Daily Archives: September 21, 2020

The Mirror: Broken Wish (The Mirror #1), by Julie C. Dao ~ 5.0 Stars

21 Monday Sep 2020

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Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 6th, 2020

320 Pages

Synopsis: 1865 Hanau Germany 

Sixteen-year-old Elva has a secret. She has visions and strange powers that  she will do anything to hide. She knows the warnings about what happens to witches in their small village of Hanau. She’s heard the terrible things people say about the Witch of the North Woods, and the malicious hunts that follow. But when Elva accidentally witnesses a devastating vision of the future, she decides she has to do everything she can to prevent it. Tapping into her powers for the first time, Elva discovers a magical mirror and its owner—none other than the Witch of the North Woods herself. As Elva learns more about her burgeoning magic, and the lines between hero and villain start to blur, she must find a way to right past wrongs before it’s too late.

Broken Wish is the first book in the upcoming The Mirror series which in itself is an exciting premise. Four books following a multigenerational family by some of the most popular YA authors today: Julie C. Dao, Dhonielle Clayton, J.C. Cervantes, and L.L. McKinney. I started this last night around 8:00 p.m. and finished it three hours later. It’s a highly entertaining fairytale retelling of Snow White with a little of The Red Shoes thrown in, and it perfectly captures Germany in the latter half of the 19th century. Dao is a wonderful storyteller who is known for her richly detailed world building and complex characters, and that’s very much on display here. But included in this beautifully written fantasy is the thoughtful exploration of the difficulty of being unique in a world where differences are often met with ignorance and cruelty. It’s a tale of friendship, loyalty, and the ramifications of broken promises, that all lead up to a shocking ending. I cannot recommend Broken Wishes highly enough. It’s an exciting and original YA fantasy whose storyline will enthrall you and characters will capture your heart. The series continues with Dhonielle Clayton’s Shattered Midnight (July 2021), which jumps to 1920s New Orleans, and sounds from the title to perhaps be a retelling of Cinderella. I’m going to be impatiently counting down the months.