The Looking Glass by Janet McNally

Hello everyone! Today, I will be reviewing The Looking Glass by Janet McNally. I hope you enjoy!

Release date: August 14th, 2018
Hardcover page count: 336
My rating: 5/5 stars
​My review:
     Disclaimer: I received this ARC as part of Miss Print's ARC Adoption Program. That said, everything featured in this review is based upon my honest opinion and not influenced at all in anyway. Enjoy!

       In the Looking Glass, it’s been a year since Sylvie’s older sister Julia disappeared. Still, Sylvie tries to remain optimistic as she carries on Julia’s impressive ballet legacy. But when Sylvie receives a copy of their old storybook with a mysterious list inside, Sylvie begins to see signs of her sister everywhere. She knows that she may be losing her grip on reality and that the strange things she’s seeing might have nothing to do with Julia’s whereabouts, but she continues regardless. As she sets off on a road trip with the hopes of finding her sister, Sylvie believes she will have the time of her life.
But when trouble arises, she must realize that if she can’t help herself, she can’t help anyone.
         This is the kind of book that I aspire to write. Beautifully worded and filled with prose that sweeps you away, The Looking Glass is truly a unique novel. I don’t usually read contemporary, mostly sticking with sci-fi or fantasy, but this book made me change my stance on the matter.
         Beginning with the plot itself, I loved how innovative it was. The way the author connected Sylvie’s big-city life style with the fairy tale stories that many have grown up with was unique in the sense of how it was done. Unlike many retellings, where it is clear that they are what they are, The Looking Glass reads like the adventures of a girl grieving her sister—which essentially is what the book is about. But I loved how no matter what new fairy tale aspect the author what introducing, it wasn’t pushed to the sense that it overwhelmed the reader, but done subtly and full of grace. This made it so when these seemingly magical parts of the plot came into play, it didn’t feel overdone, but powerful and important.
         The next part of the book that I really enjoyed was the characters, specifically Sylvie. From the very beginning, Sylvie is in grief. And for Sylvie, this grief is like a ghost that constantly follows her. And yet, not once while I was reading did I think ‘oh yeah, this again’ when she brought it up. Not once did the author push Sylvie’s grief on readers in a way that made them feel uncomfortable or in a way that made the character feel fake. Readers will enjoy how the author made her grief over her sister a realistic thing that people could relate too. But they would also appreciate the humor and emotions that the character also had. Many of the other characters in this book were written in a similar way, created so realistically that they felt like real people doing regular things.
         I would recommend this book for contemporary fans who are in love with ballerinas and their mischief, but also love books where girl meets boy and they fall in love. I would also recommend this book to fans of other genres who, like me, are picky about their contemporary. Filled with heartwarming scenes and just the right amount of magic, The Looking Glass is a book that will sweep you off your feet and never take you back.


      I hope that you enjoyed this review!  I loved this book so much and was so happy that I was able to read it. So, I would like to once again say thank you to Emma who runs https://missprint.wordpress.com . If you are a blogger with little to no access to arcs, check out her arc adoption program! Not only does she help the blogging community with this, but she helps authors by helping generate more reviews for them (which is the best thing you can do for an author).
        Until next time,
​        Camille