Thank you to Tor Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow is the second book in the series. When I saw that there was going to be a second installment, I knew that I needed to add it to my TBR list right away! The story revolves around Zinnia, who rescues sleeping princesses in her spare time. One day, she’s called by someone who she would have never expected: the evil queen from Snow White. Can Zinnia help her achieve her happy ending? And what exactly does that entail?
Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1:
“I like a good happily ever after as much as the next girl, but after sitting through forty-eight different iteration of the same one – forty-nine, if you count my (former) best friends’ wedding – I have to say the shine is wearing off a little.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I worked hard for all forty-nine of those happy endings. I’ve spent the last five years of my life diving through every iteration of Sleeping Beauty, chasing the echoes of my own shy narrative through time and space and making it a little less shy, like a cross between Doctor Who and a good editor. I’ve rescued princesses from space colonies and castles and caves; I’ve burned spindles and blessed babies; I’ve gotten drunk with at least twenty good fairies and made out with every member of the royal family. I’ve seen my story in the past and the future and the never-was-or-will-be…”
Overall, A Mirror Mended is a delightful adult fantasy novella featuring LGBT characters. One highlight of this book is the humor. The narrator, Zinnia, is snarky, and sometimes references pop culture in her remarks. Another highlight of this book is how it deconstructs popular fairy tale tropes. I enjoyed how the “evil queen” from Snow White became a sympathetic character in this book. If you’re intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you’re a fan of adult fairy-tale retellings, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!
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