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A review by liseyp
The House of Mirrors by Erin Kelly
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to the author, publishers Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley UK for access to this as an ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.
Alice Clarke is an impetuous, volatile young woman. She begins receiving mysterious visits, calls and notes from a stranger she calls The Woman. Could this be her missing-presumed-dead aunt or someone else who can unlock the mystery of her family?
Apparently this is a sequel although I didn’t figure out that it was until I read the author’s acknowledgement section at the end. Even then it took me while to figure out that it’s a follow-up to the author’s debut novel The Poison Tree, following up on the characters who survive that. The good news is that if, like me, you haven’t read that one it won’t impact on your ability to read this one.
What I don’t know is whether having read The Poison Tree will spoil this one.
For me this is a five star read despite the fact that the main character Alice is pretty unlikeable. She’s selfish, has no self-control and is difficult to root for. Her mother Karen, who part of the story is told through the eyes of, is suspicious of anyone in her daughter’s life and far too controlling/interfering to be likeable either. So it’s the reveal of the mystery of Alice’s life and the truth about what happened in the summer of 1997 that made me so invested in this. And having read the blurb for The Poison Tree I’ve got a feeling anyone who’s read that book will already know the answers.
But, when looked at as a standalone I can definitely recommend it.
Alice Clarke is an impetuous, volatile young woman. She begins receiving mysterious visits, calls and notes from a stranger she calls The Woman. Could this be her missing-presumed-dead aunt or someone else who can unlock the mystery of her family?
Apparently this is a sequel although I didn’t figure out that it was until I read the author’s acknowledgement section at the end. Even then it took me while to figure out that it’s a follow-up to the author’s debut novel The Poison Tree, following up on the characters who survive that. The good news is that if, like me, you haven’t read that one it won’t impact on your ability to read this one.
What I don’t know is whether having read The Poison Tree will spoil this one.
For me this is a five star read despite the fact that the main character Alice is pretty unlikeable. She’s selfish, has no self-control and is difficult to root for. Her mother Karen, who part of the story is told through the eyes of, is suspicious of anyone in her daughter’s life and far too controlling/interfering to be likeable either. So it’s the reveal of the mystery of Alice’s life and the truth about what happened in the summer of 1997 that made me so invested in this. And having read the blurb for The Poison Tree I’ve got a feeling anyone who’s read that book will already know the answers.
But, when looked at as a standalone I can definitely recommend it.