Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted . . . by magic.
When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.
But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.
My thoughts: As a person who doesn’t usually enjoy historical fiction, I was amazed by the author’s ability to write an entertaining story while still throwing in some partly accurate history. I appreciated learning (or being reminded of) some of the history involved in the book. I also think she did an amazing job of blending young adult fiction with historical fiction as well as combining tales from two different time periods. I was able to keep the two periods separate without getting confused.
I was surprised by the distinct differences Dark Mirror had from other books involving magic and romance. In Tory’s world world, magic wasn’t hidden. Of course individuals tried to hide their abilities, but everybody knew that magic existed. I’m used to being a part of worlds where most people didn’t even know magic existed. Another aspect that was different was the magic. It was unique. I haven’t read many books where anyone with magic can potentially contribute to another person’s power. This type of power was actually an idea I came up for me own book, but it was nice to see a legit author succeed in using it first (for the most part). There were two more reasons I loved the magic in this book. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say that it involved something with Merlin, which I love! I don’t know why, but I love all things involving King Arthur, Merlin and Camelot, so the Merlin references in this book were a surprising treat.
The distinct difference I liked about the romance in Dark Mirror was that it was a side story, but it still made me excited about the two character’s brief interactions. And although there were more important things going on that affected whole countries, all the other things going on around them just made the character’s relationship seem more intense. All of these aspects made for and entertaining and educational book. Dark Mirror didn’t end on a cliffhanger, but there were still unanswered questions that I can’t wait to find the answers in the second book, Dark Passage!
No comments:
Post a Comment