''Mira, Mirror'' is a 2004

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

novel written by Mette Ivie Harrison. The story of the novel is told from the viewpoint of the magic mirror from the

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...

". "Mira" is a main character.

Plot

A young girl, Mira, becomes an apprentice to a witch. The witch's other apprentice, Amanda, adopts Mira as a sister. Betraying their friendship, Amanda changes Mira into a magic mirror. The story refers to Amanda becoming the wicked queen of the "Snow White" fairy tale. Mira serves the wicked queen until her usefulness runs out and she is abandoned. Several years pass when Ivana, a peasant girl running away from her cruel father, stumbles upon Mira. Mira manipulates Ivana into becoming friends with a wealthy merchant's daughter named Talia. Mira does this in hopes of gaining her human form back. Mira uses her magic to change the girls' appearances so each resembles the other. Unexpectedly, Talia is quite happy with her new form as she is trying to escape an arranged marriage. Mira works with Ivana and Talia for each of them to achieve their goals.

Characters

*Mira: The story's

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

and point-of-view character. A witch's apprentice trapped in a mirror, she possesses a number of magical abilities, particularly the ability to change the appearance of people. *Zerba: A witch who purchases Mira at the start of the book. *Amanda: A witch's apprentice who the author alludes to being the wicked queen in the

fairy tale. *Ivana: A peasant girl who runs away from her family and encounters Mira. *Talia: The daughter of a merchant who is engaged to be part of an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

. *Merchant Minitz: The biological father of Talia, and adopted father of Ivana.

Reception

''Mira, Mirror'' received mixed reviews. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' gave an unfavorable review stating: "Purporting to explore weighty issues between sisters, of magic, power, and love, this weakly executed and excruciatingly tedious tale falls short." Praising the book for its story and writing, author and critic,

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. , he is the only person to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula Award in List of joint ...

said of the book: "I cannot recommend this novel highly enough." The New England Science Fiction Association reviewed the book as "enjoyable".

References

{{Snow White Mira, Mirror Mira, Mirror American fantasy novels Novels based on Snow White