A Mirror Mended is the next installment in USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow’s Fractured Fables series.
Zinnia Gray, professional fairy-tale fixer and lapsed Sleeping Beauty, is over rescuing snoring princesses. Once you’ve rescued a dozen damsels and burned fifty spindles, once you’ve gotten drunk with twenty good fairies and made out with one too many members of the royal family, you start to wish some of these girls would just get a grip and try solving their own narrative issues.
Just when Zinnia’s beginning to think she can’t handle one more princess, she glances into a mirror and sees another face looking back at her: the shockingly gorgeous face of evil, asking for her help. Because there’s more than one person trapped in a story they didn’t choose. Snow White’s Evil Queen has found out how her story ends, and she’s desperate for a better ending. She wants Zinnia to help her before it’s too late for everyone. Will Zinnia accept the Queen’s poisonous request and save them both from the hot-iron shoes that wait for them, or will she try another path?
Friends in my book club raved about the first book in this series, so I immediately requested the second when I saw it on NetGalley. I mistakenly thought each book was a standalone focusing on a different fairy tale. Teaches me to read the fine print first.
I’ve got such a weakness for snarky characters, which is why I immediately connected with Zinnia. As a long time professional fairy tale fixer and lapsed Sleeping Beauty, she’s more than ready for damsels and princesses to start taking control of their own narratives. When she sees Snow White’s Evil Queen staring back at her in a mirror, Zinnia is pulled into an alternate world fairy tale (think Spiderverse). Sparks fly between them, and not in a good way at first, but it not surprisingly turns into an enemies to lovers kind of relationship. It’s also a nice reminder of how people shouldn’t let labels (or the parts they play in fairy tales) define them. You can be the hero of your own story.
Although backstory from the first book is sprinkled throughout this followup, I never felt like I completely understood what happened or much about Zin’s disease. I’d recommend reading A Spindle Splintered first. At novella length, these books can easily be read in a couple hours or so.
If you enjoy snarky, self-deprecating main characters, twists on traditional fairy tales, and clever writing, this is a fun way to spend a few hours.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Books and Such 
Great review, Teri. I love snarky characters too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Have a wonderful weekend 💕🙂
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I guess since I’m full of snark, I figure they’re my people, Harmony, lol. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!
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Good review and thanks for the heads-up about reading the first book beforehand!
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I wish I would have grabbed a friend’s copy at bookclub that night, but I honestly thought each book was a different fairy tale. The author sprinkled in details in this second novella, but I was still confused about some things. My own fault.
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Wow! What a story premise! Sounds like a great read!
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Grimm fairy tales are mentioned several times also, Jan – talk about your dark stories. This was a great concept.
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for sharing the review. I also love snarky characters, and i also have seen you had reviewed so many other interesting books too. Thanks a lot, i will stroll around over the next weekend! Best wishes, Michael
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Snarky characters steal my heart every time, Michael – thanks for sharing, and have a great weekend!
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I like the concept and that fairytale fixer profession. Great review,Teri!
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Right? What a fantastic and creative idea. Thanks, Yesha!
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This sounds great! I’m off to look at A Spindle Splintered!
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Yes! Definitely grab that first book before starting on this one, Caro.
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I love snarky characters, too 🙂 This sounds like a good one!
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Snarky and morally gray seem to be my favorite types of characters, Jacquie. Not sure what that says about my psychological profile, lol.
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Nice to know to read the first book in the series first! Sounds like a very fun series.
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I’d highly recommend it, Wendy, and both of these are quick reads. Sure gave me some good laughs.
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I’m a huge fan of snarkiness, Teri. This sounds really good, but I’ll take your advice and start with the first. It sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for the review and recommendation. 🙂
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Those snarky characters grab my heart every time, Diana, lol. Definitely start with the first book. If I had time, I’d go back and read it myself.
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I wish the new mainstream books weren’t so pricy. With the amount of reading I do, I’d go broke. I ended up favoriting this one.
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If I didn’t use NetGalley, I’d have been broke years ago, lol. Saved tons of $$$!
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Yeah, I figured. It’s a great way to source books and you get a lot of good ones!
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I love twists on traditional fairy tales, and clever writing, Teri! This sounds like an intriguing book. Thank you for the review! 🙂
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Seems like twists on fairy tales have gotten really popular over the past several years, Miriam. Plenty of them out there to choose from, but this one is probably the most unique one I’ve come across. Thanks for dropping by!
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Yes, they have, Teri! When I first saw the musical Into the Woods, I had a little resistance. But after that, I even tried to write one. It’s quite interesting.
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That’s a pretty cool spin on things.
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Right? Professional fairy tale fixer – how cool is that?
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Oooo…this sounds so good. So, you would recommend starting with Book 1? Excellent review!
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Definitely, Tessa. I caught some things, but I was still confused about everything that happened. With both of the books being novellas, they’re quick reads.
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