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Nowait is a winged girl from far away Miraven, who has travelled to Walwyn by the magical portals known as Shiftings. Her loneliness drives her to spy on the handsome stranger, Prince Niko, as he secretly sneaks off to bathe in some, secluded, beautiful waterfalls. When he travels to recruit the Seer, Lady Tannys, to return to the palace, Nowait follows. She soon makes friends with the old Seer, and agrees to take Niko through the Shiftings to her homeland – so that they may stave off an impending invasion. But the invasion isn’t the only threat that the island Kingdom of Walwyn faces. Niko’s half-mad cousin, Minaleus, currently languishing in exile, is planning a coup; more determined than ever to end the reign of the current royal family of Walwyn and take the throne for himself. Lady Tannys has also had a terrifying vision of a legendary monster that has nothing but horror in its heart. Can Nowait really be the key to Walwyn’s survival? Or will she be forever doomed to live a lonely existence, always in fear?
Although Mirror of the Sea is the second book in Lepore’s Magic of Miraven series – it is more than possible to read it as a stand-alone book. The events take place some years after the events of the first book in the series – Where the Moon has Been. It’s a refreshing change to many other series in the fantasy genre, meaning that one can read either book, and still be able to enjoy the singular story.
Mirror of the Sea starts off strong, immediately grabbing the reader and plunging them into a world of vivid magic, courtly intrigue and heart-pounding visions. However, at times, there are issues in the narrative which need to be addressed. The writing is scrappy at times, with a few grammatical mistakes which need to rectified. There are also more than a few scenes which feel as though they’ve been rushed – not quite matching the flow of the rest of the narrative which can leave the reader feeling somewhat lost.
Saying that, Mirror of the Sea is a charming novel. It is beautifully written if one ignores the few lapses.
S. A
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the original review here.
Mirror of the Sea is available to buy on Amazon. Click it’s name to purchase.