4.5 Stars (since I read it with book one) 

Sonya MacTavish is actually a Poole and the only one who can break the centuries-old curse and free the lost brides in the manor. 

One night, the elusive mirror appears, and Sonya walks through to watch a bride get killed and her ring stolen. The events seem to happen in a loop. Sonya and her friends have to find the rings soon, but that’s easier said than done. 

The story comes mainly in Sonya’s third-person POV (with a few scenes from others’ POVs). 

I continued with book two immediately after the previous one, so the cliffhanger lasted only a few seconds. My poor heart was saved, lol! 

The story continues seamlessly as we get bits and pieces of new information. There’s progress on multiple levels but it is blended into routine. This makes it seem like the book has a lot of fluff with the same scenes (working, eating, meeting, etc.). It is necessary to create this buffer for the development to feel organic. Think of it as watching the episodes of your favorite serial. You get lured into their lives, watching them live a make-believe life on the screen with subtle developments. It’s the same here. 

Hence, the pacing continues to be on the slower side. Again, I don’t mind. I love Molly, Clover, Jack, and the fur babies who enrich the narrative. Imagine a haunted house with built-in cleaning services, a DJ, a pet-sitter, and a spooky witch. Yeah, we can do without the last one but she’ll be there until they break the curse. 

I absolutely love Clover. I liked her a lot in book one but here she is easily my favorite. Though I’m not into English music, the song titles were enough to see just how wonderful she was. We meet more side characters, and Imogene stands out with ease. I like Winter too (everyone needs a mom like her) but Imogene is a star. I hope we get to meet her in the next book again. 

When I started Inheritance, I didn’t think it would become a new favorite (The Sign of Seven trilogy continues to be at the top). However, this one might reach there. I don’t think the year-long gap between the books would work. In fact, reading one and two back to back kept me inside the haunted manor for six+ days and made me a part of the story. A long break would diffuse that mood and may make this feel slow and repetitive. 

I was prepared for a cliffhanger ending, so this didn’t shock me. Knowing the stakes, I know book three will have a lot of action and intense scenes. We also need to get more information about Hester-Pest. I’m curious to see what lay in her past. 

There is romance but it is pretty much mild. From what I remember, her books have a little more spice. This one doesn’t. Not a complaint since the current stuff works well but I wouldn’t say no if the next book has an extra sprinkle of heat. ;) 

To summarize, The Mirror is a great continuation of book one. It establishes the character arcs, sets a routine, and provides more details about the lost brides. Can I get the ARC for book three when it is available? Pretty please! 

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley