Review coming soon. Thanks to Carole Johnstone, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; the opinions are mine.

Pub Date 4.20.21

Am always a tad iff-y on doing reviews for blog tours as what if I don’t like the book? Where do I go from there? I don’t want to ask to be removed if I dislike/DNF a book. So, when WriteReads messaged and went “You like thrillers, right?”, I was intrigued, and when I read the blurbs for Mirrorland, I was very much on the fence (it was the US blurb that swung it for me. The UK made me very curious – like with different cover art for different countries, blurbs are different as well to entice and intrigue the reader to picking up the book and reading it).

It’s been twelve years since Cat saw her identical twin sister, El. Twelve years since Cat ran away from Scotland to LA. Twelve years of no contact. But now, news of El’s disappearance has forced Cat to come back. Come back to the family home where El and her husband, Ross, live.

But being back at 36 Westery Road is not the welcome Cat want. When the girls were growing up, they created a dark imaginary world – Mirrorland – full of pirates, clowns, witches. Cat hasn’t thought of this world in twelve years, but the world is creeping back into Cat’s mind. Every dark corner hides a secret or a long-buried ghost. What’s worse is that someone has left Cat clues in nearly every room. A treasure hunt that leads straight into the dark heart of Mirrorland, the truth of El’s disappearance and the heart of Mirrorland’s creation.

This is hard to write. Not because the book was bad – it isn’t – but because it had brilliant and clever ideas, but never felt executed right for my tastes. A sister returning home to deal with a strange disappearance of her twin? Tick. A mysterious treasure hunt from a mysterious stranger (who it is? The missing sister? The missing sister’s husband? The sister’s killer? Someone else)? Tick. A look into children’s imagination and how children and adults fall into it when dealing with trauma? Tick. In theory, all of this should have worked for me. And yet... it didn’t work for me.

Ok, let me write about the positives. It’s a highly original thriller, which is weird and can very easily be made into a movie or a TV show. It would be a strange and unnerving watch of a thriller as Cat slips from real life into her memories and viewers would wonder whether we can trust Cat and her version of events (yes, we have the unreliable narrator troupe). It would be like that scene in The Hours where Julianne Moore’s character, Laura, is on the verge of killing herself. A dream-like unnerving shift. It’s, also, well-written and has this lovely Scottish gothic edge to it. Plus, while I saw one or two twists coming, there were twists that I didn’t see coming and made me go “Wait, what?”

Like I said, these ideas work as does the writing, but there’s something, something I can’t quite put my finger on, that didn’t work for me. While the writing is solid, there were times I skimmed and I would get muddled over if I was reading present day or childhood memory. While this is highly original and creative, I could never really keep the lands in Mirrorland straight in my head. Maybe this was to give an extra dimension of unease, but it annoyed me when I kept having to go back to the start to see floor plan of the house and go “Oh, you mean here! Right, with you now!”

I get what the author was trying to do and the way she tackled the truth, the fiction and the magic of childhood memories to tackle trauma was unique [not seen it tackled this way before] (by the way, this book has a lot here. Ranging from domestic abuse, sexual assault, incest, child abuse and others).

While this might not have been the thriller for me, it is highly original thriller that I thinksome fo you guys will like hugely with its gothic atmosphere where the lines of reality and childhood fantasy blur.

Sorry to say I just could not finish this one. None of the characters was engaging and I am really over unreliable female narrators. Not my idea of a good read.

This was an interesting book. There were several twists and turns; some of them I figured out along the way and some of them I didn't. I did think that the book read a bit melodramatically (so many "I shivered," "I felt light headed," "I held my breath," statements). But, though there were times when I wanted to put it down, I didn't, and there was a payoff in the end.

In “Mirrorland” by Carole Johnstone we are brought into the dark life of identical twins, El and Cat. They have been estranged for years but when El goes missing Cat returns to the childhood home where there are memories and ghosts around every corner. As Cat unravels the mystery behind her sister’s disappearance, she must face a past that she has made herself believe was a made-up world of pirates, clowns, imaginary friends and face the reality that who she believed was her Prince Charming is not the man she thought he was.

A thriller with characters that draw you in and an ending you do not see coming. I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

I am torn on this one. I liked it but at the same time, as I was reading it, I was never enthralled in its story. I liked the characters and the investigation into El's disappearance. I didn't love the fantasy parts, but they were fine. I guess throughout, I never felt a connection with the book. I was just reading it to finish it. The ending was good though.

This book was a slow-burn, but when it picked up it had me hooked! My favorite part of reading this genre is when there are unexpected twists and turns, and the author of this novel delivered. Would definitely recommend!

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone was different than anything I've ever read before.

The opening was intriguing and kept me wondering who was telling the truth and what each person had to gain or lose. I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator.

Through flashbacks and memories, the reader travels from current time with Cat to a place made up by two young girls in Edinburgh. She is a twin to El, and they share a fantastical place filled with adventure, pirates and tons of magical realism. I deeply appreciated all of that, but I also felt as if I was lost in it and wasn't sure where I was sometimes.

Coming from the perspective of having four sisters myself, some of the scenes felt a bit contrived when the mystery of where El was or if she was the one sending messages etc. I understand deep connections between siblings, but that aspect of the unfolding mystery missed the mark for me.

All in all this is a highly imaginative story that takes the reader to uneasy and strange places within our personal relationships. It looks at reality as it is and reality as we desire it to be.

Perhaps it's also an existential dialogue about finding a way out of your own Mirrorland, so you can be free once and for all from the childhood memories that hold many of us hostage.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read the ARC of Mirrorland.

Honestly, I was really disappointed in this book. I had high hopes for it, and it really fell flat in my opinion. It was pretty boring and overall, I just didn't like it.

2.5/5 Stars

This is creepy, challenging, conflicting, and at times you think you are seeing double!
Great story of twins who seem to have a mysterious childhood and an even more strange adulthood. Separated due to conflict, the disappearance of one triggers memories, confusion and flashbacks for the other.
So twisty, and complicated (in a good way).

This is a story about two sisters, identical twins.

In the beginning it seems as though they live a fantasy life, children with unique imaginations, able to conjur up the strangest of places in their minds.

We are introduced to their alternative world, Mirrorland, just as they are apparently leaving on a pirate ship, abandoning the home they've always known.

As the reader, I was immediately confused but in a good way. What was authentic and what was made up. Both seemed to overlap, combine so where one ended the other began.

Fast forward a few years and these sisters, who were once so close, have a broken bond, now one is missing and the other is embarking on a journey through her past life to try and find what once was lost.

Mind-bending and deliciously dark and delusional.

Cat (the more fragile twin) doesn't believe that her sister is missing, she is sure that this is El playing games but in the place she once called home danger seems to lurk in every corner. What's less clear is whether the danger is more physical or mental.

Not an easy read.

You need to pay attention to the detail but for your efforts you will be rewarded.

This is like visiting a house of horrors, weaving your way through a labyrinth of fears that never want you to escape.

*Trigger warning* this novel does cover subjects of both mental and physical abuse as well as scenes about suicide.

This is no fairytale!

Mirrorland is a smart and atmospheric book.

A story that draws you in slowly, each chapter intensifying, the level of panic increasing with each turn of the page.

Seamlessly combining the genres of fantasy and thriller.

With an ending that will leave you shocked, surprised and strangely satisfied.

This book is a slow-burn mystery. Cat and El are estranged twin sisters; Cat lives in L.A. while El has lived in their childhood home in Edinburgh.

While growing up, they invented a game called Mirrorland, a dark, twisted place under the stairs. One day, Cat learns that El has gone missing; and the news forces her to pack her suitcase and head back to their childhood home.

The story is atmospheric with fantastic elements; it alternated between the present moment and the twins’ past. At times, I felt it was a bit slow, and the summary description had more information than necessary; I think there is a spoiler in there, and had I not read that, I would have enjoyed the story more.

I recommend it to those who enjoy slow-burn thrillers and mysteries.

I really did not understand the beginning of this book... the talk of pirates started and I began to check out. I am so glad that I stuck with it. The layers that unfold once you get further into Cat and El's story are the perfect amount of confusing, where you think you know what is happening, but can still be surprised by the twist ending. While some jumps are a bit too "perfect" as plot devices, the dive into mirrorland was fantastic and horrifying and such a good read. I was thinking about these sisters after the book was over.

Ok. I pinky swear I read this book cover to cover but I honest to God could not tell you what happened. I saw quite a few DNF reviews and almost surrendered myself but you could tell by the way the book was written that the author probably poured all of their heart and soul into it. SO I pressed on. This was near the top of my most anticipated list for 2021 because a thriller with a touch of fantasy sounded absolutely fascinating. But I’m sorry. It was not for me. The back and forth between timelines, POVs, reality vs imagination was just downright overwhelming. I still can’t tell you whether the missing twin is dead or alive. The treasure hunt plot turned out to be not as exciting and action packed as I had hoped and there were just a few too many pirate references for my taste. I tried yall. I really really tried.

I struggled to finish this book. The crime part of the book was great. I was uninterested in the pirate parts, found them confusing and altogether not needed. I also thought the "end" started about 60% of the way through the book and KEPT on going.

This book is going to have a satisfied audience, it's just not me. Halfway through I just had that uh-oh feeling like this is going nowhere and where it is going isn't where I want to go. From the beginning as the author elaborates on the girls' secret place inside their home it feels all too fantastical. I do not read fantasy novels. This definitely had that feel. Their otherworld was too realistic, too developed and too intricately designed. It was also unbelievable to me. I couldn't buy into the idea that small children would create such a detailed escape. As secrets started coming to light it a made the entire premise that much darker...and I like dark. But this was something all together different. The synopsis is correct, it is dark and twisty and for fans of Gone Girl. But it wasn't for me. I'm grateful to Scribner/Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was a highly original, creative, bizarre and imaginative novel. I struggled with it. I had trouble connecting with it but I enjoyed the feel of it, the originality, and even though I struggled, I still wanted to keep reading. This was a thought provoking and original book. I cannot say that I have ever read anything like it.

I started to read this one but unfortunately couldn’t get passed the first chapter. Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. The pirates and fantastical aspects just didn’t interest me.

When I read the blurb, I was very intrigued. I had the impression that I would be in for a great read and was I?

At the beginning I have to say that I was not really in to the story. I found it a bit strange and I was not convinced it would be my cup of tea. But how can I give my honest opinion if I don't push through? 

What was my problem? I don't like fantasy and this book was a mixture of the real world and an imaginary one. But boy oh boy, I am happy that I did not give up. Little by little the author reveals everything and I started to see how brilliant it all was. It shows that giving up is often missing some great things. :)

This story is a wonderful way of proving how deep sisterly love can run. No wonder people flee toward a world of make believe and pretending that if something did not happen it actually did not happen. Unfortunately it does not work that way. It's sometimes hard to imagine in what kind of cruel world some live and what they have to endure...

It's a dark story that had me gasping from time to time. 4 stars

Thank you

Mirrorland is the story of identical mirror image twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind. It’s a twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge.
Mirrorland is Carole Johnstone’s debut novel. Mirrorland begins with a prologue dating back to September 5, 1998. The end of Cat’s first life and the beginning of her second life. The story begins with a prologue and ends with an epilogue. Mirrorland is comprised of two parts.

When Cat was twelve she ran away from her childhood house of horrors. Then when she was nineteen she ran away from her twin sister. Twelve years later she’s back to face her fears from everything she suppressed.

A treasure hunt stirs up childhood memories of playing in Mirrorland. The girls invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place within their childhood home. Mirrorland was a safe place that offered protection from the reality of a horrific childhood. Without Mirrorland they would be stuck inside a cold, gray, empty, frightening world.

Mirrorland shouldn’t be so complicated to explain, yet I struggled the most with those scenes trying to visualize what Carole was trying to code within her words. The fact that Carole included a map outlining each room in Mirrorland goes to show how extensive her imagination was. I knew Carole was hiding something within her words, but it was lost to me. I wanted to understand the clues hidden within the words she wasn’t saying.
The diary entries, the emails, and the letters I could understand. When Carole crossed reality with fantasy I grew confused.
The ending played out really well. I enjoyed reading the revealing of truths with all its twists. I ended this book needing help understanding the world that Cat and El created in that room. Have you ever finished watching a movie and said to yourself, “what? I don’t get it”. That was me needing cliff notes or someone else to explain what I missed.