M.J. Putney
ISBN #: 978-0-312-62284-8
Publisher Name: St. Martin’s Press/Griffin
Date Released: March 2011
Genre: Historical YA Romance
Book Format: Print


BACK COVER BLURB:

As the youngest daughter of the Earl of Countess of Fairmount, Lady Victoria “Tory” Mansfield is destined for a charmed like of status and wealth. The envy of many young girls, Tory knows she is lucky which is why she goes to great lengths to hide her special talent . . . magic. If her powers were exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Which is exactly what happens when a shocking accident forces Tory to reveal her magic, and she is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reformed school for other young men and women in her unique position.

What lies ahead is a strange and wonderful world where Tory will learn that it is not her social standing or her family’s wealth, but destiny and magic, true love and friendship, and courage and strength that determine her real worth as a young woman.

COVER SNARK:
The mirror image was a little weird to me. I get the theme but I wish the mirror image was something different.

FIRST LINES:

“Be damned to all mages!” the earl snarled as he stromed into the coffeehouse.

As someone who’s been reading romance from a ridiculously young age, I remember going to the bookstores and picking up every Mary Jo Putney historical novel the minute it became released. Loved her stuff. Then like most authors of that era they started getting a little stale to me and I stopped buying.

When DARK MIRROR came to me, I was interested in seeing where she was going, but I didn’t have the desire to read it. I was a fool. I wish I read it the moment it came in the mail instead of waiting almost two months.

If anyone is familiar with Ms. Putney’s historical novels they are seeped in detail, DARK MIRROR is no exception but I love how it’s tailored for a YA Audience, yet doesn’t dumb down the details. I also loved her world building. If there is anything bad that I can say is that it did seem bogged down at times and I wanted more of Tory and her love interest, but based on the time and circumstances, it was realistic that more focus wasn't placed on Tory and her romantic interest. It just wouldn't have been believeable historically. And if anything Mary Jo Putney is great with historical details.

I guess you’d like me to tell you something about the book . . .

Magic is in the world. But the aristocracy hates magic and feel that it is only something commoners should possess. Any high-born person who shows a trace of magic is cast off from society. Tory has magic and when she uses it to save a life, she is disowned from her family and sent to a school where they purge the magic from them. All Tory wants is to get back to the family that she loves and all she knows. Yet, she has a hard time getting rid of a big part of herself, which is her magic.

At her school Tory stumbles upon a secret society where instead of trying to get rid of their magic, they are learning to use and harness it. They are doing this for a good cause. Napoleon is close to invading England and they feel that they could use their powers to help save England. During one such training session they are raided and why trying to lead the raiders away from others in the group, she stumbles across a mirror. She runs towards it and finds herself waking up in 1940's England facing the invasion of Germany.

Yada, yada, yada. It’s good, buy it. I loved the historical details and the intricant plot. The charecters were realistic to their time and place. I do with the love story was more, but because of what the charecters were dealing with it didn't bother me.

That is all. Go forth and buy.

WHERE PURCHASED:
Won from Goodreads giveaway.

RATING: