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A brilliant psychological creation that dares you to question what’s real or the imagined.

I’ve been waiting to read this book for over six months so, needless to say, my expectations were high.
And I am in no way disappointed. None.

If Lucinda Berry’s ‘Phantom Limb’ and Krystal Sutherland’s ‘House of Hollow’ had a secret love child, it would be this book. If you haven’t read either of those, I apologize. Let me clarify..
What the frack did I just read?
(I mean that in a completely weird, good kind of way.. I think.)

It was one hell of a ride, that’s for sure, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat if I could.

This is the kind of book that keeps you inching closer to the edge of your seat, consumes you, stokes your need for answers.. to understand.

*Spoiler Alert*

Although.. I doubt anything I say would spoil this book.

Trigger warning: Abuse, Child abuse, Neglect, Murder, Attempted murder, Suicide

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Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

Standalone

First line: The sky was pink. Which was better than red, El said, when we started to get scared again.

After seventeen years away Catriona (Cat) returns to Edinburgh in chaos when her estranged twin sister, Ellice (El), is declared missing.

Now Cat is back and the dark secrets hidden in the gothic old house on Westeryk Road may just hold the key to finding her.. to everything.

Growing up the two girls, ‘mirror twins’ their mother called them, spent much of their time in an elaborately constructed fantasy world called ‘Mirrorland’. Thought up by their mother, and brought to life by the girls, Mirrorland was a gift as much as a curse.. but it was theirs.

Cat finds that El and her husband, Ross, now own the old house they grew up in, escaped from, and tried so hard to forget. Room by room Cat wanders the house, both disturbed and comforted by the familiar.

Cat doesn’t believe El is missing. It would be just like her to pull something like this for attention.. but some things are not adding up. One by one she receives threats and warnings that El was unhappy, considered leaving her husband, was even afraid of him. She refuses to believe it, time and again she tells herself that it’s not possible, Cat knows Ross and he would never hurt El. Not ever.

But not all is as it seems.

Confusing hints in a scavenger hunt of forgotten memories reveal a past Cat can’t quite accept.. She begins to question everything. Because behind every new note is a secret, hidden moments that she’s forgotten, but how much of it is true.. and how much is Mirrorland?

Five Stars!

A beautiful trainwreck of a story.

She smiled, smiled, smiled. “We will not leave each other. Say it.”
Footsteps crunching towards us. Another, louder curse. Enough lights to blind us so that we could no longer see the firth at all. Only each other.
“We will not leave each other,” I whispered.
She gripped my hand even tighter, and I swallowed, watched her smile get sharper, darker, watched it disappear. “Never so long as we live.”

About the book:

Seventeen years ago Cat moved to Los Angelos, running from a volatile relationship with her sister, El, and the boy who broke her heart.

But, after returning home to Edinburgh, Cat starts to realize that the truth of their past may be far more complicated than she knows
And what she can’t remember.. may just get her killed.

El, out for a relaxing day of sailing, has vanished.. and so has the boat.
With the investigation into her disappearance underway El’s frantic husband, Ross, turns to Cat.

Questions arise that lead Cat down a twisting path of incomplete and haunting memories.
What really happened to El? Is Ross involved somehow? Who’s sending Cat threatening messages? And what really took place in that big, old house so many years ago?

The answers may just surprise you.

I know how this goes. How it’s always gone.
This is a treasure hunt. She has the map. And I have no other choice but to wait until she gives me the next clue.

Overall:

*slow clap*

None of the characters here are likable or trustworthy. They are, however, very interesting.

Cat I wasn’t a big fan of… she reminded me quite a bit of Maggie, the protagonist in Riley Sager’s ‘Home Before Dark.’ Hard headed, cynical, and narrow minded. She grew on me eventually but not until almost the very end.
Good thing the characters don’t have to be loveable to make it a good story!

Ross? He didn’t grow on me at all. His personality and reactions (theatrics) had me wincing in distaste. He’s a creep and, even if Cat is willfully ignorant to his suspicious behavior, I found it completely obvious.
But El? Wow. El. She is not a friendly person and that’s an understatement. Her character is brilliant. Intelligent. Manipulative. With pan air about her that is almost sinister at times.. it’s so easy to empathize with Cat’s perception of her. El was easily the most fascinating character to me.

The pace was great. It snags you from page one and pulls you merrily along, all too happy to pull you into the mystery of these women’s lives. The writing is wonderful. Cohesively flowing through this complicated web of the real and imagined, past and present, Carole Johnstone’s words come to life on the page. And the storyline is so well done, with enough twists and turns that leave you guessing throughout, it’s crazy.. You can tell that she put a lot of work into weaving this clever creation.

Mirrorland is magic. It’s better than Narnia or Oz or Neverland or Middle Earth. We can make things happen there that never happen anywhere else. It’s REAL.

Disliked: I do not like cheating. I don’t even like reading about it. I would have much rather avoided the sheer disrespect but, unfortunately, it a large and important piece in a much bigger picture.
Still p!ssed me off.

Overall: I loved this book. From start to finish Mirrorland captivated me and I can honestly say that Carole Johnstone has made a new fan.

If you enjoy twisty mysteries, shocking secrets, dark pasts, beautifully imagined false realities, and the complicated dynamics between sisters divided.. You won’t just like this one. You’ll love it.

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Well, then. I hope this review was of some use.. or at least entertaining. Writing has been more of a struggle lately than not so I’m not entirely pleased with myself.
Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to read my post!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

For those that will be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday, stay safe, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

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