3.75 ⭐️

"If I have to throw you over my shoulder and drag you out of here to save you, I will. Tough I prefer you come of your own volition, especially considering it's your life I'm saving.. and what's necessary to save your realm and mine."

First of all thank you to NetGalley and Dana for letting me read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

If you want a fast paced romantasy book with the following tropes this book is for you:
- Forced proximity
- Fated mates
- Fae
- Magic
- Shadow daddy
- One horse
- Who did this to you?
- Instant attraction
- Dream walking
- Dual POV
- Spice
- Arranged marriage

"Seven years after her family’s murders, Eva is attacked by a magical creature and abducted to the faerie realm. When a handsome fae saves her, Bash reveals that he must bring Eva to her faerie soulmate to stop a world-ending Curse. She relents, but only for the opportunity to find answers about her parents’ deaths."

The story started out really fast.
Till 70-80% of the story I found it pretty predictable but I still liked the whole vibe and chemistry between the characters.
There were a few things that happend, what I felt were a little 'out of character'.
The spice was really good! And the MMC is everything!
The last 30% were really good and made me look forward to read next book in this series.

Overal I enjoyed this book and therefor will be giving it 3.75 stars.

On her 17th birthday, Eva's family are killed in a fire at her family home. Seven years later, Eva is attacked by a magical creature only to be rescued by a handsome fae, Bash. Journeying to the Faelands with Bash and his friends, Eva slowly uncovers the truths about her heritage and herself.
This, the first book in The Mirrored Trilogy came with immersive world building and strong likeable characters. It was told from both Eva's and Bash's point of view, the excellent descriptions and quick pace keeping the reader hooked. So much so that I read the book in one sitting. This is an amazing start to the trilogy. I can't wait for the next instalment.

“The Other Side of the Mirror” by @danaevyn is the first in a new romantasy trilogy series that releases on 4/9/2024!

“Eyes up, stout heart. Remember, the only way out is through.” (tears)

*spoiler free review*

This book has some of my very favorite romantasy tropes: fairy tale world, found family, mated love (*swoon*), fantastical magic, badass female lead, hero vs villain, hidden secrets, and betrayal, with some very saucy spice. The plot twists were so fun and unexpected. The prologue of the book had me hooked and my inner child immediately LOVED the concept of a magic mirror. As the book progressed, the puzzle pieces came together and many of my questions were answered (although, I have a few left that I hope will be addressed in the second book). The world building was so fun and magical (hello fairy tale vibes!!) The world building was not overwhelming or hard to follow — it supported the story nicely.

I loved Eva as the main female character. She is fiercely loyal, relatable, and soooo courageous. Her character growth had me in all the feels! She’s amazing and I hope she continues to find her power in the coming books. AND, of course, Bash. What can I say?! I may have found a new book boyfriend. Bash is so sweet, loving, fierce, and handsome. I LOVED that they were written for each other — these characters truly mirror each other, in personality, soul connection, and power. The spice was spicy (like omg). However, it did NOT overwhelm the story and it was not the sole focus of the plot, which is exactly what I love in a romantasy book.

I LOVE supporting new authors and celebrating their work. This book had me HOOKED. It reads really well and gets better as the book progresses. Guys, this book leaves us on a BIG cliff hanger (I mean the best ones do, am I right?) Check out this book when it releases! I think you will enjoy it too!!

Thank you to the author and @netgalley @owlcitypress for the ARC.

PS: The hardcover reveal is stunning with beautiful page edge designs

PPS There are some TW, so be kind to yourself and read with care

#theothersideofthemirror #netgalley #owlcitypress #bookstagram #fantasy #romantasy #fairytale #theromantasylibrary

I have mixed feelings (3.5) - some aspects were very fun and enjoyable, however I do think the writing itself let this book down. I can see some other reviews saying it felt a bit "Wattpad"-ish, and I think that sums it up pretty well.

On a positive note, this was full of some of our favourite tropes/ scenarios which will always be a plus, in my opinion (I am forever a sucker for them). The characters were great and pretty easy to like. The plot was fun to follow and the romance/spice were great too.

Overall, I do think this was a fun book, and I would recommend it, however I do think expectations need to be set prior to jumping in just to make it a more enjoyable experience.

I really enjoyed this take on fae romance!

Eva had a traumatic event as a child where her parents died in a fire. She remembers traveling through a mirror (?!) - but convinced herself that it was her imagination! To her surprise, she finds out that it was true and she is fae and betrothed to a fae prince!

This story goes a DIFFERENT direction than what your expecting, and I loved Bash and his role in that!! What a cliff hanger too!!

Bash and Eva had an "insta love" but they were not allowed to be together because she was soulmates (anima) with the prince! I was absolutely hooked from page 1 to see what would happen!

And yes - we did have the infamous "who did this to you" scene - woohoo!

This had rich world building and pace, it was pretty quick and full of action, not a lot of "filler" chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will absolutely be reading the next ones in the series!!

Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can watch my reviews at
https://www.youtube.com/@EnchantedRoseBooks

Wow!! Where do I even start with this review? I'm just going on pure feeling because I don't want to spoil a SINGLE thing for anyone.

If you are a love of Romantasy, spicy scenes, adventure, mystery, politics then PICK THIS BOOK UP.

I couldn't stop reading it. I devoured it, I want the second book right now. I am a whole lot of emotions right now. Where did this Author come from? Is this their debut book? Because if so WOW INDEED!!

*I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

The story follows Eva, who, seven years after the murder of her family, finds herself attacked by a magical creature and transported to the faerie realm. There, she meets Bash, a handsome fae who reveals that she must be brought to her faerie soulmate to prevent a world-ending Curse. Intrigued but determined to uncover the truth behind her parents' deaths, Eva agrees to the journey. As Eva and Bash venture deeper into the faerie realm, Eva discovers magical abilities within herself. Along the way, she forms a bond with Bash, whose secrets and motives slowly unravel. When she the faerie prince, Eva realizes that the truth is more complicated than she imagined.
Dana Evyn weaves a tale of enchantment and intrigue, where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks around every corner. The world-building is vivid and immersive, transporting readers to a realm filled with mythical creatures and ancient mysteries. As Eva uncovers the truth about her past and navigates the complexities of the faerie realm, Eva grows stronger and more determined.
With its blend of magic, romance, and suspense, this book is sure to captivate fans of fantasy and faerie tales alike.

This was a fun and fast-paced, well written read. All of the characters were super likable, which is rare for me. But I will say that the fast-paced aspect of the book hindered the story when it came to a) world building and b) romance/story development.

Expo/ The world building in the beginning was very slim and Eva accepted that there was this alternate realm with magic and Fae waaaay too easily, also abandoning her lifelong friend with no looking back a little too easily, too.

Romance/ I liked the fact that there was this instant attraction and pull between Eva and Bash (which is later explained). It felt like there was maybe one too many looks or touches in the first couple of days, that maybe overwhelmed the tension between the two.

I will say that I did really love how the story came together, the mistakes that were made, the feelings that were ignored and buried. It made it compelling to find out the anima secret although, eavesdropping on that big secret was a bit lackluster.

Spice/ The spice was great! I'm a spicy book reader, so I was really enjoying it. I would definitely say it was like 3 🌶️ and was well written.

Timeline/ I do wish the story had taken place over a few months or more versus a few weeks, it would've made the connections that were made feel more substantial.

Overall, yes -- there were some things that were rushed for the plot to get going, but moving past that, I truly enjoyed this story a lot. I loved the mirror magic, the FMC that saves herself and the cliffhanger! 😫 Will be waiting for Book 2.

I fully enjoy reading this book. Loved the mystery of Eva’s life before 17th birthday. Love her determination and how she opened to finally “feel”. Bash is an amazing character, respectful, funny and so stubborn what not always works for him. Side characters brought a smile on my face.
Story is amazing and full of unexpected events.
The only reason why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 was the begging. Felt like Eva accepted her destiny too quickly and believed every word about fea world without any hesitation.

(3.75⭐) I want to start by saying that I did enjoy this book. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was okay and it was enjoyable. The reason I didn't give it four stars is the first half of the book. It actually started very promising, very 2000s-urban-fantasy like but then the insta love happened after knowing each other for only one day. Yes, in the context of the book it made sense but we don't know it until later. I just wish it was at least a few days. Then, Bash. I love him but he was driving me crazy with his obliviousness. He and Eva both. They irritated the shit out of me for the first 50% of the book. But Eva wasn't stupid and trusted her instincts that something was wrong. And after that the book rehabilitated itself. The interesting started. And even though I figured out the plot twist with a villain early and predicted the plot twist with the other certain someone, it was entertaining to watch Eva coming to those conclusions too. She's a very likable character. I admired her fortitude, how she didn't break during that horrible few days. Eva is fearless and brave. She never backs down and never gives up. And she'll do everything for people she loves. She will save them whatever it takes. She also can defend and save herself. She's not a damsel in distress and I love that about her. The cliffhanger was painful. The story itself has a big potential and I can't wait for book two to find out what Eva and her friends will do next.

The Other Side of the Mirror by Dana Evyn
Published by City Owl Press
4/5 stars!!

I really enjoyed the plot of this book, the characters were very lovable with lots of twists and turns in the book! Eva lost her family to a fire and never truly knew if her brother also died that night, when she was attacked in her home a fae (Bash) came to save the day (not that she needed it!), He takes Eva through the mirror back to his realm where she was expected to marry the Prince. However, she discovers lost secrets and figures out who she truly is.

I would recommend to anyone wanting a good read with romance and adventure.

Thank you to Dana, the Publisher and NetGalley for this arc!

The Other Side of the Mirror and the Mirrored Trilogy as a whole is showing quite a lot of promise! I enjoyed this first book in a series with its fun and fast paced storyline and likeable characters. Eva was young when her family went through a tragedy and she is the only survivor and this story picks up seven years after these events. I was worried initially since she was 17 when the events happen but am glad the author aged her up. Then she gets informed that there is so much more to her identity than she thinks and who her life is connected to.

It was really exciting jumping into a magical world with Eva and getting to meet Bash and see their relationship develop. A qualm I do have with this is the timeline over the whole story seems to only be a handful of weeks and made it feel a little bit insta-love which I'm not the biggest fan of. There is spice in this book, but that's always enjoyed by me and not a deterrent.

I am anticipating the rest of the trilogy because it does end in a cliffhanger and I am now very invested. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The start of the mirror trilogy is a fun, fast paced, romance with likeable main characters. There were a few issues for me which stopped this being a five star read.

One - the world building. There is next to none of it. You find out a few kingdom names and some lose history about the fairy realm but it honestly felt very empty to me, and lacking in detail. Would have been nice to learn a lot more about the geography of the kingdom and a more in depth exploration of what creatures there were there. The same with the magic system.

Two - the time frame. The whole book appears to take place over the space of a few weeks if not less. This made the romance feel very insta love in a way I couldn’t really get behind.

Three - Unaddressed plot points. There were a few times in the book things were mentioned that just never seemed to come back up again. For example Quinn. This was the biggest one. I’m assuming she will appear in a later book but considering how important she was at the start, it was pretty nuts to me that Eva just vanished and like never thinks of her again after. Kind of a bad friend move?

Despite these issues and the overall trope-y feel of the book, it was pretty fun. The characters are all likeable, the dialogue is well written, and the prose flows well. Despite how quickly the romance progresses, it was still sweet and I was rooting for them the entire time. I was invested enough that I flew through the whole book in one sitting and I do think I would read the sequel.

The story follows Eva, a young woman who has been haunted by the tragic murder of her family seven years prior. Just when she thinks her life couldn't get any more complicated, she is suddenly attacked by a magical creature and transported to the faerie realm. There, she meets Bash, a handsome fae who reveals that she is destined to be with her faerie soulmate in order to stop a world-ending Curse.
Despite her reservations, Eva agrees to go on this journey with Bash, hoping to find answers about her family's deaths along the way. As they travel through the fae realm, Eva discovers hidden powers and grows closer to Bash. But when she finally meets her prince, she realizes that things are not as they seem. With determination and courage, Eva takes matters into her own hands to uncover the truth and unravel the lies of the fae.
One of the things I loved most about this book was the world-building. Evyn has created a vivid and intricate fae realm, complete with its own politics, magic, and creatures. The characters in this book were also well-developed and complex. Eva is a strong and independent protagonist, determined to find the truth and protect those she loves. Bash is the perfect balance to her, with his charm and protectiveness towards Eva. Their chemistry was undeniable and I found myself rooting for them throughout the book. There were twists and turns that I did not see coming, and I loved how Evyn weaved in elements of mystery and intrigue into the story. It was a perfect blend of romance and fantasy. This is a must-read for fans of fantasy and romance.

This book made me laugh, and blush along with the FMC! It was way spicier than I thought it was going to be (I'm not a huge fan of a lot of spice I love the slow burn!!). The banter was so good between all of the characters. I could not put this book down, and I am so excited for the next one.

Goodreads review (03/20/2024)
TikTok review (04/07/2024) ***
Instagram review (04/07/2024) ***

*** will link, and update review when posted

Rating 3.5⭐️ but rounded to 4
🥀Sexual Assault
🥀 Violence
🥀 Shared Tragedy

🖤 Arranged Marriage
🖤 Fated Mates
🖤 Fae
🖤 Elemental and Celestial Power
🖤 Dream Walking
🖤 Slow Burn

At 17 years old Eva lost her entire family in a house fire. The only thing to survive was her and a floor length antique mirror. Bow 7 years later her entire life is turned upside when a mysterious man reveals that not only does Eva have magical powers but she is betrothed to the Fae Prince.

We get to follow their journey as Eva uncovers more about her mysterious past. Who were her parents? Where us she from? What role does she play in the curse?

There is a bit too much of inner dialogue and miscommunication. The FMC also would go between being fierce to being a damsel in distress. They're was a lot of back and forth between Eva and Bash until they finally commit, but even then.

Also what happened to Quinn??? I am hoping more will be answered in books 2 and 3.

Thank you netgalley, city owl press and victory editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‧₊˚ ⋅PLOT⋅ ‧₊˚ ⋅
seven years have passed since the fire that took her entire family. eva, now a 24-year-old woman is still grappling with the trauma of that tragic night—not really knowing if her memories of what occurred were to be trusted. due to her trauma, eva guarded her trust; only enjoying the company of her friend quinn. when quinn encouraged eva to give the man she was talking with a chance, eva decided to follow her advice—why not? little did she know that her decision would change her life—literally.

after her date-turned-golem attacked her, she was rescued by a dashing fae named bash, whom she was immediately taken to. eva found out that she was indeed fae-born and that in order to break the curse that had befallen her birthworld, he must take her to her faerie partner (anima). eva was immediately suspicious of him but quickly relented when she realized that it was her only way to find out the truth about what happened to her parents and twin brother.

⋅˚₊‧ THOUGHTS ‧₊˚ ⋅
i was intrigued by the premise initially. however, few chapters into the book, i realized that it was just a run-of-the-mill faerie fantasy romance and i soon found myself quite bored. the faerie lore was interesting but again, i felt like it has definitely been done before. aside from that, i liked both eva and bash as individuals but i didn't really get them as a couple. i am the kind of reader who prefers a slow build-up/development between my main characters but with bash and eva, there was definitely an insta-attraction/lust going on. that was not a fault of the book though as their instant attraction/lust was explained later.

⋅˚₊‧ FINAL WORDS ‧₊˚ ⋅
overall, i enjoyed the book for what it was. regardless of that, i don't think i would be picking up this next book in the trilogy. i would recommend this book for those who enjoy a standard fae story, an absolutely unredeemable villain, forbidden romance (sexual tensions and lingering eyes) and fated mates. i would also suggest fellow readers to check trigger warnings for the book because some scenes could be very upsetting.

thank you netgalley and owl city press for the arc! <3

review posted on both the storygraph and goodreads on the 20th of March, 2024.
amazon review will be posted on the release day.

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK, NOW!!

Okay, so now that that is out of the way, I can get to my review. ;) There's a cliffhanger ending to this, as you would expect from a trilogy, and it is a doozy!

When I started this, I wasn't necessarily feeling the first couple of chapters. Eva just seemed so much like she was refusing to actually LIVE because her family had perished in a housefire SEVEN years before, and something about that just didn't really grab me. HOWEVER, enter a muddy golem attack and banter with a handsome, freckled redhead and the tendrils of the Faewilds, Bash & Eva pulled me in. I just couldn't stop reading this, and stayed up all night (No regrets!).

Eva has grown up in the mortal world, completely oblivious to the fact that not only does another realm exist, but that she and her family are Fae that had to flee their realm during a war. She has been basically on her own, with only her best friend, since both of their families died within a short time. When she meets Bash, a random stranger who thinks she needs protection and also that she is some sort of key to ending a world-ending curse, everything changes.

Bash is a favorite type of hero of mine: Strong, mischievous, respectful, loyal, and willing to show some vulnerability. He's not into unnecessary violence, but will not hesitate to right a wrong when he sees one (like someone he cares about being hurt... ;) ).

I loved the banter between Bash and Eva, and the slow burn that you want to turn into the inferno they deserve. There was so much chemistry between them, both physical and emotional! I'm not a fan of instalust or instalove, and there was none of that here. There was a good (welcome) amount of spice in the last half.

The world itself, with its lore and magic, felt the right amount of fleshed-out for the first book in the series. The explanation as to why Eva didn't know about any of it worked for the story, as did the way it all got to come out. I liked the way everyone's magic was always around in some way, a bit playful at times, but not with a mind of its own (just an extension).

This book isn't for the faint of heart, as the author gives fair warning of in the beginning. There is some darkness and grit, and the characters find themselves dealing with some truly despicable villains. There is some really great dialogue after some dark times, which I feel elevated the romance and the depth of the characters.

I didn't expect to love this as much as I did, but it was one of those books that I was tempted to immediately re-read!

Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the ARC!

I’ll be honest, I was really puzzled about my rating for this. Some parts felt like four stars, some like two stars… I ended up settling for three. I was pretty bored all the way, but there were parts where it was genuinely entertaining. Overall, it was enjoyable, but not exceptional. It felt very forgettable and I most probably won’t be reading the next book in this series.

P L O T - 3 ✰

The Other Side of the Mirror is a fae romantasy that follows the story of Eva, who’s family died in a fire on her seventeenth birthday, seven years ago. When she is attacked by a magical creature in her own house, a handsome fae saves her and brings her back to his realm, where she discovers she might not be who she thinks she is, and that everything is not what it seems.

The plot of The Other Side of the Mirror was interesting, but also quite boring. It picked up around the 60% mark, but before that, I considered DNFing multiple times because nothing interesting was happening and I couldn’t get invested. That first part of the book was also extremely slow. Once things finally started happening, I definitely got invested, but I still couldn’t bring myself to care about most of the characters. Everything also started going too fast. Cherry on top, I found it extremely predictable. Not a single one of the plot twists surprised me, which was disappointing as I could tell they were supposed to be big reveals. Another thing I didn’t enjoy is that it used a lot of overused tropes, which probably didn’t help with the predictablity (i promise that’s a real word).

I did like the fantastic elements of this book. I am a sucker for fae romance, and The Other Side of the Mirror delivered in that department. I really liked the way soulmates worked in this world, and the little twist that came with it. The faes in general were really cool, and I liked how developed the system for their magic was. You could tell the author put work into it, and that really paid off. Another thing I liked is that the faes/their realm isn’t completely medieval. In way too many books, authors just go “yeah no technology doesn’t work here so it’s basically the middle age all over again :))”, but Dana Evyn actually thought about it for more than five seconds, and the result was impressive.

The romance in The Other Side of the Mirror wasn’t great, but it was pretty good. It was well written and they had nice chemistry, but it did get frustrating at times. The smut was well written, and I liked seeing their relationship fall into place. I wouldn’t say I was swooning, but Bash did have some good lines, and I was happy to see them together.

C H A R A C T E R S - 3.5 ✰

I liked that none of the characters in here were extra young. Eva, who is pretty much the youngest, was 24, which is still pretty young, but it was a change from every other book where the mcs are all 16 years old.

Eva: There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with Eva, but she was kinda bland. She kinda felt like every other YA fmc who won’t stop talking about how well garded her heart is only to fall in love the next second and trust everybody way too easily. Also can we talk about how she just accepted everything about the fae realm in one day? Like she had just gotten there and she was already training to fight as if discovering a whole new world & magic powers was the most natural thing in the world. Her constant blushing was also kinda annoying. Seriously this girl blushed every five seconds.

Bash: omg bash 🤭 he was this book’s biggest redeeming quality tbh. He was protective, but he was also extremely supportive and understood that Eva needed to do things on her own. He let her take her time and did everything he could to protect her while giving her space. He was possessive at times, but I think that was pretty justified. The one flaw is that I don’t see the point of making him 50 years old. Why do fae romances always do that thing where the mmc is super old while the fmc is still pretty young??? At least in this book it was legal, tho.

Supporting characters: There weren’t a lot of characters, and to be honest most of the supporting cast was lowkey boring. I did like Yael and her relationship with Marin, they were super cute together. I wish we had seen more of Marin instead of having her constantly away from the main group. Rivan was very forgettable, I feel like he didn’t really have a personality. He was just there.

W R I T I N G - 2.5 ✰

The writing style was honestly the weakest point of this book. In some parts, it almost felt like an old Wattpad fanfic, and there were lots of telling instead of showing. There were moments were it got better, but it was pretty irregular and could be downright cringe at some points.

Thank you NetGalley and Dana Evyn for early access in exchange for my honest

Eva has suffered loss beyond belief after losing her family in a tragic fire, her only comfort being her friend Quinn. Quinn tries to get Eva out of her shell and away from solitude but Eva isn’t drawn to the normal sequences of every day life. Against her better judgement she decides to give a guy a chance, only to realize he’s not at all what he seems and that one action catapults her into what a man named Bash would call her destiny. With Bash leading the way into the unknown she must discover who she is and what exactly “fate” has in store for her.

The mirror holding her nightmares and her future was a great concept. The fact it was there all along waiting for her to be ready was a genius way of setting Eva’s call to rise. She was covering up her future unwittingly while remaining stuck in a world not meant for her. I grew to like her character more as the book went on. Especially enjoyed her character when a certain red haired man was around…

Bash is wonderful. Strong, sensitive, thoughtful, hot, and protective. All the things the book girlies love. The extra characters were enjoyable as well. They had interesting backstories and provided more depth to the plot. It broke up just talking about Eva and her future.

The book had a good balance of romance, fantasy, magic, betrayals, and challenges. I loved having the dual POV and hope for the next book we get more from Bash. There is some delicate subject matter in the book be warned if you have a sensitivity to attempted assault.

It was a great read with a killer cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read the next book!