Mirrored ~ Alex Flinn review [@Alex_Flinn @epicreads @harperteen]

Mirrored: The Kendra Chronicles
Harper Teen
384 pages
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A modern, multi-generational tale of Kendra, the witch from "Snow White," who trains Violet, an ugly, lonely, and heartbroken girl in the 1980s who transforms herself into "the fairest one of all" but still cannot win Greg's heart, and Celine, Greg's daughter with Violet's high school rival, Jennifer.

Lots of mangoes, worries over becoming Florida Man, my new favorite (Florida or elsewhere) law, and inspired by 'Snow White' what more do you need?

Mirrored is a fun and sweet fairy tale retelling. In this modern interpretation of "Snow White," we first meet Violet. While Violet's mother is gorgeous, she herself is definitely not.

Ugly, isolated and, she can tell, an embarrassment to her mother, she wants someone to like her, to love her. She wants to be beautiful.

It seems like a hopeless cause, until she meets Kendra. The witch who promises her she can change her appearance.

How the alterations will change her personality, her attitude, who she is, though, is much harder to predict . . .

Then, years later we pick up the story with Celine. Her whole life Celine has known she is beautiful, but she hates all the attention it brings her. She knows people assume things about her because of her looks. When Violet comes into her life, being the gorgeous next to the 'fairest of them all,' is even more of a problem. Even a danger.

I loved that we got to meet a young Violet, see her introduction to Kendra and magic and follow her as she grew up. Later, we meet Celine, learn her story and see what happens to her - and how Violet plays a role in it. It was great to have each of their stories. With only Celine's story, it would have left a lot of unanswered questions about Violet. If we had only gotten Violet's story we wouldn't get to see how she changed, how everything impacted her.

Mirrored has some really inventive and entertaining ways of modernizing the classic "Snow White" fairy tale. Alex Flinn does a great job keeping the essential characters but in altered roles or appearances. They are each such original character, integrated and essential to the story that you like them for who they are and what they do. Then you realize which of the fairy tale characters they mirror.

This is a sweet, fun, cute, and very enjoyable read. Though it is a The Kendra Chronicles book (like Beastly, Lindy's Diary and Bewitching) they aren't really a series. They all have Kendra, so you'll enjoy seeing her in a new story, with new characters, if you've read the others, but won't be confused or lost if you haven't. It is fairy tale inspired so you'll likely be able to predict some of the larger plot points but it's the in-between and how those events take place, along with the fantastic characters that make this so original.








thank you to the publisher for my finished copy for possible review