4.0 out of 5 stars
stealing children, September 10, 2007
This review is from: The Ghost Mirror (Paperback)
Reviewed by Ian McCurley (13) for Reader Views (9/07)
The story begins when Mave, a red-haired, black-eyed 13-year old girl is being criminally ignored by her parents and is taken to live with her grandmother. Her grandmother lives in a sprawling house on top of a hill. The house is populated by not only Mave and her grandmother, but also many ghosts. She befriends one of these ghosts, and one night, Mave is called to the attic to discover that her ghost friend is being kidnapped by a mirror. Jumping into the mirror after her, Mave finds herself in another magic-filled world in a town called Elements. She discovers that she is a witch and is hated for it. She also discovers that the town of Elements is only populated at night, and that during the day, the sinister Mr. Lavender is stealing children and eating their souls.
"The Ghost Mirror" is creative and dark. It has a distinctly Canadian writing and editing style. The storyline flows, but leaves several plot holes. The characters are creative but lack depth.
"The Ghost Mirror" is for readers 14 and up who enjoy reading about witches and like fantasy. "The Ghost Mirror" is very dark. I enjoyed it because it was a light and captivating read.
Book received free of charge
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5.0 out of 5 stars
More Than Just A Ghost Story, August 8, 2007
This review is from: The Ghost Mirror (Paperback)
When I open a book by a new (to me) author, I try my best to go in prejudice-free, hopefully beginning my reader/writer relationship with a clean slate. In this case, however, upon receiving an e-book copy of Jamieson Wolf's The Ghost Mirror, I must admit to having labored under a smattering of preconceptions in spite of my best efforts. I knew from the bits and pieces I had read of Mr. Wolf's work that he's an excellent writer whose lyrical artistry with the written word is undeniable. I knew that "Mirror" is a ghost story aimed at teens and young adults, so I suppose I expected a nice, tidy, fairly routine little yarn, spooky but not overly scary ... an entertaining though not-too-challenging read. Much to my delight, it became abundantly clear from the very beginning that The Ghost Mirror was much more than I had bargained for. Entertaining and easy to absorb, absolutely --- but at the same time Wolf weaves a complex, often horrifying story in which night is day, where death may be mistaken for life, and where evil wears a deceptively kind face. Sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? Indeed, we encounter such uncertainties all too often in our own lives, and indirectly through the experiences of those around us.
Estranged from her parents for reasons she is at a loss to understand, thirteen-year-old Mave Mallory is rescued from an emotionally abusive home environment by her grandmother Mona, a lovingly tolerant, supportive woman with whom she shares a unique bond. Mave has been an outcast since birth, set apart physically by her black eyes and curly red hair, and spiritually by her innate ability to see ghosts. She's a source of fear and mistrust to her parents --- the situation reaches a breaking point when her socially oriented, cocktail party-going mother and father finally refuse to acknowledge her presence altogether.
Mave is taken to live with her grandmother, and while exploring the strange old house she befriends a young ghost with whom she is able to communicate through an old mirror in the attic. She is drawn to her new friend, and despite Mona's dire warnings she ventures too close to the mirror and is pulled through it into an unsettling parallel reality. On the other side, Mave enters a world where magic is an everyday convenience: a world peopled by mysterious, compelling characters who advise and guide her as she embarks upon a harrowing adventure revolving around Evil Incarnate in the person of the cruel, somewhat vampire-like Mr. Lavender. She finds herself inhabiting the role of potential savior, a responsibility that baffles her and for which she feels ill-suited.
When you read The Ghost Mirror, you hold in your hands the work of a master storyteller. Here, author Wolf spins a multi-layered tale that captures the reader from the first sentence, and gathers momentum at a head-spinning rate as one mystery after another is unraveled. At the same time, a good deal of The Ghost Mirror's appeal (its wonderfully fantastic plot and vivid Through The Looking Glass imagery notwithstanding) lies in an unmistakable modern world connection. Below the surface, the book anchors itself in our everyday existence as it deals with such subjects as parental abuse and blind, destructive prejudice whose origin fades into antiquity. This is accomplished in a fashion that makes us, the unsuspecting readers, part of a scenario that engages us through a misty aura of fantasy, but it is behind that hazy mask that the true ghost in the mirror resides.
I highly recommend this book --- its pages offer plentiful enjoyment for readers of all ages, and I, for one, anxiously await the upcoming sequel. There is much more of this story remaining to be told, and I can conceive of no writer more up to the telling than Jamieson Wolf.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An Enchanting Tale, August 2, 2007
This review is from: The Ghost Mirror (Paperback)
I just finished reading Jamieson Wolf's The Ghost Mirror and I must say I got to the last page much too quickly. This is one book I hated to see end!!! This book is destined to be a classic read for generations.
Wolf's characters quickly found a place in my heart--I wanted to jump in and help Mave on her journey through a magic mirror. Before I finished the book, I found myself glancing at my own mirrors wondering if I could somehow make my way to the same magical world .
If I had to compare The Ghost Mirror to any other book, the closest I could come is to say it is a blending of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, brought together with a twist of magic only Jamieson Wolf's mind could bring into being.
I am anxiously awaiting the sequel to this wondrous tale.
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