Just finished listening to "A Mirror Mended" by Alix E. Harrow, and wow, what a trip! This audiobook is like diving headfirst into a fairy tale blender – in the best way possible.

First off, the story is all about Zinnia Gray, a self-proclaimed fairy tale geek, who gets the chance to actually jump into these stories. And it's not just any story – she lands in the tale of Snow White. But here's the twist: it's nothing like the Disney version. It's darker, weirder, and a whole lot more fun.

The narration is spot-on. The narrator captures Zinnia’s sarcastic humor perfectly, making me laugh out loud more times than I can count. They also nail the different vibes of each character, from a surprisingly complex Snow White to a charmingly evil Evil Queen. It's like they're right there in the room, telling you the story personally.

Alix E. Harrow's writing? Super engaging. She has this cool way of mixing old-school fairy tale vibes with a modern twist. The dialogue is witty and sharp, and she doesn't shy away from flipping the script on classic fairy tale tropes.

What I really dug about this book is how it's not just a simple retelling. It digs into why we love these stories and what they say about us. Zinnia is a character a lot of us can relate to – someone who's grown up but hasn't lost her love for these magical stories. Plus, the book touches on themes like destiny, choices, and breaking out of the roles we're expected to play.

The pace of the story is like a rollercoaster in the best way. Just when you think you've got a handle on things, it throws in a curveball that keeps you hooked. And the ending? No spoilers, but it's satisfying and leaves you thinking.

In short, "A Mirror Mended" is a blast. It's a fun, fast-paced, and thoughtful ride through the world of fairy tales with a guide who’s as snarky as she is insightful. If you're into fairy tales, or just looking for a story that's a little different from the usual, give this one a listen. It’s like hanging out with a good friend who knows the best stories.

I enjoy a fairy tale retelling, and for some reason thought this might be a standalone. It wasn't, but it was still enjoyable, and I may have to check out the first.

The story, characters, world building, magic were okay but this just isn't up to the expectations I have for Harrow. I was disappointed in this series.

This was a relatively fun book, and a worthy successor to the first one in the series. It's not high class, expansive, world building fantasy. But it's a fun fairy tale retelling that puts a new spin on an old favorite.

It's a quick and easy read, perfect for those who enjoy the line of books Disney released to tell the stories of the villains.

As for the audio version, which is what I listen to, it was great. Narrator was excellent. Annunciated clearly, had a good grasp of different character voices, etc. I have no complaints on that front at all.

It's been five years since we last saw Zinnia Gray, and she's spent that time hopping from world to world, fixing fairytales, and helping princesses, sometimes realizing they don't need help at all. But Zinnia is beginning to realize she's running from her own life. She hasn't spoken to Charm or Prim (who are now married) in six months. That's when she's pulled through a mirror into a different fairy-tale, the first time she's ever hopped anywhere that wasn't a Sleeping Beauty story. Now she's in Snow White, and she's the Evil Queen's prisoner.

I think I actually might have liked this one better than A Spindle Splintered. I really liked the dynamic between Zinnia and the Evil Queen, and the shenanigans they get up to. I also like that Harrow resisted the urge to go with the easiest ending in favor of the one that rang true to the characters, and one that is more open-ended than is usual with fairy-tales.

This was an extremely quick read, and a very engaging one. Will definitely be revisiting both of these books again, and I kind of hope she leaves the story here. But of course if there's more, I will read them.

Everyone loves the fairytales! This book brings the fairytale to a whole new level! I enjoyed this book along with the other title in the series. This title just shows that not every villian has a sad ending.

This was a fun and quick read. Adaptations are inherently interesting to me for their focus on what the core truth of a story is. Like turning Emma into Clueless, or Heart of Darkness into Apocalypse Now, finding correlations for characters or plots in a different time or setting is a great way of reflecting on what stays constant.

The Fractured Fables series retells fairy tales for a modern, feminist audience; granting female characters agency, introducing LGBT characters, and making lots of modern references that are starkly at odds with the trope. The vast majority of the characters, and all the major ones, are female, and it absolutely smashes the basic categorization of women (maiden/princess, mother, evil witch/Queen). Women are everything in this book, and they can be everything and anything -- including really terrible people, which is important.

One fairy tale characteristic that still existed in this book (to its detriment) was how quickly characters fall in love and make enormous life changes in pursuit of their happily ever after. Because it's a novella rather than a novel there is no time for believable development of plot or person, so instead we get a fast forwarded character arc. Fairy tale love stories tend to be predicated on one meeting or even one glance (of a sometimes unconscious woman) leading to true love. The enemies to lovers progression in this book happens with similar speed that makes it hard to really believe in or root for.

All in all, a good read for lovers of Once Upon a Time, or for anyone who enjoys revisiting mythic texts to give underdeveloped and underserved female characters a second look.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC

A MIRROR MENDED is the second book in this Fractured Fables fantasy series.

Zinnia Gray has a rare fatal condition and told that she won't live to see 22 years old, so because of this, she decides to live ouut her life and what's left, to the fullest.

I really enjoyed this book, and listened to the audiobook format, narrated by Amy Landon, and thought she was a great choice as narrator, and really brought the characters and story to life.

*many thanks to Tor and Macmillan Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A Mirror Mended is just what the doctor ordered. Alix E. Harrow is reliable in delivering a beautifully written, humourous, and at times tender fairytale. The audiobook was wonderful as well and I feel like the narrator did a great job of bringing these characters to life.

I think that the shift from saving the princesses to saving the villain was fantastic--I was rooting for the Evil Queen without a doubt and loved the story between her and Zinnia Gray, our resident sleeping beauty.

As I've said before, I would happily devour a multitude of stories set in this universe and I hope that Harrow at least considers it! I loved this story so much. 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this eArc. The two books in the Fractured Fairytales series a really uplifting. Good for a break from all that dark fantasy you've been reading. And this audiobook is read by one of my favorites, Amy Landon.

While I didnt love this as much as the first one, I still really enjoyed this novella and the narrator is great!

I love the multiverse that Alix E. Harrow created in A Spindle Splintered and I loved being back in it in this book, I just didn't connect with the characters as much this time around. I did, however, absolutely love the narrator.

Zinnia Gray, former Sleeping Beauty, has rescued princesses in various versions of her fairy tale dozens of times, and it is getting boring. Looking into a mirror at yet another wedding, she is shocked to see another face staring out at her. Snow White’s Evil Queen has found out how her story ends and is asking for help. Suddenly, Zinnia finds herself in the Evil Queen’s realm with no way out. Will she be able to save the queen from the hot iron shoes awaiting her, or will she find another way?

I absolutely love this take on remaking fairy tales. I did not realize that <i>A Mirror Mended</i> was a sequel to <i>A Spindle Splintered</i>, but I was able to follow along with the story without any issues. I will definitely be going back to check out the first book in the series, though! Amy Landon did a wonderful job narrating the audiobook. I highly recommend this book and hope there is more to come in this series!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, this one was just decidedly fine for me. I think the shorter form just makes it difficult to really dig into the characters - and have a timeline/plot that doesn't seem too unrealistic or too packed with action. I really love fairy tale retellings - especially when they have queer or diverse representation, but I sadly don't think this particular series is for me.

I did enjoy the empowering ending.

A Mirror Mended is a quick and enjoyable read. I enjoyed the mixture of fairy tales. The story jumping multiverse of fairytales was unique and really fun.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of retellings.

The audiobook narration was great, Amy Landon did a great job of bringing the story to life.

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom, and. Netgalley for an advance reader copy of "A Mirror Mended" for an honest review.

Like 'A Spindle Splintered' before it, I MADLY LOVED this book. I have been on a dedicated path of mad adoration for everything Harrow has written, and this was no different. Her writing remains above bar for the norm of an author still in their earlier years: gorgeous prose, amazing turns of phrase. I'm constantly in awe of her phrasing and the way she pulls together a plot.

This book was a mad delight on its own. I loved the exploration moving from 'princess at the mercy of narrative' in the last book to 'villainesses at the mercy of the narrative' this time. It's such a flip, and dark, delicious dive into the wants, needs, losses, and pigeonholing of those characters as well.

Audio Specific: This was a dream, and I love the narrative choices. The voices were so clear and differentiated. It made it so easy, fast, and fun to lose myself in listening to this story told me for my second read.

This is the second book in the Fractured Fables series featuring Zinnia Gray, professional fairy-tale fixer. Zinnia is a strong female character who doesn't let her terminal illness stop her from accomplishing what she wants in life. After five years of traveling to various multiverses, she has had enough of rescuing fairy tale princesses and wants them to start helping themselves when she glances into a mirror and sees another face looking back at her: the shockingly gorgeous face of evil, asking for her help. Snow White's evil queen wants her own ending, not the one in her story. Can Zinnia help the evil queen travel a different path to a new ending?

Unfortunately, for me, A Mirror Mended does not measure up to A Spindle Splintered. Zinnia and Eva (aka the Evil Queen) are thrown together in this story without much preamble. It seems a bit strange, if not a bit offputting, to see Zinnia and Eva develop a relationship and help one another. Of course the theme of this series is to find our own path, not just accept what others expect or plan for us and that is present in this book, as well as the witty, snarky humour and sarcasm. Once again, Zinnia shows her resourcefulness, brains, and attitude when she works with Eva to save them both. As they get to know one another, and Zinnia learns Eva's story, she becomes sympathetic to her and they develop a romantic attraction. This change in Zinnia's task shows us how fairytales depict good and evil as black and white, as well as gender issues and women being strong and saving themselves. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Amy Landon, who also narrated A Spindle Splintered. I like the voice she gave Zinnia and it was nice to have the same narrator for this one. Her voices, expression and tone, move the story forward and added to my enjoyment. I do recommend that you read A Spindle Splintered before this one as it gives us Zinnia's story.

I enjoyed A Spindle Splintered, so I was excited to jump back into the fractured fairytale world.

The idea of a fairytale multiverse is interesting, and the main character Zin traveling through it to fix fairytales is unique (although I have personal issues with outsiders coming in to save the day, but that’s my own thing). Both the mechanism of travel through and between stories is interesting, and Zin stuck with “the evil Queen” was a delightful place to start.

I just felt like the story didn’t really come together for me. Maybe it’s because it was short, maybe it’s because I felt like Zin was making weird choices - I don’t know. I still enjoyed it and I’ll be excited to keep listening to the series as it comes out.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC audiobook!

In all honesty I do not know how to review this book because I did not enjoy it. I was really disappointed by the story, especially seeing where this book went after the way book one ended. There were many times that I wanted to just give up and DNF it, which says a lot because it isn’t a very long story. In the end I pushed through it and gave it 2 stars.