Blog Tour: Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

I am taking a break from my break from blogging to join The Write Reads blog tour for this fantastic book! This book was confusing in all the right ways. I hope that if you’re a thriller/mystery lover, you will read my review and add this book your TBR!

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.

But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues in almost every room: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting…

A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom.

My Rating: Four and a Half Stars

Mirrorland impressed me from the very beginning and kept me enthralled the entire time I was reading it. As soon as I started the book, I had to know the answers to all of my questions and did not want to stop reading until I found them out. What happened to El? Who are Bluebeard, Blackbeard, and the Tooth Fairy? Most importantly, what is Mirrorland?!

Cat’s perspective is clearly warped and has a lot of holes. This leaves us confused and wondering what truly is happening and doubting if her memories are even real. There are times that the author suddenly switches back and forth between flashbacks and the present multiple times in one chapter. While I understand the intent, it was confusing to read on the Kindle copy I have. But, I did not mind too much. Plus I was probably reading too fast because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next.

I hate to give too much information about books (especially mysteries), so I will leave you with this short and sweet review. I definitely recommend this one and look forward to reading the author’s future works!