Mirrorland

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone is not my usual choice of novel but the plot summary intrigued me. The story is about twin sisters, mirror twins, as their mother called them. They were brought up in a house filled with imagination and make believe characters. There was even a doorway to what the sisters called Mirrorland where they lived out adventures on the high seas as pirates or sharpshooters in a wester town.
The story is told from the view point of one of the sisters, Cat, who is called back to her home where her twin sister El and husband lived. Her sister has gone missing and is feared to be dead. Cat knows that cannot be true because as a mirror twin she would KNOW if something had happened to her sister. As police investigate the mystery, Cat starts receiving emails directing her to clues around the house that could have only come from El.
I enjoyed this book way more than I had anticipated. The way the author talks about Mirrorland and how the twins grew up with all of these characters really had me second guessing if Mirrorland was actually some sort of real magical place the sisters had created. The story had me hooked and was very hard to put down. I loved the original plotline and twists. Definitely a five star on this book!

“I was happy here. Mostly. And I’ve been so unhappy since. But I still know it’s true: you can never go back.”

If anything, this book is whimsical. Like Stephen King’s IT, the past and the present flow seamlessly. One moment you’re experiencing Catriona’s present, and the next you’re feeling sea spray on your face aboard the deck of the Satisfaction from the past. It’s blissful, this easy transition. It makes you feel like you’re living in a dreamland, a Mirrorland.

From the beginning, this book was strong. With gentle twist and turns, a roller coaster, and very slow burns. It was beautiful. It was dark. It was powerful. I had chills. The writing was fresh and unique. Thrillers have gotten so stale lately, and Mirrorland felt like a life raft - ah, is that a tasteless joke? Maybe. You’ll see. You need to read this, I’m serious. This is one of the best. I can’t stop thinking about it. And. The. Ending! *chef’s kiss*

Mirrorland is a brilliantly woven thriller that is layered with the truths and lies we tell ourselves to survive the worst. Even peripheral characters are irresistable and their contributions to the tale cemented this story in my heart. I loved that Cal and El are mirrors yet individually distinguishable by their ways of helping each other survive and cope with their trauma. This story is sad, yet every time I thought I was going to be disappointed by a choice or situation I was reminded that even in hard times, there are people who will always do their best for someone else.

Well, THAT happened...

This was a wild, weird tale that threw me for a loop in a mostly very good way. It was eerie and atmospheric and confusing and full of Oddities. I loved the way magic and fantasy were drawn in, and the way you were never really certain until the big reveal as to what was real and what was not. It was a fascinating glimpse into what the mind can do to protect itself, and I found the mysteries and secrets to be well-managed in their teasers and revelations.

The writing meandered a little bit at times, but it worked for the story and didn't pull me out of the flow. Parts of the ending and wrap up felt a little tidy, and a little over the top at the same time, but that didn't bother me too much on the whole. It's an unusual read, and likely not for everyone, but I quite enjoyed it for all its darkness.

Mirrorland

Identical twins. What must it be like to see yourself but you’re not looking in a mirror, share each others thoughts and vow to protect each other from the outside world. What better way than to invent a magical world that is necessary to survive in your family. As a reader there were times I was very confused about their “Mirrorland”. Some of the characters they created that lived there seemed creepier than one would expect for children who were trying to escape the real world; and their real world is nowhere anyone would want to spend any time.
This thriller takes you into their twin connection as adults and how those mystical days continued to affect their adult lives.
The author journeys down a very dark path with no escape because there are too many twists and turns to be found on the way to an ending that will make you rethink what you thought of the characters.
A good read for the thriller/can’t put it down set.

This book completely surprised me and I absolutely loved it. It kept my attention from start to finish and was hard to put down. The writing was so well done with both suspense and fantasy intertwined. I was able to connect with the characters and the story as a whole. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and family.

Great read! Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book. This book was full of suspense. All about twin sisters who have been living totally different lives and them bam. Wow. Crazy story line and the twists were insane. You really have to pay attention in this book to understand the full meaning behind all the twin characters and ways of desertion.

Wow! This story was nothing like I was expecting but it was a wild ride right up until the end. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say I highly recommend it.

Mirrorland is a creepy thriller portrayed through the eyes of children and their imagination and a sad escape from a dark childhood full of physical and emotional abuse. When Cat and her twin sister El wanted to feel safe, they created from their imagination a place called Mirrorland located behind the cabinets consisting of different rooms with pirates, witches and even scary clowns. Sometimes it was confusing as it allowed you to float between the walls of fantasy and the real world.
As young adults, El captures the heart of Ross and marries him, although he had also been seeing Cat. The two have a falling out, so Cat moves away to California never looking back, until her sister El is missing from an apparent boating accident.
Cat returns to the dark scary house she grew up in to inquire about her sister's disappearance, which she feels is just an act, as El was known to do before. While the search is on, Cat immerses herself into a shady scavenger hunt, and she thinks it is courteous of El. While receiving threatening messages asking her to leave, she finds a rekindling comfort in Ross. A deep dark story of deception and betrayal with nothing as it seems. Look for redemption and revenge to play out in this psychological thriller, immersing yourself into some crazy technique of writing. Good job, Carol Johnstone.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Took me a little while to get into Mirrorland, but once I did it gripped the heck out of me and wouldn't let go. Terrific writing, comepletely engaging story and the twists! All is definitely not what it seems. Even a few creepy spots as well. Thank you so much, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A wild, eerie, twisting ride through the minds of twins whose imaginative childhood was not what it seemed. The conclusion piles on so much, but it's entertaining for those who like their reading material to start moody and atmospheric and end dark.

My brain! My precious, precious brain has been blown away by Mirrorland.

Twin sisters running away to join a pirate ship.
Twin sisters, now grown, and somewhat estranged.
One sister is missing and presumed dead after a boat trip.
One sister knows the other isn't dead.

Difficult childhood, imaginary worlds, one man, a terrible mother. This book has it all and yet, AND YET, still becomes something I've never read before.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My first impression of Mirrorland was seeing the maps of the house at the beginning. I was so intrigued! What books have maps of houses? Why do the rooms have such odd names! I immediately wanted to dig into the book to learn more.

Mirrorland felt like a fever dream. It reminded me of a darker, more adult version of Alice in Wonderland. It partly existed in present-day Cat is back in her childhood ("first life") home after her sister (El) goes missing, partly existed in the past and we got to learn about Cat and El, and another part that was Cat and El's imaginary world of Mirrorland full of adventure and pirates and clowns and secret codes. Now, I usually get super frustrated when flashbacks aren't clearly defined but intentionally Carole Johnstone wove all these parts together into this purposeful haze of time and child-like imagination. It worked so well for ME and for THIS STORY. (Now that I think about it, it felt more Sylvie and Bruno than Alice in Wonderland). This is the aspect of the book that really stuck out to me. It was unique and trippy and I enjoyed how it all blurred together for both the reader and for Cat.

Anyway, I loved the mind-trip of these different layers and the suspense of learning about Cat's past and what happened to El in the present. There were so many twists that I want to go back and re-read it all knowing what I do now to see all the foreshadowing. Some sections were a little slower than I wanted them to be, especially at the beginning when I was getting used to the writing style.

I think this would be perfect for anyone looking for a psychological thriller and doesn't mind blurring timelines. I'm excited to read whatever Carole Johnstone writes next!

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone is a twisty dynamic suspense novel filled with intertwined past and present narratives. Narrated by Cat, an identical twin, who is pulled back into the past when she receives word that her twin is missing and possibly dead after a boating accident. As she enters her former childhood home and works with the investigators to try to learn the truth of what happened to her twin, her memory loops back to the past and to the secrets she had long since blocked out.

I initially thought I had the plot worked out, but that proved to not be the case at all. It is a book that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. I'm rating it as 5-stars for the complexity of the story, but deducted a half star with how the story unravels, as at times I was unsure whether I was in the present or past and had to reread a paragraph or two for context. Beyond that though, it is a fantastic novel and one I highly recommend.

Advanced copy provided courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: abuse, mental illness

To understand what has happened to her missing twin sister El, Cat is challenged, forced by clues from her sister and fragments of memories, ​to go back to that which she does not remember.

What is true, what is imagined, and how does imagination (or the brain?) protect you and even lead you out of harm? MIrrorland poses these questions via a story of identical twins, El and Cat, told from Cat's experiences trying to find and figure out what has happened when her estranged sister goes missing. The story goes back and forth in time to examine a complicated childhood, filled with stories of Mirrorland and a seemingly atypical childhood, and Cat's current day attempts to understand clues her sister seems to have left her about her disappearance.

Do not let the start of this book fool you into thinking it is fantastical and let that guide your approach to thinking if this book is or is not for you... For me this book was a suspenseful mystery; a complicated, and dark, story, one that generally comes together to provide meaningful resolution to a series of events, relationships, and secrets that held the girls together and yet kept them apart as adults.

This book fascinated me at times, and I have an appreciation for how the author allowed the experiences of children to matter, to show their resilience, and to also offer in a way an appealing, if dark, feminist approach to how women are treated by (some) men. The book would appeal to readers who do not mind a dark story, a challenging and non-linear mystery, and a mystery that to me was mostly internal, more about Cat’s struggle to process events around her and in her past than it was about what happened to El (this is to say that while Cat’s process was to understand what had happened to El but it felt more like Cat’s story than it was about El’s disappearance, to me anyway). I think the novelty of the storytelling in terms of how the author created Mirrorland and how it was used to help Cat, and El, during their childhood and then how memories were used to help understand El's disappearance is worth the time of a mystery lover who can appreciate a challenging (in a good way) narrative structure.

I loved Mirrorland and all its twists. It starts off a bit slow and I wondered exactly where the story was going. The beginning started as more of the imagination of two children in a pirate fantasy, but trust me, it
gets much better and there is a good reason for slow intro.

El has gone missing and her sister, Cat, who moved to America 12 years ago comes back to Scotland to find her. After missing for several days, she is assumed dead by most, but Cat insists she knows she's alive. We learn the sisters have complex relationship with both an intense bond and major issues. Cat ends up staying in Scotland with her sister's husband, Ross, who we find out was their childhood friend and love interest
of both sisters.

Cat is soon sent on a journey back into her childhood after receiving mysterious emails that she believes are from missing sister, El. Cat is finding her sisters old journal entries and treasure hunt clues in their childhood home and begins remembering Mirrorland. Mirrorland is the world she and her sister imagined as children and starts off as a fun playland that eventually unravels into much more the further you get into the story. Cat's memories begin to blur and she isn't sure what is reality and what was imaginary.

Through all the twists, you begin questioning if El is just missing and alive, or is she dead? Did she get murdered? Was it an accident? Was it a suicide? Was it planned? Is there much more to the story than meets the eye? All options seem possible.

Overall, I really enjoyed the magical realism infused throughout the story, the blurred lines between reality and imagination with Cat, the flaws in the characters that made them seem like real people, and the twists along the way. I'd highly recommend reading Mirrorland.

Wow, this story took me on a crazy adventure! Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this story! Definitely a fascinating read!

Thank you for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This review will be published on my blog pagesandprose.net on Friday, April 2nd, with the link shared on Twitter, and will also be posted on Goodreads on the same day. I will also be discussing my thoughts on Mirrorland on my YouTube channel (link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJNlMVN7vvA75iTmiiswXKQ) during a vlog that will be posted on (or near) March 23rd, and during my March wrap-up, which will be posted on (or near) April 6th.

If you want a dark psychological thriller that centers around the imagination and resilience of children persisting into adulthood, look no further than Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone. This is one of those books that is intricately layered, and one that creeps up on you and sinks it’s claws in without you ever realizing until the truth is unraveling so fast you’re left positively dazed.

Mirrorland starts out rather slowly, as Johnstone meticulously lays out each piece of the story, both the tension and mystery building before you even truly realize it’s happening. Of course, with Cat getting the news of her twin sister’s disappearance and the fact that the two women have had a very strained relationship for years, there’s already tension that is expected to go along with this story. But as Cat starts encountering the clues that all lead back to Mirrorland, we start to get flashbacks to Cat and El’s childhood, filled to the brim with imaginary games, friends, and villains. I will say, that in the first half of the book I found myself not necessarily bored, but questioning the repetition of certain imaginary games and characters that seemed innocent or more like filler details to give the twins’ childhood in Mirrorland more robustness. I was inevitably proven wrong; everything that Johnstone gives the reader is bigger than what it initially appears to be. While I did find the transitions from past to present and back again quite often unclear and confusing, I liked when this “blurriness” was applied to distinguishing what was real and what was childhood fantasy. When we get the truth, it’s often quite unexpected. Johnstone managed to artfully blend the past, present, fiction, and reality into something that became increasingly akin to a kaleidoscope while simultaneously making everything all the more clearer to the reader as the story hurtles to it’s end.

I was very impressed with how Johnstone really focused on the idea of toxic and twisted relationships to build character dynamics in the book. At the root of everything was obsession, manipulation, control, jealousy, and how people process fear. As each layer to the truth was revealed, characters became even darker. Johnstone was able to create a cast of characters that I appreciated without actually liking a single one of them. There were several moments in this book that I had to pause because I was appalled at a character’s wild and twisted thought-process and logic, but because Johnstone set such solid groundwork for each of the characters, you couldn’t help but understand how a character came to each decision.

I think my biggest complaint about Mirrorland was the final plot twist (which was more like two twists in one). There were several twists and shocking turns and reveals in this story, and I just think the very last (combined) twist was too much for me. I had found myself extremely satisfied (albeit disturbed and sad) by the twist and subsequent events right before the final one. I felt like that would’ve been a good place to end the novel, because it still hit really hard and gave closure to almost everything. I say “almost” because I do admit the final twist did give closure to a character that would’ve had a loose thread if the story ended where I had wanted it to. So, I do see how it was needed, but it just made the story tip over to the “unbelievable” category by that point, even if it was a structurally-sound plot twist.

Mirrorland is a book that demands you to pay attention to every detail, because Johnstone flips this story on it’s head by the end. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that involves manipulation, messy relationships, and childhood fantasies, I definitely suggest you check out Mirrorland when it releases on April 20th, 2021.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book opens with 12-year-old identical twins El and Cat being found in an alarming state on the Granton docks on the Forth of Firth near Edinburgh, asking for a pirate ship to join. The events that led up to this point and what happened next makes for an incredibly atmospheric, suspenseful, twisty tale unlike any other I’ve read.

Mirrorland is an imaginary world of clowns, witches, and pirates created as a diversion by the girls as children growing up in Scotland desperate to escape the sadness and violence of their home life. It created a funhouse environment of sorts that left me feeling discombobulated and a bit upside down. If I’m being completely honest, I was just along for the ride for a while not knowing where this story was taking me. I soon realized that this was exactly the author’s intent as everything becomes brutally clear as you get further sucked into the developing story.

The dream world the girls created where anything can happen overlaps in such a way that it has blurred the reality of Cat’s childhood. Our narrator is unreliable, and this helps add to the complexity and depth of the story.

The ever-present sense of foreboding, though - that’s what grabbed me by the throat. There was a vein of terror that pulsed in the background for the entirety of the book. I felt like something was lurking on the next page regardless of what was happening in the story. There is nothing that draws me in more!

Carole Johnstone did a phenomenal job of world building and fully developing her characters while depending largely on the unreliability of childhood recollections. I even enjoyed the secondary characters that peppered the narrative. I have to say, this was not a book that can be categorized as a straightforward thriller or fantasy or any other genre I can think of - it was a well-balanced blend of mysterious magical realism. And what a smashing ending to such a wild ride of a book. I give this read an enthusiastic four stars!

I highly recommend this book. Different than what I normally read and completely unputdownable.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the thrill of reading early.

In 2020, I read a crazy amount of books. I doubt I will ever top the amount I read!

I’m trying to read as much as I can and just plowed through some of the best novels I have ever read. I didn’t think another year could possibly compare, but there is an absolute plethora of books that are SO GOOD coming out now and in the next few months.

I cannot stop reading! As soon as I finish one I pick up another.

Here are TWENTY books that you will want to read as soon as they are published.

These are books that will entertain, make you think, make you laugh, some will have you biting your nails in suspense. Take a look now and let me know what you will be reading!

5. Mirrorland by Carole Johnson, read if you like unreliable narrators and nerve-wracking thrillers.
With the startling twists of Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is a thrilling work of psychological suspense about twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind.

Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.

But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues in almost every room: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting…

A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom.

This will be published on April 20.

Where do you go when your life is too difficult to bear, when your reality is twisted and dark and impossible? Maybe you dive into a book, let the story carry you away, let the adventures fill you with bravery and strength and hope. Twin sisters El and Cat have managed to survive a horrific childhood by immersing themselves in make-believe - whole sections of their home turned into the deck of pirate sailing ship, a prison yard, places where they can escape into story, and to forget what they are so afraid to remember. This is a chilling story, beautifully written, full of darkness and twists, finely layered, smart, sad, and totally gripping. It has a lot to say about memory and perception, trust, connection, and the power of imagination.

4 Stars!

Woah! Be prepared for a trippy adventure into the land of imagination!

El and Cat are sisters, mirror twins, that live in a big, creepy house in Scotland with their mother and grandfather. They have wild, imaginative adventures in a place they have deemed Mirrorland. When they are 12, they flee the house and start their 2nd life. At 19, Cat moves to America. When El disappears, years later, Cat is drawn back to the house in Scotland, where all of the childhood memories return.

My brain was on fried reading this, the story jumps from present day, back to Cat's imagination. Be prepared for this chilling, wild adventure. I was on the edge of my seat trying to sort through what was going on. What really happened during their childhood? What really happened to El? Is El's husband innocent of wrongdoing? Why did El and Cat stop talking for all those years? You won't want to put this one down!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and Carole Johnstone for providing me with an ARC.

WOW, if this wasn't a riveting ride I don't know what is. We have twins El and Cat, following their duo timeline ( I don't know if duo timeline is the right description, maybe more like flashbacks? memories? Either way it really worked!) was challenging at times but it all comes together really well. Its got this twisty wonderland feel in some of it that I really enjoyed with the twins as kids using Mirrorland as almost an escape. Jump to adulthood where El and Cat haven't spoken for 12 years and now El is missing, Cat is convinced that El is still alive but there is a long chilling journey to find out what really happened. As we move along in the story we find out why Mirrorland was so important to Cat and El and the two timelines weave together. Some of this book is really brutal and has you holding your breath to find out what's really going on and I physically felt tense and on edge throughout the book. The atmosphere the writing creates is something I've seldom experienced.

I honestly didn't know much about the book before I jumped in which is how I like to go into most books and I honestly recommend everyone go into it the same, with an open mind and ready for a electrifying, hair-raising read.

This was such a dark, disturbing mystery that literally had me captivated from the first page.

If you're a fan of domestic thrillers and are not afraid of some chilling depictions, this is the one for you.

Thank you for the e-galley!

Highly Recommend! Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone is a "slow burn" that I greatly enjoyed. At the start, Cat is returning home to help search for her "Mirror twin" identical twin sister Elice. As the story unfurls you learn that the twins' childhood differed greatly to others in terms of a full floor of make believe ships, castles and foreign lands. It wasn't until 60 % of the book was read before the story took off like a rocket and you suddenly realize that many aspects of the twins' history are missing and as you fill in the blanks you are drawn deeper into an engaging twisty story..

My favorite books are those that you cannot guess the ending and of course the ending is believable. Mirrorland has this and so much more. Highly recommend if you like slow burns, suspense, mysteries and of course stories of the magic of twinness.

A book that lives up to its incredible blurbs? YES! I have been desperate for something with a pinch of originality, and Carole Johnstone seemingly heard my plea, and BABY, DID SHE EVER DELIVER! Alright, I'm going to try and temper my enthusiasm long enough to be coherent for this review. Cat and El are mirror image twins, sharing a bond that few others could comprehend. Together, they've created a richly imagined world called Mirrorland, a place where clowns, pirates, and prisoners roam. But as the two sisters grow, their relationship fractures, and what was once the closest bond, becomes a distant, unnavigable chasm. After 12 years pass without a word between them, and Cat is going about her life in sunny California, she learns her twin has gone missing. Cat must return to their childhood home in Scotland, where El now resides with her husband. But nothing has ever been straightforward at 36 Westeryk Road, and the disappearance of Cat's sister is no different. There's a dangerous game afoot, and the stakes couldn't be any higher.

This book is best when you know as little as possible about it going in, so I hope I haven't said too much. One thing you should know, this book is weird. That speaks to me, since I myself, have been strange all my life. Certain portions of the story may seem a bit nonsensical, but please just trust me when I say that everything will coalesce at the right time. Mirrorland is dark, and more than a little messed up, which is right up my alley. My only complaint is the story does seem to lag at the beginning, and sag a tad in the middle, but I found that to be a minor issue. If you are a lover of strange and macabre thrillers, don't let Mirrorland pass you by. Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for the chance to review this advance copy.


Publishes on 4/20/21

Want a twisty read with some thrill? Here is your book. This is like a roller-coaster ride. When you think it's over, it isn't! Oh no, this book has lots in store for you until the very end. This is one of those books you WILL go back and reread because you want to take it all in and make sure you missed nothing!

Such a dark thriller. I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me interested until last page!

Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this read!

Pub date:4/20/21

Mirrorland is a wonderfully crafted and unsettling story of twins who create a whimsical world full of magic and wonder in order to escape their dark and abusive childhoods.

Between the beautiful lyrical prose and the blur between fantasy and reality, this story really captivated me. It was such a wonderful and unique reading experience-Like a dark fairytale.
It was reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth and Neil Gaiman.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book gives me Ruth Ware meets Stephen King vibes and I am here for it. Carole Johnstone really woke up one day and decided that this book was it and I am glad she did. This is the kind of book you don't want to read at night because you may have nightmares. Excellent.

Mirrorland is less a mystery of who-dun-it and more what-in-the-heavens-is-happening?
Mirrorland dances through present and past events of the main character, Cat, with precise skill from the author. While Cat is trying to figure out what happened to her missing twin sister in the present, she is also reawakening the complex memories of a unhappy childhood. The book has themes of trauma and abuse, and reading from the perspective of a character who has mentally repressed memories was unique.
While the book is packed with plot devices and twists that kept me entertained, some of the surprises felt weak or ill executed, leaving me to scratch my head and wonder at the choices several characters made.
All in all, Mirrorland kept me turning page after page until its very satisfying end.

What a ride this was! The story follows twin sisters Cat and El who created "Mirrorland" when they were children. As adults they became estranged but Cat is forced to come back to their childhood home and Mirrorland when El goes missing but leaves behind clues to her disappearance. This was quite a ride and a bit uneven. The first half of the book was kind of slow for me and I found it hard to get into the story. However, when Cat starts following the clues, more and more strange things happen that tie back to their fictional world of Mirrorland and a host of questionable characters show up, it got really interesting. By the second half of the book I couldn't put it down and stayed up til 2 am to finish it. I would describe this The Thirteenth Tale meets Gone Girl. This is one you have to stick it out to get to the good parts but its worth it.

“Because in Mirrorland, anything—everything—is possible. In Mirrorland, you are safe. Fear is never to be feared, horror is only make-believe, and escape is inside every bone and vein and breath and brick. And all it asks for in return is one thing. Only ever one thing. That you have to be brave.”

El and Cat are estranged twin sisters, one living in America and the other in Scotland. When El mysteriously disappears, Cat travels to Scotland to help with the investigation. After returning to her childhood home where El and her husband Ross still live, Cat finds clues that lead her on a treasure hunt. She must remember the past and Mirrorland in order to figure out what happened to her sister.

I absolutely love everything about this debut psychological thriller. It is best to go in blind and lose yourself in the magic of Mirrorland. You will meet a mouse, pirates, cowboys, Indians, clowns, the tooth fairy and a witch. While I have to admit I was confused for a good third of the book, the reveal was everything and more. Just when you think the twists can’t get any better, they do...and then again and again...and again! It’s so surprising that you want to go back and reread the book with new eyes to see what you missed. There are very few books that I want to reread, and this is one of them! While it can be compared to Gone Girl, it also reminds me a lot of The Girl in the Mirror. I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s clever, disturbing, fantastical, mysterious and very surprising. Please experience Mirrorland’s unique magic, you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner publishing for the ARC of Mirrorland in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

Wow! This is one amazing book! I feel like I need to take a long walk and decompress! I predict that "Mirrorland" by Carole Johnstone will be one of the most talked about books of 2021 and will make every list of top thrillers. The story is complex and clever, with unreliable characters written so you don't know who to trust at all. Everyone is a suspect! What is real and what is imaginary? Just when I thought I had it all figured out...BAM...another twist that I didn't see coming! It's definitely a slow burn, but that's what makes it so good! I don't often reread books, especially thrillers, but I will read this one again to see if there are clues that I missed the first time around. Five out of five stars!

So many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this marvelous book in exchange for my honest review.

MIRRORLAND was a trip, and I loved it. This book combined all the best parts of surreal horror and a gripping thriller for a read that quite literally kept me up at night.

This is an amazing fantastic debut!!!!!!!!!! It was so dark I could only read it in the daytime!!!!!!! I highly recommend this book

Thank you to Scribner, Dart Frogg Communications, Carole Johnstone, and NetGalley for providing me with both a physical ARC and a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

El and Cat are mirror twins. They grow up in a beautiful old house with a nice grandpa and a sometimes-mean mommy. Fueled by such tales as The Count of Monte Cristo, Crooked House, and Treasure Island, the girls turn their house into a fantasy called Mirrorland. After a turn of events, Cat and El are forced to start a different life. They leave Mirrorland, they grow up (and apart), and lead separate lives. One day, El goes missing on her boat, and Cat is forced to return to their childhood home to put the pieces together again.

I don’t think any description of this book can do it justice. It is part fantasy, part thriller- an unconventional and brilliant pairing. The story alternates between Cat and El’s childhood, specifically their adventures in Mirrorland, and Cat’s quest to discover El’s fate. I loved how much detail went into the creation of Mirrorland. Reading about it gave me serious Erin Morgenstern Night Circus/Starless Sea vibes in the best possible way. The fantasy element helps the reader to buy in to some of the twists and turns that this plot took. I was so willing to suspend my disbelief for this one, and it paid off.

In addition to being beautifully written, Mirrorland proved to be a fast-paced, page turner. I couldn’t get enough of it and read the last two thirds of the book in one night.

This is Johnstone’s debut novel, and I am so looking forward to whatever she does next! Mirrorland is available from Scribner on April 13, 2021.

Thank you to Scribner, Carole Johnstone, and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for my honest review!

GoodReads synopsis- “Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.

But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues in almost every room: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting...”
——
This book is a whimsically frightening story, with great twists and turns. It was as if Stephen King teamed up with The Brothers Grimm to write “Gone Girl”. I loved every minute of it! Johnstone’s writing is magical and deep, while still propelling the plot forward. I couldn’t put it down and thought about it often when I wasn’t able to be reading. Highly recommend this to those who enjoy great writing, thrillers, and mystery.

Wow. This blew me away. When I read the premise, I knew that it sounded interesting and was excited to pick it up to read. Now that I have turned the final page, I can honestly say that this is a winner. It lived up to all my expectations and then some. This is my favorite thriller of the year so far.

I will say that the style of this one takes some getting used to. It is not an easy read because the narrative style flashes forward, flashes backward, and also flashes into a character's imagination at a moment's notice. I can see this being frustrating for some and so I want to prepare you, future reader. This style may not be for everyone, but I loved it. I am very much game for a little magical realism thrown into my thrillers and, if you are too, then this is the book for you.

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this one is how it plays with a child's imagination and how imagination becomes a coping mechanism (and a learning mechanism) for the characters. It is so intriguing and it works. The descriptions are also so vivid, especially the descriptions of a house that holds much mystery and an imaginary world inhabited by children. I was transported to this imaginary world and I felt the blurred lines between reality and imagination that the story was trying to convey. It made me question everything happening as a reader. It was such a brilliant technique and I was sometimes blindly guessing each step of the way.

This was a thrilling, tense, dark, and imaginative read and completely sucked me in as a reader. I will be raving about this one to others and truly believe you need to give this a go. If any of the above appeal to your reading tastes, I think you will not be disappointed.

I received an arc from Scribner and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carole Johnstone's suspense, thriller Mirrorland was an amazing book. Mirrorland takes you on a twisty ride through the past and present lives of twin sisters El and Cat. The twins grew up in Scotland, but as you discover have been separated with no contact for over twelve years. Suddenly El goes missing, and Cat must return to Scotland to find out what has happened to her sister.

Cat is the narrator of the novel, and we come to find out is an unreliable narrator (as they often are in suspense novels like this). The story slowly unfolds, and we learn alot of detail about the fantasy play of the twins when they are young girls. As children they invented an imaginery world called Mirrorland where they would escape the realities of their lives. We see them grow apart, and bit by bit learn how and why that occurred (love triangle?) Just as you think you have it figured out....you don't.

I love how the author wove in details of other literature, and paid homage to other authors with this novel. The story is very detailed, and you have to pay attention to the detail in order for it all to come together in the end. Beautifully written, suspenseful, loved it! Can't wait for the author's next novel.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Carole Johnstone hits every note just right in her psychological thriller Mirrorland. Mysterious, atmospheric and twisty. Not always easy to read, but I could not out it down.

Recently I haven’t come across with a book that was able to explain trauma and physical abuse this indirectly yet this strongly. Mirrorland instantly became one of my top books this year so far. I was able to guess few things at the beginning of the story but what came after and depth of story made sit tight and finish the book even though the clock showed 2:31 am. This was the plot I needed; this was the story that made me say “oh wow!” with every page I turned.

El and Cat are identical twins. They lived in a house where every room had a name and purpose. Every room had its own secrets. They didn’t have many friends except for Ross and their imaginary (maybe not?) friends from the Mirrorland. They dreamt of reuniting with their father one day whom they believed to be a pirate with his own beautiful island off of Caribbean. One day El and Cat left their home expecting a ship to pick them up. Their mum and grandpa were dead and they were placed in an orphanage. When they came to age, they chose to part ways even though they promised never to do so.

Years later, El is missing. Cat is back in Scotland to find out what happened. The days after El’s disappearance and events unfolded after was the one private journey Cat and El hoped to have when they were wee girls. What we discovered though.... that’s a nightmare fuel

Such a great read! Mirrorland is a psychological thriller full of mystery and startling twists that make it quite the page-turner. The story is dark and suspenseful, and often left me wondering what was real and what was not.

Mirrorland is about twin sisters, Catriona (Cat) and Ellice (El), and is from the perspective of Cat. We find out quickly that Cat and El have not been on good terms or spoken to each other in 12 years. When El appears to be missing and presumed dead after she does not return from a boating day trip, Cat travels back to her childhood home and the world of Mirrorland. Cat believes El is alive and purposely missing, but is she? As Cat faces her demons and troubled childhood in the home where it all began, she starts to question what she knows and believes.

Carole Johnstone describes everything so well, breathing life into the house and Mirrorland in a way that they too feel like one of the characters. I could fully imagine the dark and spooky atmosphere of 36 Westeryk Road. One of the things that made Mirrorland so hard to put down was that Johnstone keeps you in the dark and only reveals things to you as they are revealed to Cat. It made me want to keep reading because of how well the pieces of the puzzle are put together a little at a time. Plus, the twists kept me on my toes and continued all the way to the end, which finishes great. I also really like how Johnstone manages to weave in love and redemption in an otherwise dark thriller. It made for an overall, really beautiful story. I definitely recommend Mirrorland for anyone who enjoys psychological and suspenseful thrillers.

Mirrorland | By Carole Johnstone
4.5/5 stars!

If you are into psychological thrillers, this is a must-read!
"A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom."

Synopsis:
Cat and El are twin sisters but have been estranged for 18 years. Cat lives in LA and El in Edinburgh, in their childhood home, with her husband Ross. Cat returns home when El goes missing. El has left secret clues, in a treasure hunt fashion, all throughout their house, where they would fantasize treasure hunts as kids, to help Cat solve her disappearance.

Thoughts:
This is a very dark, very twisty story. The beginning has A LOT of fantastical elements. I almost was going to abandon the book in the first 80 pages or so because I strongly dislike fantasy. There was pirate, ghost, and witch talk, all seemingly make-believe games that the girls played when they were little. However, I had seen rave reviews on this book and decided to power through. If you start this book and feel this way, KEEP GOING because I promise it will all make sense in the end. About halfway through it really became a page-turner for me and I could not put it down.

Mirrorland blurs the lines of fantasy and real life. What was imagination and what really happened to these girls as kids? It was confusing in the best way. There were surprises and secrets revealed through the very last page.

I cannot believe this was a debut novel. The writing was out of this world! I highly recommend this book and I think it will be one of the books most raved about in 2021.

TW: Death, suicide, murder, abuse, drugs, alcohol, mental health, and more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

My brain is on fire after listening to Mirrorland. There’s nothing like a good audiobook for a slow work night.
Cat is out unreliable narrator and she tells a creepy, twisted, complex story set in a claustrophobic, bleak house.
Twin sisters Cat and El created a world called Mirrorland until that world nearly devoured them. Twelve years later, Cat is called back to Scotland from her new life in LA when El disappeared and is presumed dead. Cat thinks El is still alive. They hadn’t talked in ten years, and yet Cat believes that if El were really dead, she would feel it.
This book is crazy. I seriously don’t know how to even talk about it. I had to pay attention (which means I had to go back on my audio a few times) because there is so much detail, layering of the stories, twists and turns in this house of horror.

Woah! What a wild ride! Mirrorland is a mind-bender above and beyond your typical psychological thriller.

As kids, mirror twins El and Cat lived in a world full of imagination, adventure, and invisible friends in Mirrorland - a sort of ‘club house’ they built in the basement area below their home in Scotland. They play-acted cowboys and Indians, clowns, prison guards, and pirates with their neighbor Ross.

When they are 12 years old, El and Cat are forced to run away and start their ‘second life’ after something unspeakable happens in the house. As they age, the girls become estranged - Cat moves to Los Angeles and El marries Ross, moving back into the old family home.

When El goes missing, Cat returns to Mirrorland, which along with clues left by El, forces her to recall suppressed memories about their ‘first life’, sort out fact from fiction, and decide whether El is dead or alive. She’s unsure who she can trust - Ross, El’s new friends, even herself.

Pay attention when you’re reading this one, because you never know if Cat’s playing make-believe in Mirrorland or living in the present. Some reviewers said this makes things confusing, but I think it truly draws you into Cat’s altered view of reality and her fragile mental state.

I thought the book went on a bit longer than it needed to force its ending. I thought it was going to end maybe 4-5 chapters before it did. It would have ended more strongly without the unofficial “part 3”. But it was still a creepy horror/thriller that I’d recommend!

What an incredible debut! Mirrorland has it all-drama, thrills, twists, tragedy and beautiful sisterhood. However, the absolute best part of this book is the imagery. Johnstone is masterful at setting each and every scene.
Catroina and Ellice are identical twins with a dark past. Once inseparable, yet they haven’t spoken in 12 years. When El goes missing, Cat is forced to return home and face the past. With so many delicious twists and turns, I fell in love with this novel.

I received #Mirrorland as an ARC courtesy of #NetGalley and #simonandschuster in exchange for an honest review

Love, love, love this book! I am always excited when I find a book that is very different from so many that are out there and trust me this one is! Cat and El are mirror twins who grow up in a toxic environment, so in order to ease the almost daily trauma of their everyday life they create Mirrorland under the stairs where they are pirates, clowns, or cowboys. They become estranged after they become adults and Cat moves to LA but is called back to Scotland when her sister goes missing.
For me the only thing I didn't care for was all the fantasy and make believe because it was hard to know what was real and what was not. However, the author did a stellar job tying it all together at the end. I will be watching for more from Ms.Johnstone.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing arc for my honest review. I highly recommend!

This was so good!! I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days (work sucks). Loved the back and forth and would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller/mystery! Thank you for allowing me to preview this copy!!

Best book I've read this year, so far.

Genre defying feeling of creeping up the roller coaster for the first drop. How far will the mind blend reality and fantasy to protect us from trauma? What happens when they collide back together?

Mirrorland begins with a pair of twin sisters who are escaping an unknown trauma. There is then a time jump, and we find that one sister. One of the sisters, Cat receives word that her sister El is missing and presumed dead. They have been estranged for years and Cat moved to the West Coast, about as far as she could get from their native Scotland. Cat and El are mirror twins, a rare phenomena in which they are identical but mirrored. In essence this means that left and right are reversed. If one twin is right handed the other is left handed, Birthmarks would similarly be reversed. When they were younger they were close, and had a richly imagined space they called Mirrorland.
This is the author's debut novel and I will definitely look forward to her future works. This novel grabs you from the start and does not let go. Even when you think you know what is going on there is revelation after revelation to come. I highly recommend this and found it a satisfying read from beginning to end.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title and give an honest review. it was a pleasure.

[No Spoilers]

Carole Johnstone has absolutely blown. my. mind.

This book started at a 3 Star rating and gradually made it’s way to a 5 and I’ll tell you why.

The beginning of this book can be tough to get into - at least it was for me. There was A LOT going on. Tons of characters, aspects of fantasy, and I couldn’t get into it until 1/3 of the way through once all the pieces were beginning to connect and the characters began to stick in my memory a bit better with more context.

I thought I knew what was happening/what was going to happen and a few times I rolled my eyes a tad disappointed and thinking, “Ugh, I knew it...” BUT DO NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!

Everything you think you know, you DON’T.
I am absolutely recommending this to anyone willing to listen.

Fantastic debut!

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for a digital reading copy, as well as Libro.FM for an advanced listening copy.

Mirrorland is one of the best mystery/thriller books I've read lately. It felt unique, had lots of twists and turns, and best of all, it kept me guessing all the way to the end.

I have the bad habit of guessing the twist or ending of a novel a little too soon and being disappointed when I guess it on the nose. This one, I had lots of theories and some ended up lining up at the end, but I didn't have a full guess or picture of what was really going on until the last scenes.

I'm looking forward to reading other works by this author now - I'd suggest this book to anyone who loves a good mystery, especially those that center around families and sibling bonds.

***Content warnings: physical and emotional abuse, violence

Labyrinthine, haunting, and fantastical, like the house at its center, Mirrorland is about a broken childhood and the stories we tell ourselves as kids to heal the pain.

This is a tremendously original and compelling book. It is hard to describe the plot, but basically, two identical “mirror” twins, Cat and El, grew up together in a house where every room told a story like a fairy tale. Cat comes back to the childhood home when her twin (from whom she has been estranged for years) goes missing at sea. As Cat tries to put together what happened to El, she must first return to her childhood for answers.

The book is beautifully written and has a mystical, fairy tale quality. I wasn’t sure how this would work for me, because I’m not usually a fan of the fantasy genre, but I ended up liking it very much because all the fantasy elements were clues to solving the real-life mystery. Cat’s voice is original and very compelling, and her backstory is complex and one of the most interesting character arcs I have read in awhile.

The book is great. I’m still working through my feelings about the ending, and whether it had one too many twists for me. But overall I really loved this twisty, complex, deranged fairy tale of a book very much. 4.5 stars, rounded down only because of my slightly mixed feelings about the ending. Expertly written book. Stephen King’s recommendations never fail me!

Many thanks to Scribner, NetGalley and the author for the ARC of this really neat and very consuming book.

Excellent psychological thriller. Cat and El are twin sisters who shared everything growing up. To escape the reality of the abuse they both suffered, they imagined their world as a different place. As children grew they invented Mirrorland, complete with witches, pirates, and other characters to escape with when their lives were miserable. As the girls grew up, they both fall in love with the same man, which causes a falling out between them. When one of them disappears, the other doesn’t believe it, she believes she would know if something happened to her sister. Fantastic story with many twists and turns, not to be missed.

Can we just talk about how PERFECT this cover is? The cover alone is going to make this book a huge success. Not only is the cover flawless, but so is the writing. This is an amazing thriller that is dark and edgy and original. Loved it! Thanks for ARC!!

“Mirror land” is a wild ride. The book is about twin sisters that grew up in a house where they created a strange, fantasy world borne out of their collective imagination. When sister El goes missing, Cat begins to investigate and is pulled into memories of the past and back to Mirrorland. This is a creative, imaginative page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is a beautifully written, compelling and dark story about twin sisters, their intricate web of secrets and the power of the human mind.

Mirror twins Ellice and Catriona grew up in a home mixed with moments of love and a lifetime of fear. They invented Mirrorland, an elaborate pretend world with pirates, a wicked witch, clowns and an evil tooth fairy. I saw some reviews that thought mirrorland too fantastical but read in the proper context, of a make believe world devised as a means of escape, I think it was everything it needed to be.

Despite their closeness, a falling out leaves El and Cat estranged for 12 years. Cat returns home after El's disappearance not convinced that any harm came to her sister. She's her twin after all, wouldn't she know? The present day search for El is interspersed with long forgotten memories of the past, details that Cat has long ago repressed.

We also get to read pages of El's childhood diary which is a creative way to get to know her and help Cat remember events she's long forgotten.

There were a couple times I thought the book was over and was surprised to see it continue... But my overall opinion was that this book was incredibly creative and unpredictable and definitely one of my favorites this year.

Mirrorland is a psychological suspense/thriller following Cat returning to her home after her twin sister, El, disappears while sailing. El and her husband, Ross, have bought and now live in El and Cat's childhood home. The home where El and Cat would spend hours playing in Mirrorland - an imaginary world shaped by the books their mother would read to them. Not long after Cat's arrival, she starts receiving clues to a treasure hunt like the ones El would send her on while they were growing up. There are clues tucked away in almost every room of the house and they lead back to the world under the stairs - Mirrorland - and unlock the truth that Cat had long forgotten. TW/CW: child abuse, on page physical abuse, off page incest, suicide

This story was absolutely fantastic. It did take me a bit to get into it (which I'll expand upon later), but once I was in, I was in all the way. My absolute favorite part was the pacing - it was immaculate. It was the kind of book that, when I was done, I put it down and just thought back over the whole story and how everything came together at just the right pace for me to be 100% completely enthralled. The thriller beats are timed out perfectly for my taste and the pacing worked with the information we learn from the book in order to expertly ramp up the tension. This is Johnstone's debut novel and, to me, it reads like a seasoned thriller writer. The book opens up with Cat on her way from LA to Scotland so we are right in the middle of the action. There's no sitting around getting comfy with Cat before she finds out the news about her sister going missing - we're just thrust right into the story from the very beginning. From a quick skim of other reviews, it seems like most people put down the book because they couldn't get past the beginning. I had a bit of a rough time with the first 10-15% but once I got past that part, the book just flew by. It has been a while since I've had a book where it felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and this one hit that exact target for me. I think the scavenger hunt Cat goes on gives a natural cadence to the story and really helps push along the narrative. At the same time, once Cat finds each clue, she often has a moment of reflection where she remembers something about her childhood and these quiet moments are really powerful in the context of the larger investigation.

My issue with the beginning wasn't the pacing - it was the writing style. This story has a very fantastical, some might say flowery, narrative style. The style is consistent through the book, but I found it the heaviest at the beginning and it leaned a bit too much toward the literary fiction side of prose for my personal liking. Very detailed descriptions, long paragraphs detailing Cat's feelings and thoughts and her surroundings. I know some readers will really enjoy this writing style, but it just isn't for me. However, once we got past that first 15% or so, the mystery side of the plot really picks up and it feels like the narrative has more to focus on rather than just feelings and setting. Besides the literary fiction type style, Johnstone also had a really interesting way of blending past and present. We get flashbacks of Cat and El as children growing up in this house and the games they'd play, but they aren't always formatted like normal flashbacks. It really felt like we were in Cat's brain as she sort of gets lost in her memories and then comes back to the present day. So there aren't always scene breaks or a new chapter to delineate what timeline we're in. I really enjoyed this narrative choice, but it won't work for all readers. Also, in these flashbacks, it is very obvious that Cat's childhood imagination was very robust. The descriptions of her surroundings and the activities her and El would do leaned quite heavily into a fantastical almost magical realism sort of realm. I think this choice was excellent and really helped ground the reader in the same world that Cat grew up in and in the mindset that she has in childhood. I'd say the writing style takes some time to get used to and sink into, but I really think it is a fantastic choice overall for the story and 100% worth the effort it might take getting through the first little bit of the book.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story and the way we slowly peel back the layers of characterization. Cat hasn't talked to her sister in 12 years so, in a way, we're discovering who El is right along side Cat as she tries to figure out what happened. Also, since this is the first time Cat has been back to Scotland in 12 years, she is sort of rediscovering parts of herself the longer she stays in town. I really liked how the scavenger hunt clues slowly revealed more and more information about their relationship and their upbringing in a very logical and methodical way. There are times where Cat will remember events one way and then find out some information that re-frames or causes her to re-examine her memories and what she thought was true. The clues to the hunt lead Cat to pages of El's diary that she kept while they were growing up so we slowly see how different the two sisters grow to be. These diary entries I think worked very effectively as lenses into the past and gave the narrative a lot of jumping off points for more flashbacks into their childhood. Cat and El knew Ross growing up as well so we also get views of him as a child and slowly find out the circumstances behind how he and El came to be married. I did wish the other characters in the story were a little more fleshed out and a bit more integrated into Cat's investigation but that didn't bother me too much.

Finally, let's talk about the ending in as general terms as possible. The majority of this book is Cat following the clues in the scavenger hunt and working through her memories of the past along with reconnecting with Ross (who was her friend growing up as well). But once we get to the last third of the book, all the strings start to get pulled and it feels like the story starts to unravel in the best way possible. Cat is finding gaps in her memories and the scavenger hunt is helping her fill them in which leads Cat to re-examine what she thought was true. How childhood trauma affects memories is a big theme in the last third of the book and it was fascinating for the reader to also have to change what we thought was true based on the information Cat is finding. It was heartbreaking to watch Cat grapple with finding out these hard truths and realize that her memories aren't whole but I thought it was well done and not over the top. In the acknowledgements at the end of the book, Johnstone does note the doctor she spoke with who studies childhood trauma while conducting her research for this book. And while I can't speak on the representation from a personal standpoint, to me as a reader it didn't come across as gimmicky or played up for drama, it felt realistic and a logical explanation given the events that happened. I did appreciate how we get a lot of explanation and resolution after the final conflict so we can really see how Cat is doing after finding out all this information. By the end, I did find myself slightly more interested in finding out the truth about what happened in their childhood more than what happened to El but the two plot threads are connected in the end so it was satisfying on both counts. The one last twist was interesting but did feel a tad bit too convenient for my liking but I don't think it cheapened the overall narrative at all and I do think most readers will like it. I found the ending 10% to mirror the beginning 10% in that we are back in Cat's head and while she is physically going a lot of places and doing a lot of things, we get more of that literary fiction type of description as she works through the last few activities of the book. It felt like a very much needed long cool down after a very high stakes and high emotion third act.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The narrative style was unique and really fit the overall plot and mood of the story, the characters were complex and evolved during the course of the book, and the ending was incredibly well paced and plotted. I do think the narrative style can be hard to get into at first, but I think it is worth pushing through if possible to get to the body of the story because the payoff is 100% worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date is April 20, 2021.

“I used to think that people whose lives were stuck in limbo carried on only because it was easier. Easier than giving up. Easier than stopping But now I know it's because there's no alternative, no escape. That the tide will come, and all you can do is stay afloat. And wait for it to turn."

This was Carole Johnstone's debut novel and all I can say is WOW!!! I'm not going to give too many details about the book in this review because you need to go in blind. Carole knocked it out of the park with this book. It was everything I wanted and everything I needed in a book. Most of the time I had no idea what I was reading or what was going but when it all came together it was absolutely brilliant.

This is definitely the best book I have read of 2021 and now on my "favorite books ever" list. This book had me so intrigued I couldn't stop turning the pages. At first I didn't consider it a thriller but part two of the book really changed that. This book is so unique, you really have to read it yourself. Great debut novel and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley, Scribner and Carole Johnstone for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️TW: child abuse, mental illness, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, death ⚠️

This was a wonderful and twisty thriller. Each time I thought I had something figured out, an new twist was presented and kept me thinking. Loved the relationship between the two sisters, El and Cat. Their imagination was powerful and jumped off the pages. Thank you for the chance to read. I will be recommending this one!

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 book was and is my first read from this author! But I must admit from the beginning it had me! All I will say is it’s about twin sisters that def use their imagination! But I’m not gonna give this book away except to say pay close attention! I loved the ups and downs! The people were all easy to relate to! This author is beyond talented! If you are looking for a great book to read that gets you from the moment you open this book then look no further! Just pay attention you won’t want to miss anything!
I will def be looking to read more from this author! Keep up the amazing work! You have gained a new follower and fan that’s for sure!!

"Mirrorland" is the type of book I love. It is the exciting story of identical twin sisters, Cat and El. We learn of their strange upbringing, their alienation from each other as adults, and the unexplained death of El. whose distraught husband claims the death was a suicide, but Cat is sure that El is still alive She is certain that she would instinctively know if El was dead because they are mirror images of each other. Later after the body is retrieved from the water, Cat refuses to believe that El is gone. The plot keeps the reader guessing the entire time and the ending is amazing. It was hard to put it down.

This book was a crazy ride and an incredible debut! What started out as a haunting tale of the fantasies of identical twins became a thrilling story with so many twists. Each time I thought I solved the mystery, there would be a twist I didn't expect.