Review: Eyes in the Mirror by Julia Mayer

Title: Eyes in the Mirror

Author: Julia Mayer

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: 8.1.2011

Pages: 214

Genre:

Series: No

Source: Finished copy for review from publisher

Rating: B-

Summary (from Goodreads):

Every teen girl fantasizes about having a double and best friend rolled into one-an alter ego with whom she can trade places, allowing her to disappear. Samara is a troubled and lonely adolescent, prone to cutting, who desperately craves both intimacy and escape from her unfulfilled life...until she meets her reflection, Dee, the seeming answer to all her problems.

With dual and dueling points of view, Eyes in the Mirror provides a perspective on one girl's life never before seen in YA fiction: her own and from her freer, wilder reflection.

Review:

When I was approached about reviewing Eyes in the Mirror, the initial description really grabbed me. Pairing that with the cover it was given, and I was all set for a good paranormal adventure. Reading the actual novel was somewhat of a disappointment on that front because the story is less paranormal and more realistic, but with a fantasy twist. Make sense? So, I suppose I should say that my disappointment didn’t come from Julia Mayer’s writing, but rather the way I thought this was proposed to me.

The novel is told from dual points of view—Dee and Samara, who eventually switch places in the mirror and experience the other half’s life. Both personalities are different enough that there is no confusing them (a blessing when the novel keeps shifting back and forth between them), and it was fascinating to see how each interpreted the same situation. Samara seemingly has it all on the surface, but is falling apart. Dee, on the other hand, comes from a family struggling financially, but has a great group of friends and a mom that loves her.

I felt the story kind of stalled in some places, but then shot forward out of a cannon at others. The cadence of it didn’t flow all the time, but the overall story was still entertaining and kept me interested. Some if the dialogue felt off and stilted, but it was something I eventually got used to. I cannot praise Mayer enough for addressing the issue of cutting. So few YA novels have the guts to tackle issues that many teens face. I felt this was especially important to me because I knew a cutter in high school.

While the premise and other parts of Eyes in the Mirror are far-fetched and unbelievable, it’s a good, fun escape-ish novel that I breezed through in an afternoon. I recommend you check it out for yourself. I highly doubt you’ll be sorry you did.