Fast-paced and fun to read, this book will spark the imagination while also compassionately addressing the emotional and mental effects caused by an abusive childhood.

This is a story of identical twins who become estranged and one goes missing. It’s very similar The Girl In The Mirror, another thriller about identical twins where one goes missing. This book has a lot of fantastical elements to it, which didn’t really appeal to me. The mystery was compelling and the book is well-written, but I didn’t really click with this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for sending me this ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner/Simon & Schuster for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing gets me going quite like a moody, gothic-style novel with a “haunted house” at its center, and Carole Johnstone’s Mirrorland fits this mold perfectly. Catriona (Cat) is forced to return to Edinburgh and her childhood home when her twin sister Ellice (El) is reported missing after an apparent sailing accident. The twins had a falling out many years prior, and Cat moved to California - as far away from her past as possible. The only thing that seems to connect the two anymore is El’s husband Ross, who is a childhood friend and the one to phone Cat when El disappears. Cat reluctantly returns to Edinburgh, insistent upon the fact that El is not actually in danger, but manipulating them for attention - something she has been no stranger to in the past.

Upon arrival at her childhood home, Cat is struck with memories of the fantastical games she and El used to play filled with pirates, cowboys, and yes, clowns. The majority of this make-believe took place in Mirrorland - an imaginary world underneath the pantry stairs that belonged to El, Cat, and Ross. These fantastical pieces of the novel were somewhat difficult for me to get through, as I felt as though I was being pulled away from the center of the plot. However, looking back on the book in its entirety, I can appreciate why Johnstone chose to utilize this technique.

Alongside Cat’s haunting flashbacks to Mirrorland, there is something equally sinister at play in the real world, as Cat begins to receive letters of warning and clues to a “treasure hunt” she believes must be the workings of El. Is El really alive, or is Cat once again inventing scenarios to help her deal with reality?
3 stars overall - Johnstone’s writing is incredibly detailed and atmospheric, but in my opinion, there were too many plotlines to follow.

I really wanted to love this, and there were a lot of good parts, but I found that overall this had way too much going on. I found the plot that centered on a make-believe land to be original, but at times I felt bogged down by the details of it. I think that this might appeal more to other readers who like a lot of detail, but it wasn't to my liking. I found the plot to be overly dramatic to the point where my mind wandered while reading. I did enjoy that this had multiple unexpected twists, however I found some of it to be too over-the-top and not believable. I urge other readers to give this a shot, as it had many positives. It just wasn't my favorite..

Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from the gothic house in which she and her estranged twin sister El grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. But when El mysteriously disappears, Cat returns to the home - and a past -- that is full of ghosts and secrets, including Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns.

That’s the only bit of summary I’m giving about this one...
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I truly didn’t know what to make of this when I first started reading it. It was clear that the writing was very good, but I couldn’t figure out if this involved magical realism or a main character that was almost completely untethered from reality or all of the above or some of the above or something else that I wasn’t even getting. I even got a little frustrated, to be honest, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Then it finally all came together. That veil lifted, and I was just absolutely blown away.

The center of this book -- the heart of it -- is pure genius. And I don’t say that lightly.

If you get a little frustrated in the beginning, like me, please push through. What seems blurry will begin to come into focus, and it is SO worth it once it does.

This book had me feeling so very deeply for the main characters. This is one of those rare stories that will fully engage you emotionally. I even found myself going back to reread portions, which I rarely ever do, and even studying the dang map of the house at the front of the book.

I know it’s early 2021, but I already know this is going to be a top read of the year for me. And look, I’ll also admit, it’s not perfect, but I just don’t think I care with this one. For instance, for me personally, I would have preferred if the story ended earlier, about 85% of the way through, according to my Kindle. It would have been a bit more believable and much darker, which is the way my taste tends to go. But one’s enjoyment of a novel is entirely subjective, and the twists and turns in that last part of the book -- which seemed a bit excessive to me -- will most likely make many die-hard thriller fans incredibly happy.

But SO much was done beautifully. The timing. The pacing. The reveals. The characters. The layers. The DEPTH.

This is A STAND out among psychological thrillers in terms of uniqueness and boldness and imaginativeness and creativity, and it will stick with me for a very long time to come.

If you like mysteries and thrillers - and especially psychological thrillers, you MUST read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!

I will post this on my blog and social closer to the publication date, unless the publisher requests a different timeline.

I was so confused with the storyline in this book. I was never quite sure when it was present day, in the past, if it was a dream or if any of it was even true. However, I will say that it all came together in the end and made sense, but getting there was a difficult read. I would definitely classify this as a psychological thriller which is not usually a type of book I read.
This is a story of mirror twin sisters who have been on estranged for many years. When El goes missing Cat returns to find that El has left her clues to her disappearance and situations for Cat to remember. Numerous twists and turns which at times I found very confusing.

MIRRORLAND
BY CAROLE JOHNSTONE

What did I just read? One of the best thrillers that I have enjoyed so much in probably the last five years. I really hope that my review can do this book the justice that it deserves. As I fully admit my strengths lie in reading more than they do in writing but suffice it to say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this deeply chilling atmospheric novel that has Gothic vibrations. From the very first sentence this wonderfully talented debut author Carole Johnstone had me hooked. I was completely sucked into this story and saying that I couldn't put it down is a cliche and a great understatement. This dark and richly atmospheric setting of the house itself was one of the most creepy and vivid houses that I have ever read in modern contemporary fiction which was in of itself one of the character's. I felt like Carole Johnstone's inclusion of the blueprints for the stone manor at number 36 Westeryk Road where most of the suspenseful and creepy plot takes place was a pure genius insight. It has all of the layout of both the rooms on the ground floor and also the rooms on the second floor. This really enhanced my reading experience and with her keen description's of each of the details describing the colors and the various furnishings gave me the opportunity to feel like I was inside them myself. The location of 36 Westeryk Road is located in a village called Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. There was always a sense of eery isolation in this scary house.

It begins with a terrific prologue of identical twins Catriona and Ellice at approximately twelve or thirteen year's old fleeing from what they refer to as the end of their first life and beginning their second lives where they are near the harbor.

Twenty years later Cat has been living in a condo at Venice Beach, California where she lives alone and is a freelance writer who lives paycheck to paycheck. Mostly writing for magazines and she has a blog and a verified twitter account with sixteen thousand followers. She mostly writes lifestyle articles and goes out to nightclubs at night alone. Her and her mirror twin El have been estranged for the last twelve years so she ignores her brother-in-law's 13 calls telling her that El is missing. El had gone out in her sailboat called the Redemption and never arrived to her destination that day. So Cat reluctantly books a flight back to Scotland from Los Angeles and her layover is in the John F. Kennedy airport where she consumes too much wine and doesn't eat her burger. She begins tuning into the missing person's search and rescue news broadcast from the BBC with shots of her brother-in-law, Ross with desperation and a grief stricken face. She watches two videos of two days of the search and rescue efforts on her laptop displaying images of both a tanned El and Ross. The waiter is perplexed because he confuses seeing El's smiling face with a banner saying missing woman at sea on Cat's screen. Cat explains to him that the broadcast is her identical twin.

When Cat is greeted by Ross she is jet lagged and hungover from her international flight and she is stunned to see that the house at 36 Westeryk Road has all of the same furniture as if it has been frozen in time. All the rooms are virtually the same and the windows are still nailed shut. That first day home Cat hears the doorbell chime and when she opens it nobody is there. However laid down on the doormat is an envelope that says CATRIONA in bold, black, block letters. When she opens it she sees it is a sympathy card saying: "Thinking of you." When she opens up the card it says: LEAVE.

Cat and Ross get a visit from a man and a woman who have driven up in a Mercedes. The woman is in charge and she is Detective Inspector Rafiq with a man who is Sargent Inspector Logan. Ross starts accusing them of giving up on the search for Ellice and they reassure him that they had to call it off temporarily because of the storm but they are going to resume the search with the Coastguard for one more day but that they are not giving up on the investigation. Cat tells Detective Inspector Rafiq and Detective Sargent Logan that she doesn't think that El is missing or that she is dead because she thinks El is close by in the area and then she gives them her mysterious card which is slipped into an evidence bag. Cat explains that nobody but Ross and El knew that she was in Leith so the card must be from El. Cat tells Ross, D.I. Rafiq that she finds that it is just like El to disappear only to turn up a few days later after causing all of this commotion. Besides Cat feels deep down that if her sister was dead that she would have sensed it and she hasn't. Ross says that the two of them were going through difficulties lately because El was always either spending her time painting or on that damn sailboat and he was busy working as a psychologist. He discloses that El seemed mildly depressed but nothing major. Cat walks outside to see the two detective's to their car and D.I. Rafiq asks Cat if there is anything that they ought to be aware of that Cat might've not wanted to bring up in front of Ross and Cat says no.

I didn't even get into the twin's secret hiding spot under the pantry stairs that they called "Mirrorland." There are clowns, a witch and pirates. Blackbeard and Bluebeard. Blackbeard was a monster who fed women and children into the water to the sharks and Bluebeard was a man who hung up his prey on coat hooks. There is a love triangle which adds complexities to drive the plot. Cat starts getting emails that are cryptic in nature with the subject line saying: HE KNOWS with a treasure hunt each containing a clue that only El would know about from a mysterious John Smith from a gmail account. If I could give you one piece of advice it is to read this paying very close attention to all of the details. This was such a fantastic twisty turn of a thriller with a final reveal that is impossible to see coming. This was one thrilling read that I literally read in one sitting that I never wanted it to end. The only downside is that I know for 2021 this is the top thriller for me. After this one there is no topping it for the genius of imagination that it took to write a masterpiece like "Mirrorland." I am so grateful to have read something soooooooooo great. Definitely buying this as a pre-order as it will remain that special favorite in the thriller genre. And to think that this is Carole Johnstone's debut. She is an author to keep my eye on and I look forward to reading anything that she writes in the future. Enjoy! Highly, Highly recommended to fans of this genre.

Publication Date: April 20, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Carole Johnstone and Simon & Schuster--Scribner for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Mirrorland #CaroleJohnstone #Simon&Schuster-Scribner #NetGalley

I am shocked that this is a debut. This type of story is not my usual cup of tea- fantasy, adventure, but...it reminded me of The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman, which I love.
The prologue takes us to 1998, Scotland. Ellice(El) and Catriona(Cat) are twins and as children, they created their own world called Mirrorland which is a magical (imaginary) realm in the cupboard full of clowns, pirates, witches, and anything else their minds can come up with. We soon learn that for 12 years, since they were 19, the twins have been living separate lives on different continents, El remained in the family home in Scotland and Cat went to Venice Beach. There's no real contact between them, just memories and even those vary from person to person. El disappears one afternoon on her boat and is presumed dead, which prompts Cat’s return. This entire time El has been married to the love of their (both twins) life and that marriage may not have been all that perfect, according to people who knew El.

Cat soon begins to suspect that El's husband is not who he portrays himself to be and this makes her begin to question everything as the past and present converge and real-life and fantasy become more confusing, and long-suppressed memories from the fantastical Mirrorland begin to emerge. This book was a beautiful portrayal of sisters, dysfunction, trauma response mechanisms, and how far our own minds will go to protect us. I absolutely loved it and will be buying a physical copy upon publication!

I really wasn't sure if I was going to like this book initially. It's very descriptive and initially there's a lot of content about pirates, being on a ship, etc. and I was a bit bored.

However, around 20% of the way through, I was fully invested. I'm really glad I stuck with it because it's a really great book. As the action picked up, I started to enjoy the detailed descriptions and fantasy elements.

It's not exactly a traditional thriller until closer to the end, but I like the combo of styles. I would definitely recommend this book to friends!

A sad story about a very disturbed family. Inventive, but icky. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A woman returns home to Scotland when her estranged identical twin goes missing. I always expect an Evil Twin, but they were both just kind of unpleasant. To be fair, they suffered quite a bit of trauma during their childhood and beyond. 'Mirrorland' refers to a place where they felt safe in their childhood fantasies, which the remaining twin must now go back to in order to figure out what happened to her sister.

The story didn't draw me in right away, in part I think because I found the narrator so off-putting, but I became more intrigued as the elements started to fit together and make sense, and the last section was a real page turner. A promising debut psychological thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This is one of the most twisty, different, and unpredictable thrillers I've read in a long time. It's weighty and thought-provoking with a strong sense of place and excellent character development.

Cat and El are what their mom calls "mirror twins" because their personalities are opposite. Their childhood reality was filled with stories of pirates and princesses and an imaginary world called Mirrorland filled with a wide range of rascally characters.

They’ve always been able to feel what each other feels, so when Cat gets a call that her estranged twin is missing, she’s sure she’s not dead or she’d know. When Cat begins to get scavenger hunt clues like old times, she’s sure that her sister must just be in hiding. Or is something more sinister afoot?

The author creates a real sense of place and character from the beginning. You can easily imagine the house where the twins grew up with its Clown Cafe, Kakadu Jungle, and Princess Tower.

The characters are real pieces of work. And when you discover their true natures, you find yourself with conflicting feelings. Have they made terrible decisions or are they justified?

There’s no way I would have guessed some of the twists of this novel. They really seemed to come out of left field. I thought the main story was over around 80%, but there were still far more plot twists left to unwind. I loved the very fitting comparison of some of the characters in the story to the characters in A Tale of Two Cities.

I feel like this is a book that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time to come.

This was my first time reading this author. The book held my attention and it was an interesting read. I would recommend this book. I will read this author again.

Mirrorland is a book where you’re thrown into the story. I initially had a hard time finding a rhythm but once I hit the 20% mark, I became very invested. ⁣
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After being estranged from her twin sister for 12 years, Cat finds herself back in her childhood home after she learns that El, her twin, has gone missing. Oh, and she’s in this house with Ross, her sister’s husband who she was/is in love with. Their mother did not let them watch television as children, limiting them to books, so through their imagination they created an alternate reality, Mirrorland. ⁣
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This book shifts between their time as children in Mirrorland, to present day with little to no warning. I have read some reviews where they said this book has a magical realism element, but I kind of disagree (although I can see where they’re coming from). I thought Johnstone did a wonderful job leaving hints without really knowing they were hints, until the reveal. I became very invested in Mirrorland, their childhood, what happened to El, and of course Cat and Ross.⁣
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Where the book completely lost me was the end. I thought the book was over. I was satisfied. And then there was another chapter, and then another, and then another. It felt like the book was never going to end. I kept wondering how many revelations could possibly be revealed? It felt like it was trying to do too much, and I didn’t find it effective. ⁣
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A lot of early readers thought this book was mind blowing, so if it sounds interesting, I say give it a go. This is a slower paced read, and dealt with some darker themes that I wasn’t expecting.⁣
★★★☆☆⁣
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Wow, what to say about this amazing debut thriller? I really, really enjoyed reading it and it flew right by! This is a very interesting novel of "mirror twins" Cat & El, who grew up in Scotland and lived in their own little "fantasy world" (there is a heavy "magic realism" element at play here). They grow up & one stays home in that house & one goes to Cali - but "Mirrorland" comes calling for them. Very atmospheric and creepy at times, this story really keep me flipping pages! Highly recommend. My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this book! It was filled with so many twists and turns, you must stay in track of the book by how fast paced it feels. I particularly liked the authors style, after only a few pages in I was interested. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this on exchange for an honest review.

All I can say about this one is HOLY HELL. I love a guilty pleasure thriller - the easy read #whodunnit - who doesn’t? This one is in an entirely different category. Think #KarinSlaughter, #GillianFlynn, and #StephenKing level, but almost better. This #psychologicalthriller #horror #suspense debut novel is an absolute masterpiece. Full body chills all the way through. I am mindblown and in awe of the brilliance of this one.

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This one hits bookstores in April, and you CANNOT miss it. This is one of the best books I have ever read in my life, and that is not an understatement. I am still recovering.

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The story follows Cat Morgan, as she returns to her childhood home following the disappearance of her estranged, identical twin sister, El. While attempting to unravel the mystery of El’s disappearance, a series of clues and anonymous emails under the subject line of “HE KNOWS” take Cat on a treasure hunt through memory lane, and as she begins to put into place the pieces of the past, the truth of her disturbing, dark, and deranged childhood threatens to return to her memory.

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In the house, Cat also rediscovers Mirrorland, the fantasy world of escape she and her sister invented to escape and mask the horrors of their childhood and home, and as memory and present collide with lies and truth, the line between imagination and reality is blurred, as Cat searched desperately for answers while trying to deny the truth she knows.

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Her unbreakable bond with her sister, their shared love for the same man, the mystery behind a cast of characters that haunt their every waking moment: the tooth fairy, clowns, bloodthirsty pirates, the infamous Witch, and more, are as haunting and terrifying as anything I have ever experienced, real or imagined.

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This is a #GoneGirl like plot that will leave you screaming in shock and your jaw dropping from start until finish. Absolute perfection.

This book was very interesting. It was all about a pair of twin sisters who were once very close in the past however they drifted apart and are no longer in touch. Then the unthinkable happens and one of the sisters (Ellice) is missing and presumed dead. This brings the other one (Catriona) back to her home town to try to find out what happened to her sister but also back to the fantasy that they once created as children. I was a little disappointed at all of the fantasy elements in this book that it took me out of the story and was not at all what I was expecting. If you like lots of dark fantasy with mystery than this thriller is your book to read. I however found this book had a little bit to much filler and it made the story a little hard to follow.

First-time book author Johnstone creates quite a story with twists and turns and head-scratching events. I suggest you stay very alert as you read, because the plot takes sharp turns and frequent swerves. The story bounces from past to present and back again, as we learn the life story of identical twin girls living in Scotland with their mother and their grandfather in a large mansion that becomes a character itself in the story. In the present, the twins are estranged, and the married one is missing and presumed dead. Stephen King's Shawshank Redemption story is quoted often, with its plot being used throughout the story. The story is a terrific mystery but is slowed a bit by the sometimes confusing plot. Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing an ARC.

I loved this book.! It had so much in it! Mystery, magical realism, psychological thriller, relationships, etc. This isn't a normal easy thriller read, you need to pay a little more attention than normal and it pays off to do so -it is VERY twisty and delightful to read.! If you don't think you like it at first because it's not your "style", keep reading, because you will understand why it is written the way it is as you read along and try to figure out who is truthful, who isn't, what happened to the twin girls when they were little and the people that were in their lives.. I think this book is beautifully and brilliantly written. It is a thrill ride!! I would give it 4.5 stars if there was a way to do so.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.. It was a privilege. I look forward to more novels from this author!