Mirror, Mirror, on the Dresser
Are You Ready For This Breath-Taking Story?
Description
The sign over the covered antique mirror said DO NOT TOUCH. Twelve-year-old Nora wished she had listened.
Mirrors reflect what is in front of them, but what happens behind the glass-to the reflections themselves? Nora finds out when her own reflection, aka Fake Nora, changes places with her one night. Nora is shoved in a place that looks exactly like her house with no echoes, dull lights, and muted sounds. It isn’t her home at all, simply a shell of a place she loves.
Fake Nora is living her best life in Nora’s house, feeding on the fear of her little brother while no one else at the house knows anything is wrong.
Inside “reflectionland,” Nora meets thirteen-year-old Jesse, who has been stuck in his mirror since the forties, and he warns her that they aren’t alone in the house. There are others sneaking around, known as the bad ones-spirits of people who gave up after vanishing in the mirror.
Refusing to stay a reflection forever, Nora conjures a plan to escape, but Fake Nora isn’t about to give up her life in Nora’s home. And Jesse? He could become a bad one forever.
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Title: Fake Nora
- Author: Kelly Martin
- Genre: Christian Mystery, Suspense, Horror, Paranormal
- Audience: Middle Grade
- Length: 212 pages
- Publisher: Monster Ivy Publishing
- Release Date: March 2, 2021
- Trailer
- Recommended for fans of: A Clean Suspenseful Story, The Goosebumps Series
My Thoughts
Oh my goodness, this is a book many kids will hope turns in to a series. But I have to be totally honest, I tiptoed through the first pages with both trepidation and delight.
Why? I completely steer clear of books with the word horror associated with them. That word conjures up chain saws and a crossed eye person swinging an axe. No thanks. When I read I’m not searching for “an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.”
If you’re like me, I wasn’t even a fan of the Goosebumps series. Thrilling mysteries. Yes! Horror. Nope!
But Fake Nora rates above the word horror and Goosebumps.
I loved it! I think you’ll love it!
It’s original. It’s scary enough. The characters come to life and aren’t just names, and the plot will keep the pages flying. Oh, and if you want to dissect it, there is a good message sprinkled throughout.
Bottom line: Parents, this is the type of book that you shouldn’t be afraid to pick up for your middle grade reader, if they’re drawn to this type of book. It’s done tasefully. And it is the perfect book for the reluctant reader.
What Concerned Me
My very personal concern: I have a hard time with suspension of disbelief. But in this case, Martin kept me turning pages until 12:30 am. Apparently, the writing was good enough to help me overcome my shortcoming!
What I Liked Best
This book was kid-scary but written with obvious family and moral values. I wouldn’t hesitate to reach for another of Kelly Martin’s books.
My thanks to Monster Ivy Publishing and the author for a copy of this book. My review is based on my opinion, which I was free to express.
Rating
About the Author
Kelly Martin lives in a possibly haunted house in a small southern town. While she’d like to say paranormal things have only happened to her at her home, it would be a lie…
She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and an international #1 Amazon best selling author in horror, paranormal, contemporary, historical, young adult, and mysteries. All of Kelly’s books have one thing in common– imagine the real world is tilted slightly on its side. You don’t really know what’s going on, what’s missing, but there is a tilt, a hum you can barely hear, telling you that something is off.
Great review!