Mirrorland is a thriller on paper, but very different to any I have read for a while. Set to the backdrop of the imposing streets of Edinburgh, Mirrorland weaves imagination with reality to bring alive a twin sister's worst nightmare and reveal shocking memories she has been determined to bury.

The premise seems simple - twin sister goes missing, presumed dead. Other twin goes looking, receives warning messages, not sure who to trust anymore. However, Mirrorland is a little more complex than it perhaps at first seems and I will admit that at first I underestimated the depth the story would go into. On Cat's return to the home in Edinburgh she lived in as a child, she is instantly transported back to the imaginative play her and her sister, El, used to indulge in. At first, the reader can find this disorientating. It's like trying to explain to your friends that you used to have an imaginary friend and going into depth about all the fantastic memories you shared. Your friends wouldn't understand, they'd look at you funny and never be able to understand quite what your imagination experienced. At first, I was that friend, looking on perplexed at the depth of memories that Cat was sharing and not quite seeing their relevance to the story. But Carole Johnstone is subtle with her reveals and it soon became clear that this imaginary world that was being revealed had some foundations in reality and these foundations would soon become central to the main story being played out.

As Cat begins to receive mysterious letters referring back to her childhood, her insistence that El must be alive and delivering these letters to her grows stronger. Each letter reveals another secret from Mirrorland and the reader is treated to another memory that slowly fills another hole in Cat's memory jigsaw. I enjoyed the fact that Cat is as much in the dark about her memories as we are. Initially as she reminisces they seem like childish memories but as they delve deeper into her past her memories are awakened, just as we as readers are also enlightened.

After a slow start, which in hindsight was needed to build the imaginary land of Mirrorland in the reader's mind, the book really picks up from about half way in. The gothic house settings really comes into its own, providing multiple opportunities for things that go bump in the night, doorbells that ring unaided and menacing, chasing footsteps. By this time, just like Cat, you are questioning what is real and what is imagined.

The twists and turns keep coming and for me, just as I thought the mystery had been solved and I was happy with the conclusion, it all unravelled again with one huge final reveal. It was definitely a case of expect the unexpected and I love a story that is completely unpredictable, yet delivers a believable and satisfying ending.

Mirrorland offers a thrilling plot, set in almost parallel universes of reality and imagination. It intertwines the happiness and fear of a childhood and delivers disturbing twists which are perfect for readers who, like me, are always sceptical and think they can guess the ending!

I want to thank Dave from The Write Reads for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour for this book!

Mirrorland was an unexpected read that was much more plot-wise than I expected. I expected to find a mystery thriller quite heavy in those aspects that would obviously deepen the reality and the lives of these twin sisters. Still, beyond that, I found a parallel of almost magical realism that I didn’t expect. I enjoyed this mix, but it can become confusing at times, and it takes away a little of the weight that the most realistic story has, which I end up enjoying more than the fantastical one. Nevertheless, I appreciate this unique perspective the author wanted to give since it makes it a pretty unique book.

This is a mystery book with fantastical touches that follows the lives of twin sisters; as girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home until her sister disappears, which forces Cat to return to 36 Westeryk Road. Nothing has changed, and the house is still full of shadows and ghosts from the past, which Cat will have to face again to get her sister back, which seems to be leaving clues.

I think the book has a quite tetric point of view and even a bit gothic at times, I like that especially because it’s a mystery and creates a good atmosphere for the story to unfold. It has a pretty strong start but also a bit confusing and although it kept me hooked, I confess that it’s not easy to follow. As I mentioned before, it contains surprising fantasy elements that I thought were a good touch for especially the beginning of the story, since it gives structure and personality to the characters, but then those fantastical elements begin to appear in other ways such as images and memories of the past, and they make it difficult to follow because they blur you from the main plot that’s the mystery behind the disappearance.

I’m not saying that these elements are wrong exactly, in fact, they make the book itself very unique, but at the same time, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I love fantastical elements within more mundane plots, in fact, that’s not a problem for me, what confuses me is how it has been used. I really ended up enjoying the mystery elements more as I didn’t really see the ending coming and I think that’s great. I’m glad that in the end, all these elements make sense, but while you read them and jump between chapters it can be a bit confusing and distracting at first. Even so, I think that this very particular element may be what ultimately makes it stand out from other mystery books; and its comparison with Gone Girl seemed quite interesting to me and I understand where it comes from.

I really highlight the atmosphere the author manages to give to the plot and I also liked the characters, I think they have the necessary personality to make them believable, but at the same time, there’s something very suspicious, mysterious, and dark about them, even in Cat who’s the main character, has that vibe of unlikeable character that tends to work very well in this type of plot. In addition, I also think the story itself and the way it unfolds is entertaining to read, apart from the chapters that focus on the magical realism factor as such that can be confusing because of how they’re incorporated, it has a good flow in it. As for the mystery and in the end, you want to know what will happen.

Finally, I would say the author’s writing style isn’t as easy to read as I expected, it was a challenge for me personally to get used to her style, which doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just different and maybe a little more structured and stylish, it’s pretty descriptive too, but I don’t find a problem with this as it’s pretty well built.

So in summary, there’s not much I can reveal about the book since I think the fun will come as you read it and you’ll find new clues in every detail, that’s always entertaining, it feels like a twisted and dark treasure hunt, with some much exploration in childhood traumas. Even so, it ends up being in its entirety, a good book that I would recommend if you want to try a different type of mystery thriller, as it incorporates elements of fantasy, but still follows the line of an intense adult mystery full of secrets. The characters are rich and so is the atmosphere of the reading. It can be a bit confusing while you read it because there are chapters that focus on the childhood of the girls of magical forms including pirates and witches and many fantastical things without explanation, but in the end, everything makes better sense so I hope you decide to give it a try since it has the potential to be a very unique book of its kind.

Cat and El are Mirror twins, the rarest of the rare, at least that's what their mother told them growing up. As children they were inseparable, spending their time in Mirrorland, a place of magic and mystery where nothing is quite what it seems. But then something happens that tears them apart and sends Cat across the Atlantic Ocean to America. Until 12 years later when she receives a phone call, El is missing after going out on her sailboat and the police believe she is dead. Cat returns home to find that El and her husband Ross now live in their childhood home, a place that seems hauntingly familiar and yet completely different from when they were children. Cat resents being dragged back to this place that haunts her dreams, but when she starts receiving emails from someone she thought imaginary, Cat gets dragged into a different past, one so different from what she remembered, one that sends her back to Mirrorland where the truth of their past lies waiting for her to discover it.

Cat is a fantastic POV to read from and the Queen of unreliable narrators! Her memories of the past are so twisted from reality that we as the reader never quite know what is truth and what is fiction. When she finds herself back in the town she ran away from, in the house she grew up in, she resents El for making her come back. She believes El is alive and playing mind games with her, even when the Police and Ross, El's husband don't believe her. Because Cat doesn't know the truth of Mirrorland or the people who lived there, we as the reader get to come to the realisations at the same time as her, we feel her horror and disgust and despair as wholly as if it was our own, and I defy you to not get emotionally invested in her outcome.

We also get to meet El through flashbacks, though these are told from Cat's POV and so are slightly skewed, but we also get to read a little of her POV through diary notes and letters that she has left for Cat to find round the house. She is a hard character to define, and I can't really talk about her too much without giving away spoilers but her story is definitely a heartbreaking one. There are a multitude of other characters from Ross, El's husband, El's friends, the police investigating El's disappearance as well as the characters of Mirrorland, they all play a large part in the story, some giving you little clues that help pull the story together, and others that just add to the horror aspect of the story.

Mirrorland is a true genre bending novel. Though it is a psychological thriller at it's heart there are elements of horror as well as magical realism all of which help bring El and Cat's story to light. I will admit to getting freaked out on more than one occasion, but the magical element at the start of the book help ease us as the reader, as well as Cat, into the truth of the story. Though a little slow starting, it's not until the last part of the book that you realise the set up was absolutely necessary in telling El and Cat's story, and once we hit the big plot twist I found myself uttering 'Fuck' at pretty regular intervals, not wanting to believe the horror of what I was reading. I will say this is not going to be a book for everyone, there are some pretty big hitting trigger and even I, who never really struggle with them, found myself having to just put the book down for a bit and truly comprehend what I was reading.

The plot twists in this book are off the chart. With Cat being such an unreliable narrator, the first part of the book reads as a kind of magical realism, were never quite sure what is real and what is fiction, but when the pieces start to come together, when Cat starts remembering the truth of their childhood, that's when Johnstone's foreshadowing comes into play, and boy is she amazing at it. I had guess, after guess, after guess as to what was happening, had happened in the past, and though I guessed certain parts, there was more than one that hit me out of nowhere, but once they come to light, you wonder how you didn't see it sooner.

I'm so glad that I got onto this blog tour, Cat and El's story is one that is going to stay with me for a while after reading and I can see Mirrorland making more than one venture into my dreams. It's a story about truths and how easy they are twisted, about love, betrayal and revenge. But mostly it's a story about two sisters who were torn apart without even realising it and the paths they take to return to one another.

A complex thriller that took me a while to get into but once i got into the follow of the story it took me on a twisted journey into the darkness inhabited by El and Cat. Two identical girls whose memory of the past differs from each other. The story reveals itself through the eyes and memories of Cat as she uncovers clues left like breadcrumbs by her missing sister El. We follow her through the pain and heartache and eventual realisation of what really occurred during their childhood. Lost secrets are slowly revealed as the tension mounts in the book and the pace just seems to run away with you. A slow burning psychological thriller that takes you on a twisted, chilling ride with plenty of twists to make it all the more interesting.

Thank you to Dave @ The Write Reads, Scribner, and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

You know that feeling when you pick up a book and, within the first few pages, you know you’re doing nothing else for the rest of the day but reading? When a book grabs your imagination so fiercely that you can’t imagine setting it down before you’ve read the last page? Mirrorland did that to me!

This is the story of Cat and her long estranged identical twin sister, El. Cat and El had a bizarre childhood, but the thing that made it less bizarre was the magical world they created in their family home: Mirrorland. They always had Mirrorland, with is magical and slightly threatening denizens, and they always had each other. Children grow up though and, sometimes, grow apart. After a particularly bad falling-out, Cat hasn’t seen or spoken to her twin for the last twelve years. Then she gets a frantic phone call from El’s husband telling her that her twin has mysteriously vanished. Now Cat must return to her childhood home, and Mirrorland, to try and unravel what exactly happened to her sister.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a thriller that so completely pulled me into it’s world! This book was a marvel, from the unsettling tone that permeates the entire story, to the way the whole, twisted story of not only the past, but the present is revealed. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I loved ever second of it! I do want to warn folks to please check trigger warnings on this one, though. There are a lot of dark and uncomfortable topics that are explored, not least of all physical abuse, so I don’t want someone who might be sensitive to those to go into this one without knowing what’s up. I think the author does of good job of weaving these darker topics into the story without it feeling like they’re solely there for the shock value, though. But definitely be warned!

My favorite aspect of this book has to be the look at the relationship between Cat and her twin, El. It’s not a perfect relationship. In fact, it is rather messed up, but it’s a fascinating look at the sibling bond. The flashbacks to their time as children, their imagines of Mirrorland, honestly made me think of when I was a kid and had fantasy worlds I made up with my brother. Those worlds were our places to really be ourselves and be kids and you can definitely get that feeling when you read about Cat and El in Mirrorland, though their imagined world was much darker than ours. I dunno, I just thought that the author captured that sibling relationship so well and I loved it!

I also thought she did an incredible job with pacing in this novel. The twists and turns were expertly piloted and kept me guessing from jump! Did I guess some things before they happened? Yes. Did I still really enjoy the execution? Absolutely! It’s been awhile since a book had the ability to keep me up until 3 in the morning, and this book accomplished that because I had to know what was going to happen next! This was plotted so well and I loved going along for the ride.

Final thoughts: It’s been awhile since I’ve been so captivated by a thriller! This book delivers all the things I love in this genre: a perfectly paced plot, compelling and flawed characters, and an emotional punch that caught me off-guard. Definitely check trigger warnings for this one before going in, though, because this story gets dark. And, though the execution is incredible, you may seem some of the twists coming. Overall, though, this was a fantastic story that had me in it’s clutches from page on until I finished the epilogue. If you’re a fan of thrillers that feature family drama, lots of dark secrets, and loads of mystery, I think you’ll enjoy Mirrorland!

This is a thrilling read which I found strange and yet fantastical. I think this book has a hard time telling readers what it is and that even I, as someone that loves to read fantasy, found that to be a struggle.

Rating 4.5/5

When I first read the description for this book I was definitely intrigued, it sounded like a thriller with a bit of something fantastical about it. What I will say is I’m glad I didn’t have any expectations or other notions heading into this book, I’m glad I got to immerse myself in this complex and clever story without having read too much about it beforehand and would caution reading too much about the book before going in. Also as you can imagine I’m not going to say too much about it, because it would definitely spoil it.

I think clever really is the best word for this book, everything has a context and a meaning and even something that may seem insignificant is later revisited and forms an intricate part of this brilliant plot. I loved that as revelations were made another piece of this puzzle would pop into place but in a way that I wouldn’t have expected.

The setting felt spot on, there is something about an imposing childhood home that adds to the chilling atmosphere, I think as well because I can picture where this is it makes it easier to feel that cold and dark backdrop to the story. I loved the contrast of Mirrorland being a source of comfort for the characters at the same time as being an eerie and uncomfortable place.

The characters were great, you didn’t know who to trust and who would be right about what happened to El. I like that there were redeeming features and terrible qualities for all of them it definitely added to the tension of the story.

I really wish I could give all of my thoughts but I am going to have to leave it at that because I really do believe that the less you know before reading this book the better. What I will say though is that this is a book that consumed me, once I started reading I didn’t want to put it down and I was constantly surprised at where the story went, especially as I would not have guessed any of the outcomes. Highly recommended.

Mirrorland is a mystery, suspense, and horror story rolled into one. Cat is heading home to Edinburgh after years of estrangement from her twin sister, El. El disappeared after leaving on a solo sailing excursion. Cat must return home to 36 Westeryk Road where she and El grew up with their mother and grandfather. Cats memories of her childhood are spotty, she just knows she fled her family and the country years before. When Cat returns to help find her sister, she starts finding mysterious clues lead Cat to rediscover Mirrorland - an imaginary land created by the twins and their mother crafted of their favorite childhood stories. As Cat comes closer to finding out what happened to her sister, she remembers more of a childhood fraught with danger and fear. Mirrorland is a wild read - impossible to put down. The intricate plot is very well-written and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. Fans of of books like Gone Girl and Flowers in the Attic are going to love this book, as will anyone who appreciates a scary, thrilling book that's impossible to put down. Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read the ARC. I look forward to reading more by Carole Johnstone and I'll definitely read it during the day, on the weekend!

Book source ~ TWR Tour

Catriona (Cat) Morgan moved away from her twin sister Ellice (El) in Edinburgh twelve years ago. Now, her brother-in-law Ross has called to tell her El is missing. El went out on her boat and never came back. Cat knows her sister isn’t dead. She knows the way she always knew when El was hurt. But everything is pointing to Cat being wrong. Being back in the house they grew up in is messing with Cat. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Cat is about to go through some things. The only question is: Will she survive the storm?

Holy shit! This is a mindfuck! This is a book that grabs hold and does not let go. Seriously. I had dreams about it. I don’t usually dream about book plots. Sometimes, but most of the time my dreams are just random complete weirdness. This thing messed with my mind. It’s a book I know I’ll be thinking about for a long long time. And it’ll probably pop into my thoughts when I least expect it. Don’t you love books like that?

So, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t rate it a 5. Well, to be completely honest, the beginning exasperated me. I mean, it got to the point I actually thought about DNFing it. The unreliable narrator (Cat) got on my nerves with the constant flip flopping of past and present. The switches come without warning and, for me, that is just plain annoying. However…you knew there’d be a however, right? However, the further along I read the more I realized this type of narration is key to the story. It’s KEY, people! At about 40% I really got the wind in my sails and couldn’t wait to see where this ship was going to take me. Oh, boy. Oh. Boy! This is one of those rare books I absolutely love the middle to end, but I’m not too crazy about the beginning. I’m glad I stuck with it.

For those who love dark, twisted, mysteries that mess with your brain then this is one for you. There are so many triggers and some I can’t even list without spoiling things. Suffice to say, it’s deep as Davey Jones locker and just as dark. Mirrorland and that house. Holy fuck. That’s some messed up shit. I love it. Carole Johnstone, I’ll be watching you. I mean, in a non-stalkerish way. Like, I’ll be watching for the next book you launch out into the world. I’m a book lover, not a psychopath.

Sidenote: I received a copy via NetGalley and a hardcover I wasn't expecting. Nice! However, I'm a little disappointed the map of the house was in the ebook but not the hard cover. :(

Wow, well this one is pretty dark folks. We follow Cat, twin sister of El, as she returns home to Edinburgh following El’s disappearance. Cat is convinced that El is still alive and the treasure hunt clues, alarming emails and disturbing notes through the door do nothing to dissuade her.

We are continuously travelling back and forth between the present day and Cat and El’s unusual childhood. That childhood at first seems almost charming, a life full of games and wild imagination. But as the story unfolds, and forgotten memories start to resurface for Cat, the disturbing truth behind these fictions starts to reveal itself.

There are a lot of twists and turns along the way in the plot and I wasn’t sure where we were going to end up. None of the characters are particularly likable, but what is happening to them is compelling and so you can’t help but get sucked in to the story. There is some redemption along the way though, as we find what sacrifices have been made along the way for the sake of loved ones.

The majority of the story takes place in the twins’ childhood home and it almost has a haunted house quality to it. Its certainly atmospheric and I did like the fact that we had a floor plan at the start of the book!

The book reminded me in a way of Pan’s Labyrinth in that children’s fantastical imaginings were hiding the darkness that was large part of their lives.

The only slight criticism I had was that there were several places towards the end where It felt like the book had reached a conclusion, but then carried on. This happened two or three times. I say a slight criticism because, in the end, the events that followed right up to the actual end, were satisfying , and I was glad they were there. Its hard to say too much more without giving anything away so I’ll leave it at that!

Overall, a really chilling thriller, something different to the usual books of that genre I’ve read, or certainly for me anyway. I’ll definitely be looking out for Johnstone’s next book, especially if its set in the Outer Hebrides!

Carole Johnstone's novel, Mirrorland, scared me to the pit of my soul. I didn't finish the book due to nightmares. However, what I did read was engaging and well-written. I wish the blurb was clearer. I was taken by surprise when I started reading because the blurb didn't describe the book as well as it could have.

I do recommend this novel to those who enjoy psychological thrillers that are dark and scary.

This was honestly such a hard book for me to get through! I went into this with such high hopes because I can never get enough thrillers, but it was not the easy read that I was anticipating. This book had so much going on, it made it incredibly overwhelming and difficult to keep track of. The fantasy pieces mixed with the alternating POV’s made it so complicated. Overall, the premise of the book was great but I just wish it was executed differently.

I Have started this book by listening to the audiobook on scribd but ended up switching to the Ebook halfway through cause the Scottish accent was too much for my ears ^^’
But never the less the book was gripping and haunting, at every turn of a chapter something new pops out, the events kept me guessing all the way to the end, which was VERY SATISFYING if i may say.
Some events were predictable and some were ” YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME”
Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller with many twists and where good wins at the end.

My thoughts 








































Narrative and Plot










Mirrorland is a thriller that has you on your edge the whole time. The use of unreliable narrator has always been a bold choice. The book made use of it, in the best possible way. It created a sense of suspense and terror. However, at times the thin line between reality and imagination felt hazy. As a reader, it can be confusing. Something, that immediately pulls you out of that fictional world.







Considering, the entire idea of Mirrorland works with the reader suspending their disbelief, it felt a little out of place. Not always, but at times when you have to reread to understand what is going on, it pulls you out of that imaginary realm. For me, it created a sense of disconnect in the beginning. Perhaps, it was just me trying to deflect like the main character, sensing something was off. But once I was onboard, this twisted tale had me all immersed.






















Characters and Conflicts

 













Intense is the word that comes to mind, whenever I try to describe the main characters. Be it Cat, El or Ross. The initial upbringing plays a huge role in shaping them to be who they are today.







With the non-linear, storytelling your perception of each character changes from time to time. The layered personalities and the blur of good and evil makes them believable despite the extraordinary circumstances that we find these characters.







The conflict is to uncover the truth. There are breadcrumbs left, not just for Cat, but for the readers as well. If you know where to look, you get your answers.













Conclusion










Overall, you can easily get caught up in this twisted tale of twin sisters and their Mirrorland. It might have been difficult to get onboard in the beginning. But I am glad that I pushed through. The ending hit me hard. And even if you know the twists that are coming up, it jolts you with the reveal. And that is the mark of a good thriller.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think about this book. I liked it, but I’m still just reflecting on it hours after I’ve finished it. I liked the characters and the story. I liked the setting. There were a lot of twist and turns. The book kept you guessing until the very end. For a lot of the book I couldn’t figure out if this was a real world, a dream world, a fantasy world or what: I think that was part of the appeal. The author had a very beautiful writing style. 3.5

Book: 3/5
Audiobook: 4/5

Well this is a hard review to write. I went into Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone very excited because I had heard it was a super creepy and shocking read. It was definitely both of those things, but for some reason didn't resonate the way I had hoped it would. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Katie Leung and I definitely had to listen to it slower than normal because of how thick her accent was. It actually kind of surprised me since she was supposed to have lived in the states for quite a while and I wasn't sure how true her accent was to the character and the point she was at. That aside, I did really enjoy the audio and thought Leung did a great job bringing this creepy story to life. She was also fantastic with all the different accents she had to do for other characters, and I was impressed by how well she did them.

Mirrorland is a slow burn which made me especially happy I was doing audio, and I really enjoyed the fact that Cat had to go searching for clues that "El" had left for her. Mirrorland was an especially creepy place that the sisters had created, and at times I did get a little confused and had a hard time separating this place from the present time period. I just think the mix of magical realism was done in a confusing way, and I wish it had been clearer to the reader. This actually might be a good book to read instead of listening to, and maybe you wouldn't be as confused as I was in parts. There are also a lot of parts that are very gripping and had me dying to know what was going to happen next, so it is a hard book to try to recommend to people. I would say if you like magical realism and the sounds of the synopsis that you should check it out, but also keep in mind that it does end up getting very dark and I would imagine it being triggering for certain readers. This is Johnstone's debut novel, and I will still definitely check out her sophomore novel whenever it comes out.

Thank you to the publisher and Libro.fm for my advanced listening and digital copies. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

When Cat finds out that her identical twin sister El is missing she flys back to the UK from the US, she doesn't believe that her sister is dead because being a twin she'd feel it. They always felt the others fears or sickness. So she knows she has to still be alive, even if it's been 12 years since they saw and spoke to each other.

So it is back to the house that Cat thought she would never see again, the house from their childhood, their first life. The house that holds so many memories, and nightmares. The house that has Mirrorland. Mirrorland the place that they could be free and let their imagination take flight. The house now the home of El and her husband Ross.


Cat came back, someone knew she would. The letters come and the emails that send her on a chase around the house, looking for clues. Old diary entries, which help Cat in facing her memories and discovering secrets that she hid from her self and truths she never suspected.

What a twisty little book. Mirrorland takes ahold of you and will not let you go. My intrigue was held from the opening page. It will suck you in and you let's you escape the real world, I didn't even notice the time go by I was that lost in the story.

Twist and turns, some I guessed right away, but others I didn't see at all.

I really enjoyed the story, suspense and the atmosphere makes this the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Carole Johnstone, made me feel like I was in that house. I'm not sure I want to be there, at least not with Bluebeard or the Tooth Fairy, The Witch or Blackbeard.

Well written and imaginative.

The end wasn't what I was expecting it took me by surprise.

Mirrorland was much darker and sinister than I even thought, a modern gothic thriller.

I look forward to reading more of the authors works.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (4.5 stars)

As a fan of mystery and horror, I was so excited to pick up Mirrorland. And between the gothic vibes, the unexpected twists, and the dark themes, I think any horror fan would be impressed with this novel!

I’m the type of person who, when reading a mystery/thriller, has to figure out the end before I get there. And usually I’m pretty good at it! But Mirrorland really threw me for a loop. My jaw dropped at the first big reveal, and I thought that had to be it, but I was so, so wrong. This book has so many twists – every one more unexpected than the last – there’s absolutely no way to predict what’s going to happen next!

At the start of the story it can definitely be hard to tell what’s reality and what’s in Cat’s mind, which took a while to get accustomed to, but once I had, I loved. Much of the plot takes place in Cat’s memories, where imagination and reality run amok, and the writing does a really good job of drawing you into that mindset. Right away I could tell there was more going on beneath the surface of Cat’s recollections, but I couldn’t put my figure on what. And it was almost impossible to put this book down until I finally understood why.

This book is definitely complex, complicated and even a little convoluted, but I think it really works here. Cat herself doesn’t full understand what’s happening to her – what has happened – and as the reader you get to uncover the mystery of Mirrorland and the horrors that inhabit it along with Cat.

There’s a dark undercurrent throughout this story, and when that gets explained everything really clicks. This book is super creepy, and very atmospheric, and I think an easy favorite for fans of gothic horror and psychological thrillers alike.

Mirrorland is the perfect book the type of person who always guesses the ending… because this one you really won’t see coming. 🤯

Thank you to The Write Reads Tours and the publisher, Scribner, for providing me with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Oh my - where do I even begin in summing up my thoughts on this fantastic, dark and chilling read.
Cat is such an unreliable narrator that I had to keep rereading bits of her story simply to keep up with what was happening / had happened.
The mix of fairytale ( pirates, witches and princesses) and real life horrors that the girls experienced was superbly written with the house itself a shadowy character adding to the mystery. The twists in nearly every chapter kept me gripped completely.

You Have Push Through The Opening To The Good Stuff Later

Mirrorland is much like Schrödinger’s cat. It is at the same time very, very good and very, very bad. You’ll have to read my entire review to understand exactly what I mean. Sadly, the need to avoid spoilers will diminish much of what I have to say, but I’ll try to work within the limits.

The Opening

This mystery suspense novel has an excellent opening where it is made clear that the protagonist and her sister are escaping from danger and much blood is involved. It feels almost like an in medias res opening except that it is only a prologue and the main story timeline occurs a decade later.

In ways, it is an in medias res opening because the mystery of what happened to the twin girls before the events of the prologue are only slowly revealed as the story progresses. In fact, these events become the core mystery of this novel, though the final resolution refers to a second mystery that feels less important as we progress through the story.

The Characters

Despite their clear suffering in the prologue, the two sisters are not sympathetic characters, and that is one of the main problems of this story. While they do become sympathetic later, from the midpoint onward, for the first half of the book, Elise and El are both shown in a negative light.

Cat is deceptive and manipulative from the beginning. At the 23% mark, it becomes despicable. It isn’t until much later than we find adequate evidence to exonerate her behavior.

Elise is painted even worse. As the story progresses, we find more and more reasons to dislike her. And Ross looks good to begin with, but he loses all sympathy at an early point in the story.

This leaves us with no characters we actually care about. The first quarter of the book is a drag because we aren’t cheering for any of the main characters involved. They’re all as bad as one another.

The Plot

After the excellent prologue, the first quarter of this book relies on our sense of mystery to engage us. There is quite simply no significant conflict or tension. We don’t care about El’s fate because we don’t care about her, and Cat could simply walk out at any time.

There are, of course, reasons why Cat feels compelled to stay in the house. However, the reader isn’t privy to these reasons until much later on. That leaves us wondering why she’s bothered to hang around and go through the motions.

Things really improve at the 23% mark when action and conflict are introduced. Then, a little later, the second half of this novel becomes excellent. It contains genuine danger, lots of conflict, lots of intriguing mysteries, and a fabulous resolution.

The problem for me is that if I wasn’t reading this novel as part of a blog book review tour, I would have put it down long before it became interesting. Now, I’m glad I read it. But for the first few hours, I didn’t care about the characters and nothing really interesting happened.

The Setting

There are huge issues with the setting. Most obviously is the fact that during the childhood years backstory, someone would have been forced to leave the house to obtain basic supplies on a regular basis. The events occurred before internet shopping became popular, and the characters aren’t users of advanced technology.

But if either adult left, an opportunity would arise that could easily be made use of. I can’t explain more without spoilers, but anyone who has read this novel will immediately see what I mean. It is not like Emma Donoghue’s Room where one of the adults is permanently locked away. Within the extensive property described, there are ample opportunities to simply walk away.

During the current timeline, the same opportunity to simply walk away was there throughout for both sisters, but especially for Elice.

There was also a forensic science plot hole. During the initial police investigations, a tentative connection was made but then dismissed. At a real life crime scene, detailed swabs are taken. Such swabs would indicate the presence of at least one child closely related to the deceased people.

There is also no way the police would not explore the whole building rather than just the immediate location of the crime scene, so other more clear evidence of children would be found. Since there would then be suspicion of missing children, it is inevitable that a DNA test would occur.

Then the later police investigation. It appears that they didn’t perform any search of the property from which the missing person disappeared, though that it standard police procedure.

Without attributing any blame or suspicion, it would be normal to investigate whether the missing person had left any clues behind before leaving. Even if this was not performed when the person was simply missing, when later evidence was found of certain events, it’s strange this never occurred.

Then there are legal and financial considerations. As the children grew older, they knew the fate of their parents and also that significant property was concerned. Given the circumstances and their relative poverty, why would they not reveal their identity to claim the significant estate?

And now, a pedantic issue. The Poirot. There is a Poirot in the sitting room that is an important prop throughout the story, but what is a Poirot? I Googled it in various combinations, as a household fixture and a piece of furniture. However, no matter what I tried, no furniture appeared on my screen.

In desperation, I turned to the rest of the book blogging team to ask those who had read the book if they knew what a Poirot was. Somebody suggested it was a piece of furniture in the Art Deco style, and that its name referred to the famous Belgian detective. I asked a Scottish person who lived in the area described, but they had no idea. Basically, a group of twenty well-read people were unable to adequately explain what a Poirot is.

When I read a story, I like to become immersed. I need to be able to visualize the surroundings. Having a prop turn up time and time again that is impossible to imagine made this impossible for me.

The Prose

The prose is beautiful with lots of great symbolism and imagery. However, I did often find myself wondering if a specific event or person was real or imagined. I suppose this confusion may have been deliberate on the author’s part.

My Opinion

As I said within my review, the second half of this suspense thriller was awesome. There is lots of mystery and action, and it becomes a page-turner. However, I felt bored and frustrated reading the first half, and I found much of the story simply implausible. For me, there was no suspension of disbelief.

For these reasons, I am going to rate this suspense novel 3 out of 5. If more foreshadowing and conflict were obvious in the first half of the book, it would rate much higher.

Notice:

I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, but this review is my honest opinion of the book.