Monday 27 February 2017

Book Review - The Mirror by Deborah A Stansil

I was sent a copy of this book by the author for review on my blog. It is the first thing by Deborah I have read so I have no idea if this is her usual genre.

This is the story of Amy, Scott and their daughter Lilly. An antique mirror brings terror and heartbreak to the family and there is a chilling supernatural element which I especially enjoyed. I found the story slow to get going and was rather frustrated by what I felt was too much build up to the action of the story. However, once the action began it was a stunning story. The tragic backstory to Amy's possessiveness around Lilly was truly heart-breaking and really well written. There was real tension in the scene with Amy's ex and a shocking conclusion to that encounter that had me gasping. The character of Martin, Amy's ex, is a classic sociopath/psychopath and although he appears only briefly his influence ripples through the whole novel.

I really enjoyed the supernatural element to the story. The contrasting reactions of Scott and Amy to what is happening to their daughter really rang true; Scott's scepticism was understandable; Amy's worry about her child felt true and the way her thoughts swirled around her head was extremely well written. I felt that the growing tension between Scott and Amy was well observed and felt accurate. Their relationship is tested in a way that I thought rang true.

I felt that the ending tied everything together. I wasn't totally convinced by it but it did pull all the threads together and conclude the story in a satisfactory fashion. There is scope for a sequel if Deborah wanted to write it and I for one would be interested in reading it. I will certainly look out for other books by this author. She writes interesting and believable characters and it was a pleasure to spend some time with them.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for a balanced and well thought out review. I'm really glad you enjoyed the book :)
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome. I'm looking forward to reading more of your work later. Good luck with the book!

      Delete