Rachael @ Moosubi ^__^

One of the things I love about stories is that no matter how absurd something might seem, someone is able to come up with something spectacular. The Mirror and the Meretrix is a prime example of this - it combines classic courtroom drama and mystery with mythology and fairy tales.

I think one of the biggest pluses about this story for me was that it reminds me of my one of my all time favorite games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In both the video game and the story, there is a young, confident, inexperienced and talented lawyer who defends underdogs in court in order to either prove them innocent or lessen their punishment in some way. In order to do so, they examine crime scenes or places of interest, as well as cross examining the testimonies of witnesses. Combined with my endless marathons of Detective Conan, Criminal Minds, Suits, and NCIS, I think it's safe to assume that I'm a huge fan of crime or legal dramas, as well as novels such as The Mirror & The Meretrix that follow the genre.

On the other hand, you also have numerous retellings of those (now not-so) sweet fairy tales you remember. Sure, there's some angels, centaurs, and mythology involved, but most of the story is centered around around fairy tales. One may be upset to see the oh-so-sweet fairy tales twisted into such malicious matters, but I, for one, was interested in how the author was able to turn the tales of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Little Red Riding Hood, and many more into one epic tale. Overall, seeing glimpses of many tales blended into an intense story was certainly a treat for me, especially one involving legal drama.

I also thought that the characters were well developed, with distinct but certainly likable personalities. All of them were reasonably confident, fiercely loyal to each other, and bring special "skills" per se to the table. Each of their POVs also brought different insights, adding more plot layers. My only complaint is that sometimes, due to the multiple POVs, I figured out what was going to happen or who was responsible for whatever because one character in one POV already found a clue that connects to another, eventually leading to the solution. Of course, since the beginning, the author already gives you a basic idea of who the culprit is, so I suppose it's inevitable, although I admit that the author does a good job weaving an intricate story from a seemingly basic case.

Overall, The Mirror & The Meretrix is an amazing and complicated read, filled with suspense and lots of mysterious fun! I can't wait to read its sequel! This isn't a light read - there's a bit of info-dumping in the beginning. However, if you're a fan of crime or legal fiction, or are a fan of fairy tales (but not a traditionalist), this book will definitely be a treat for you