Zinnia Gray has become a fairy tale fixer, having sorted out dozens of Sleeping Beauties in the past few years. She's getting a bit weary of the job when she sees another face in the mirror. Before she knows what's happening she's dragged into another story but it's not Sleeping Beauty. Instead, she's come up against the evil queen of Snow White, who needs her help.

I will admit now I didn't realise this was the second book in the series but was able to read this, for the most part, without the previous story. But I suspect I might have had a much greater appreciation for this if I understood more about what happened in the past, particularly with regard to friends Charm and Prim. I will definitely address this by reading the earlier book as soon as I have time.

Anyway, this was a cute variation on the Snow White story which is sympathetic to the villain of the story. Well at least partly sympathetic. Zinnia's strange world is a bit out of whack when she runs across the queen. So I guess this would be a fracture within a fracture since there's a crossover between fairy tales.

Overall, this was a short and enjoyable story and I give it 3.5 stars. I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me an advanced reader copy. I have provided this review voluntarily.

I have really enjoyed all of Alix E. Harrows novels and novellas and after reading A Mirror Mended, it looks like that is not going to stop anytime soon.

A Mirror Mended continues the metaverse that Zinnia has fallen into, this time looking at the villain of the story. I love fairy tale retellings and Harrow combines this with lots of GLBTQA characters which makes me even more happy.

Since it’s a novella aka shorter read, I don’t really feel like I can say much about it without giving anything away….

If you are intrigued with fairy tales, retelling of fairy tales, the metaverse, or are looking for some fantastic GLBTQA representation then A Mirror Mended is a book you should check out… but start with A Spindle Splintered, the first book in the series, for even more reading pleasure!

I love the continuation of this series. This one was just as good as the first, if not better. I loved time jump and the character growth. The background of the fairytale was well done (yet again), and made this very enjoyable to read.

Thank you so much to Alix E Harrow, Tor, and to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I think this series is starting to grow on me. The first book in this series left me a little underwhelmed but I still held out hope because I love this author's writing and I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings. I am so glad I didn't write this series off yet. I absolutely enjoyed this book way more than I did the previous installment. What can I say other than I love a good villain redemption arc and morally gray characters are my jam. Of course, I love all of the constant pop culture references that are sprinkled throughout the story as well. They are the cherry on top for me. Please tell me that this series isn't over yet because I am looking forward to whatever fairy tale Zinnia falls into next.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the digital copy.

I did not love this book as much as the first one. I found it to be jarring in many ways, with a meandering plot and characters that used to be charming who now I had little patience for. This was still a fun, quick read, but it felt messy in conceit. Here are the reasons I feel this way:

1. The five year time jump made a lot of things feel too different from the first with little explanation (our main character suddenly being queer rather than just mildly bicurious & self-IDing as straight, a fallout between our main with characters from the other book, etc.)

2. Less grounding in folklore

3. Soft & rule-bendy magic in a multiverse that is clearly trying to be a hard magic system

4. Mixed messaging thematically, which stems from this rule-bending and a lack of consistency in the world/magic. Conflict in the world arose when convenient rather than when it always should according to the rules of the world. I can usually handle this in a fairy tale type book, but this book is clearly trying to be a fairy tale multiverse with rules, but all rules are made to be broken in this book. I would've rather there been no rules in the first place, and then maybe the messages would have been consistent.

5. Our romance had no chemistry, in my opinion.

6. All commentary on sexism & agency was very flat and tired, to me. I've seen it a million times and in the first book of this series, and I wanted this book to push the series thematically.

I go into more detail on all of these in my reading vlog review, which will be linked. This was overall pretty disappointing, and I was sad about it.

So good! This series is like candy. I need more! I love the continuation of Zinnia’s story. The new character in this one was just delightful.

This series is now on my watchlist. It’s enchanting and I love it. It never lingers too long but it’s not missing anything. I just want more.

Spoiler Warning: A Mirror Mended is the sequel to A Spindle Splintered and is the second book in the Fractured Fables series, so this review contains a few spoilers for the first book. If you have not yet read A Spindle Splintered, I’d recommend reading my review for that book rather than this one!

I am downright obsessed with the Fractured Fables duology (and I am more than a little sad that the series is finished because I absolutely LOVE the worldbuilding and character work in them)! These books have an incredible sense of humor and such a strong narrative voice. After finding a way out of her tragic ending in A Spindle Splintered, I didn’t know where Zinnia would be going in A Mirror Mended. This book provided such a beautiful ending for Zinnia’s story, and while I’m sad that I won’t get to read any more about her or the story multiverse, I am happy to simply have spent time enjoying this world. The ending (without spoilers) did have me tearing up a bit, and I only held it together because I was reading in a public place. After reading these books, I will never read the line “They lived happily ever after” the same again!

My Recommendation-
If you love twisted fairytale retellings, powerful queer characters, or the concept of a multiverse of storytelling, you need to grab copies of the Fractured Fabels series right away! I would especially recommend this book to readers who enjoy examinations of storytelling as a legacy.

Taking place several months after A Splinter Splintered, Zinnia find herself thrust out of the many worlds of Sleeping Beauty and into a new fairy tale, Snow White, where the villain needs her help. This feminist reimagining is smart, sassy, and containing a lot to think about in such a short story; the Fractured Fairy Tale series continues to deliver.

A Mirror Mended is the second book in Alix E. Harrow’s Fractured Fairy Tales collection. I hadn’t read the first book in this series when I started this, but quickly remedied that as this series is better read in order.

A Mirror Mended picks up five years (and many happily ever afters) after the end of A Spindle Splintered. Just like it’s predecessor, this book follows Zinnia Grey as she flits through fairy tale dimensions and rescues princesses along the way. Until one morning she ends up in a world she’s not meant for.

I really enjoyed this book and had a great time tagging along with Zinnia. Harrow has created such a fun and lively character. I often found myself chuckling at her snarky comments. As with the first book in the series, the writing and the settings are vivid and well crafted. I could fully imagine myself in each of the storybook lands Zinnia traveled through. I loved the queer representation in both books and was happy to see Zinnia have a bit of a romance in this novella.

I’m a big fan of this author’s work, and I hope there will be more books in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for a review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Just like the first in this series, A Mirror Mended was light and neat fun. The illustrations were gorgeous, story flowed smoothly and logically, and the fairy tale twists scattered throughout were immensely entertaining to read.

Since this is a novella, I didn't have a ton of expectations for character growth and development and it's a good thing I didn't--they were nonexistent. But all the other aspects made for a fun experience. Alix E. Harrow hasn't let me down yet! 4/5 stars.

A Mirror Mended continues the momentum of it's predecessor to bring us to not quite the Happily Ever After we would expect, or hope for...

Continuing five years after the end of A Spindle Splintered, we rejoin Zinnia Gray, who has been portal-jumping through the multiverse to save almost 50 Sleeping Beauties, so when she gets pulled through a mirror and sees that the ink on the pages is blurring together... our much loved ill protagonist must decide between running from her fate and ... Eva.

This novella should not be mistaken as a stand alone - it feels like a tale told in two Acts with the way it picks up directly from the other.

I enjoyed following Zinnia through the twists and turns of this book, seeing some other much loved fairytale characters show their faces, Harrow's writing style in this book ran very true to the style of Ten Thousand Doors of January, especially with Eva's writing towards the end.

The meta, fourth-wall breaking narration provided comedic relief and nods to a world not far from our own.

The LGBTQ+ representation felt stronger within this book regarding the main character which was pleasant - however I did miss Charm in this one!

Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge Publishing for the eARC!

Always a treat to read anything written by Alix E. Harrow! Quick paced stories, with lovely words, and Harrow’s signature humor.

Zinnia is five years into saving princesses in alternate timelines. Think Dr. Who, but instead of the Tardis, there’s a splinter of a spinning wheel, and swap out aliens for unlimited iterations of sleeping beauty.

This is a gorgeous story about purpose, and owning your story, even if it’s not the one you would have chosen for yourself. It’s still yours and you still have choices!

I have a soft spot for villains. Especially when they’re dynamic and complicated, have brilliant character arcs and are a little bit gay ;) Evil Queen Eva is the perfect combination of unbridled ambition and unwilling sympathy. I would bite her poison apples any day!

If you love fairy tales with a dash of science fiction (multiverse), sapphic stories, and complicated villains, then you will LOVE this book!

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge Publishing for the eARC!

Four and a half stars.

Zinnia Grey is back. The reluctant Sleeping Beauty is starting to get bored of saving other princesses; there’s only so many damsels in distress you can rescue.

Then, Zinnia sees a mirror which leads her to a new narrative. An evil queen is asking for her help to escape her fate after finding out how her and Snow White’s story ends. She wants Zinnia to help her before she meets her fate (and a pair of hot iron shoes). Will Zinnia help the beautiful (but definitely evil…right?) Queen, or is it time to hang up her savior complex for good?

I loved the first book in this series (read my five star review here). Some of the things I really enjoyed from the first book are back; great representation of the LGBTQ+ community, lots of feminism, and unexpected twists in stories you think you know so well.

It’s also a super fast paced read, just like A Spindle Splintered. The addition of the Evil Queen was especially fun, and I thought she was a nice addition to a cast of characters I really liked from the first book. I like the sort of conspiratorial tone of the book, like Harrow and her characters are letting the reader in on the joke. The joke being that fairy tales are both fascinating and a little bit silly. Female characters from both sides of the good/evil divide are often missing any agency, and how cool would it be if things were flipped on their head and they were able to control their story?

Even though Zinnia wants to give the princesses control of their narrative, her job as fairytale mender and rescuer of damsels actually has the opposite effect. She’s often taking over and fixing their problems, all while leaving them as mostly one dimensional characters in their stories. The Evil Queen is the first change Zinnia has had in awhile, and with her she’s able to see that some of the characters she meets between worlds are complex characters outside of their archetypes.

I really missed Charm in this book. She was a big part of the last book, even if a lot of the action took place without her there. Leaving the reveal of why Zinnia and Charm had grown apart until the end just annoyed me. I couldn’t stop waiting for Charm to come save the day, but when she finally entered the scene it felt like an afterthought.

While I enjoyed the book, I also feel like it would be a nice close to Zinnia’s story. I would love for the story to pick back up with Eve (the Evil Queen) as our new heroine…but I guess we’ll see.

I really like these novella retellings of well-known fairy tales. You should know that this is a second in a series. Although, it is not necessary to read the first book, I think it is helpful to know Zinnie's background and how she ended up traveling through the multiverse of fairy tale worlds. In this particular installment, she leaves her own Sleeping Beauty verse and enters the Snow White's story. I really enjoy Alix Harrow's writing. Her feminist, irreverent commentary on fairy tales tropes are awesome. You can read this novella in a day, and really enjoyed it. Can't wait to see what number three will be like. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you so much to Tordotcom and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of A Mirror Mended! This is the second book in the Fractured Fables series- I read the first one last year and I thought it was a super interesting concept, so I was really excited to read A Mirror Mended, especially because I love all of the different ways that Snow White can be written!
A Mirror Mended 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
A Mirror Mended is the next installment in USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow's Fractured Fables series.
Zinnia Gray, professional fairy-tale fixer and lapsed Sleeping Beauty, is over rescuing snoring princesses. Once you’ve rescued a dozen damsels and burned fifty spindles, once you’ve gotten drunk with twenty good fairies and made out with one too many members of the royal family, you start to wish some of these girls would just get a grip and try solving their own narrative issues.
Just when Zinnia’s beginning to think she can't handle one more princess, she glances into a mirror and sees another face looking back at her: the shockingly gorgeous face of evil, asking for her help. Because there’s more than one person trapped in a story they didn’t choose. Snow White's Evil Queen has found out how her story ends, and she's desperate for a better ending. She wants Zinnia to help her before it’s too late for everyone. Will Zinnia accept the Queen's poisonous request and save them both from the hot-iron shoes that wait for them, or will she try another path?
So I requested this one without even reading the summary and I didn't realize that it was an actual continuation, so we would see Zinnia again- I actually liked her more in this book than I did in book one! I feel like she because a little more self aware and saw that there is more than one way to see a story. I also really liked the character of the Evil Queen- you got more background into this version of her, which I'm always all about. The Disney version of Snow White is my least favorite of all the fairy tales, so I'm always excited to read about how other people make it better and this mix of Alix E Harrow's Sleeping Beauty Retelling with her Snow White Retelling was great. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend y'all reading it!

Link to be added once post goes live

This is the sequel to A Spindle Splintered. I love Alix E. Harrow and a reimagined fairy tale. I'm a big fan of this book. Zinnia Gray is real and relatable as the main character. Her story made me feel, and her one-liners made me belly laugh in the middle of a crowded park. And we love a queer romance story! I would recommend it to fans of Holly Black and Tamsyn Muir, or reimagined fairy tales in general.

I really just love this series so much. The first novella was a fave, and I love the direction that she decided to go in the second book — Zinnia’s been rescuing damsels in distress for five years, and she’s pretty over it. But then she jumps into a Snow White narrative, instead of Sleeping Beauty, and we have a whole new set of complications. Harrow pushes us to examine whether good and evil are really as black and white as the concepts are often presented by having Zinnia fall for the evil queen, who just wants her own happy ending. The snark and heart are on full display here, and while I didn’t love this book quite as much as the first, I still thoroughly enjoyed it!

A Mirror Mended by Alix Harrow
Fractured Fables Novellas #2
Publication Date: June 14, 2022

You might know the story of Snow White but I promise you, you have never heard it told like this. This novella picks up where we last left Zinnia Grey, our sleeping beauty traveling through the multiverse to help fellow sleeping beauties. Except this time Zinnia gets pulled into a new story by the villainous Evil Queen through her mirror, and Zinnia can’t seem to find a way back to her own world without first helping the Queen. It appears Zinnia’s own unfinished story has left universes colliding and here Zinnia comes across characters from a number of tales. 

If you like snark (think El from Naomi Novak’s Scholomance series) then these novellas are definitely for you. The novellas depict stories of females who want more than the typical “happily ever after with the prince.” In fact, men only play small background roles in the novella. 

The story explores what exactly fairy tales mean by “ever after” when they say “happily ever after.” Does it ensure happiness long-term or in that moment? Does nothing change from then on? Does that become maddening? The book also explores the concept of changing your destiny. 

This story, featuring a central tension-filed, enemies-to-lovers romance, is a perfect quick read option for pride month.

Tor Books and Alix Harrow, if you are reading this, I am your humble subject and beg you for more Zinnia Grey!

Thank you to Macmillian-Tor/Forge Books for providing an advanced reading copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was fantastic! Zinnia has seen every Sleeping Beauty story there is in the multi-verse and she has helped them all find their own happily ever after. She is getting kind of bored of the whole thing when she sees a new face asking for help in the mirror. But this isn’t the protagonist. It’s the villain. It turns out that there might be more to this evil queen than the story suggests.

I loved Zinnia’s voice and the thread of humor that wove its way through the story. I really liked the originality of this story. The author did a marvelous job of taking a familiar story and putting a whole new twist to it along with a more modern feel. This story had me cheering for the villain and questioning who really was the bad guy in the tale. I felt like Zinnia grew a lot over the course of this story and enjoyed checking in with her friends, Charm and Briar Rose, from the first book.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I do think that it would be best to read A Spindle Splintered before diving into this book because not only is it a great story but this story builds on the events from the first novella. This is an incredibly well-written and entertaining novella that will be going directly into my re-read pile. At this point, I think that it is safe to say that I will read anything that Alix E. Harrow writes.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Tordotcom via NetGalley.