Book Review: Mirrored

Author: Alex Flinn
Publication Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen

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.

I wanted Violet to love me. She was the only mother I had, after all.

Nothing unusual happened for a year or so. Maybe I made nothing happen. But then, one day something did. Something that changed everything.

“Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?” Who’s the most batshit crazy? I bolt from my room, but not before I think I hear the mirror say something back. Now who’s crazy?

Alex Flinn’s retellings have always been some of my favorites to read; I have followed her work ever since I fell in love with Beastly. This story is a modern day retelling of Snow White, but of course the book has a twist that on Alex Flinn could spin. The story is told in two parts, focusing on our two main characters: Violet and Celine. Violet, the character that becomes the evil queen, is different, odd, and can never seem to fit in or get someone to notice her. She is an eccentric girl and thinks that she will forever be alone until she meets Greg. Greg and Violet have a lot in common and they bond quickly, until Greg goes away one summer and comes back looking completely different. Greg is now able to fit in with the popular crowd, leaving Violet in his dust and acting as if they were never even friends to begin with. Violet meets a witch named Kendra, and discovers that she has a magic all her own. Later on, we meet Celine, a girl so beautiful that she chooses not to be popular. Violet soon becomes Celine’s stepmother, and you can only imagine where the story goes from there!

I have read so many reviews where bloggers and readers have complained about the way Flinn chose to retell Snow White. I, however, think it was so genius. I LOVED that she built Violet’s story first and then turned to Celine’s; she even adds in her on twist on the dwarves. Plus, if you have read other books by Flinn, you know that Kendra is not a new character. I thought it was so awesome that she made an appearance in this book as well. I enjoyed reading all the reviews on this book, but I could not agree with readers who could not finish the book. I think that what Flinn did here was brilliant and I had a hard time putting the book down, thus why it got a little wet in the bathtub (oops!). I am always ready for the next Flinn retelling! Alex, please don’t stop now!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Harper Teen in exchange for my honest review***