowing, twisty and dark. This one took a minute to get in to. At first, Cat is hard to understand. She's flighty in her thoughts, a little hard to follow at first. I couldn't tie together the odd house, the clowns and the different rooms. But soon, just reading the story, I started to put the pieces together.

And the puzzle it put together was surprising. Nothing I had guessed would lead me down all the paths this story took and I loved all the surprises and well-done plot turns. Twists upon twists. I loved it, even though it's very dark and horrible.

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

#mirrorland #carolejohnstone #scribner #netgalley two twins. Identical. Raised in a home with their mother and grandfather. A mother who turns their world in to something magical. Where books come life. Imagine living life #2 and your twin is missing. You fly from LA back to Edinburgh. Her husband lost in grief. #youdontknow #bookrecommendations #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #readingtime

This is a book that I think will have polarized reviews: It will either work for you or it won’t. Unfortunately for me, it was a little too out there. Marketed as a thriller, I was surprised by the fantasy elements and for me, it was off putting. I was a little confused at the beginning and didn’t feel like there was a plot I could follow, which is hard for me. If you think you can get into the magical realism, then this one might work for you!