Broken Wish (The Mirror #1) by Julie C. Dao
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A long time ago, a witch living near a couple who wished to have children helped them in return for friendship. The couple, for fear of being social outcasts broke the promise. Now, the child of the couple – seventeen year old Elva is all grown up. She is happy, she has everything she wants and needs and yet she has the gift of magic which she must hide from everyone. All of this changed when Elva and her brother find a series of letters between their mother and someone named Mathilda. Eventually they figure out that Mathilda is the witch of the forest. Now, Elva is thrown into a mix of magic, danger, and angry townspeople as she tries to find and help Mathilda and cultivate her own magic.
What a ride. This book was a very intriguing mix of emotions and themes, with a big emphasis on conformity and fear. I would give this book a ⅘ stars rating, mostly due to the wonderful story and rich characters, while also having a few areas that could have been explored further.
Something that I often notice in novels set during the witch trials is that there is a sense of unrealism with the power of the magic users and the danger that supposedly faces them. However, I enjoyed this book very much. It was very simple magic that was shown here, rather than the two witches – Elva and Mathilda using wands, they used herbs and premonitions, and more subtle approaches, which made the danger facing the two so much more believable. Also, it is the ultimate cottagecore fantasy and made for a great setting.
The characters in this story were also all very real and understandable. I immediately fell in love with Mathilda, and the secondary characters of Elva’s family, lover, the townspeople all made sense and fit the world nicely. I also enjoyed the name dropping of Grimm fairy tales, that was a really nice touch. I think what made these characters so understandable is that their problems and hopes were still very applicable to modern day, which is something that you see so often missed in historical fiction – when the plot and characters are so focused on the event, that the simple human spirit gets taken away.
Now, I wish to discuss Elva for a moment. She is, in my opinion, a secondary character in her own story. While some subplots including her lover, her understanding of the world, and her relationship with the people around her made sense, the biggest piece of the story – Mathilda had so much more growth and depth that Elva. From my reading of the story, it feels as if Elva just exists. She is kind, happy, welcoming, and magical, and yet what does she crave? Nothing! Aside from perhaps an understanding of her powers and then later making sure Mathilda is accepted, sixteen year old Elva seems more like a 10 year old child hoping that the world is all sunshine and daisies. Her motivations are all over the place, and I really wish there was something more there. But, at the same time, she was a very nice positive piece of this otherwise sort-of depressing book.
The story was great. The worldbuilding and the plot was so fantastical and real, it seemed like definitely a story that could have happened. It enthralled me and I was even able to finish this book within a day, something I don’t often do with more fantasy books. Yet it all made sense, the historical backdrop with the magical elements, and the ending, my god the ending. The ending was incredible and sad, and just so many feelings. Plus, the ending made me so excited to read the remainder of the series (3 more books!). Also, even if one doesn’t exactly love the first book – since all the books are written by different authors, I think that will create a really unique voice for each of the characters and time periods. The writing for this book in particular was good. The descriptive pieces of the mood and tone were very immersive, and it was enjoyable to read.
I want to finish off by talking about a character I loved, absolutely loved – Mathilda. I love Mathilda. I love her character, she not only had the mystery and cottagecore feel to her, but she was also the person who we could most likely relate to. The feeling of being an outcast, of being betrayed, and then using that to guard oneself up is something that has probably been felt in one way or another by many of us. Not only that, but she really had the best character arc of all, and she was just so satisfying to see on the page – her as a really powerful and unique woman.
All in all, I feel like this book is a great book, and especially with the interesting and unique way the series is structured, I will definitely continue and try to read the next book. If you’re looking for a light fantasy/historical fiction mix, this book is for you!
Review by Teen Advisory Board Member, 10/21/20
