The Mirror Souls had been on my book shelf for a while. I’ve always loved the cover, that’s one of the things that drew me in, that and the fact it is written by Julia Scott. Julia was the formatter for my own book and she is a genuinely lovely person, so I wanted to support her any way I could. I admit, sci-fi isn’t my thing, nor is dystopian fiction if I’m honest, but something kept telling me that this was different, and boy was I right!
If I say sci-fi and the first image that springs to mind is laser guns and men in white plastic suits, then think again. Same for the dystopian setting, it’s not all about burning buildings and sparse landscapes. The Mirror Souls is in fact set hundreds of years after Earth’s downfall. It’s had time to recover from the damage that human’s imparted on the great planet, but we are no longer trusted with the keys to this wagon.
Ruled by a consortium of other races, which you would call aliens, we join the main character, Alana, and her family in an area that appears to be a part of the UK. Earth has been divided into regions and areas that have corresponding numbers so, while Julia drops in the occasional name of a country that we know, she does an amazing job of setting the scene so there is no doubt which part of the world we are in. And, whats more, she does it so subtly. All elements of world building are drip fed throughout the book so you never feel overwhelmed with new information, or left confused because you don’t know enough.
What I really loved were the characters themselves. You really get a feel for who these people are – their opinions, their struggles – and you find yourself feeling every rise, and fall, and reveal as they might. There are plenty of mysteries to be uncovered along the way, with some surprising outcomes.
There is something so heartwarming and comforting about The Mirror Souls, it’s hard to put your finger on. For me, I think part of that is the story revolves around the people and their relationships, rather than the other way around. I’d also say, being set in the YA/NA bracket has really complimented the novel too. It’s an easy read, the language isn’t overly complicated, and you’ll find yourself drawn in to the point where hours pass without you noticing. I had a really hard time putting it down.
It’s safe to say that I am hooked on The Mirror Souls and can’t wait for the second installment. I suffered with a serious book hangover when I got to the end, staring at the last page for a good amount of time with thoughts of ‘what the hell?’, ‘that can’t be the end!’, ‘where’s the rest of it?’ and ‘Julia can’t do this to me!’.
Now I’m over the initial slump, I do find myself on occasion thinking back over the book and daydreaming about what may happen next. All I know is that a mysterious Dray features quite heavily in my version.
A great, easy read that will leave you wanting so much more!
For your copy of The Mirror Souls, head to Amazon and keep up with Julia Scott on Instagram.
Speak soon, Jodie xxx
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