Disclaimer: I received the e-arc and a finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Broken Wish

Author: Julie C. Dao

Book Series: The Mirror Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: fantasy, ya fantasy, magic lovers

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (slight violence and gore, romance, sexism, homophobia mentioned, grief, death)

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 320

Synopsis: 1865
Hanau, Germany

Sixteen-year-old Elva has a secret. She has visions and strange powers that she will do anything to hide. She knows the warnings about what happens to witches in their small village of Hanau. She’s heard the terrible things people say about the Witch of the North Woods, and the malicious hunts that follow. But when Elva accidentally witnesses a devastating vision of the future, she decides she has to do everything she can to prevent it. Tapping into her powers for the first time, Elva discovers a magical mirror and its owner—none other than the Witch of the North Woods herself. As Elva learns more about her burgeoning magic, and the lines between hero and villain start to blur, she must find a way to right past wrongs before it’s too late.

Review: Oh my I really loved this book! It's a dark retelling and the overall story spans multiple generations. The character development is amazing and, this being my first time reading Julia Dao, I'm very excited to read some more of her work. The world building was also well done and the plot kept me intrigued from beginning to end.

The only issue I had was pacing. I thought the book was super slow in some spots, but overall I really enjoyed the book.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

Original fairy tale books such as this are a fresh take on the myriad of retellings (though I do love retellings). Julie does a great job at setting up the world that Elva lives in. The rules of the magic are believable and I couldn't help but think of Rumplestiltskin saying "all magic comes with a price" when it as explained.

The book is a great beginning to the next books to come as well as it's a good standalone story. While some parts may have ben predictable, I was still crying at the climax and hurting along with them.

Give this book a read if you're looking for a new fairy tale world to be sucked into that feels both familiar and awe inspiring at the same time.

I loved the idea of this series as soon as I heard of it and I’ve been wanting to read some of Julie Dao’s work for a while, so I was really looking forward to reading this! I found that the lyrical prose and the characters easily pulled me into the story. The romance element felt a little flat to me, but it didn’t really bother me as the book went on and it wasn’t the main focus. I thought Julie Dao did a great job of talking about prejudice and I really liked the magic elements, too. The magic itself wasn’t anything spectacularly unique, but it was talked about in a unique way: give and take was a recurring theme and one that lent itself amazingly to the surprising ending. The ending is what made this a four star read for me, in fact, and it leaves me wondering what is to come in this series! I’m glad I got to read this and I would recommend it to any YA fantasy fan who is looking for any easy read (by which I mean it’s easy to just enjoy without thinking too hard).

Are you in need of a fairytale that will captivate you, move you and break your heart? This is it. I adored this book and I cannot wait until there are more in this series. Magic, broken promises, terrible visions, betrayal, love, friendship-what's not too love?

For libraries: Definitely worth buying if you have fans clamoring for more fairytales and retellings.

I love the way Julie C. Dao writes. Her books have a magic way of just completely sucking you and keeping you enraptured until the very end. She's so great at weaving a magical, fairy-tale world and writes female characters that are so strong and admirable. This story also had some powerful messages that I think make it a book that should be read by many. I really loved this story, and I'm so glad I got to read it early!

Thank you so much to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this gorgeous book.

This book seriously surprised me. I wanted to read it because I have a soft-spot in my heart for Julie C. Dao (her Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is one of my favorite anti-hero books ever), but honestly wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. This book talks about so many hard topics like prejudice, revenge and being good vs bad.

A married couple moves to a town to get away from a reputation the husband didn't deserve. He didn't get any money from his father (it all went to his legitimate son) and he just wanted to start somewhere new so they can be upstanding and loved citizens of a community. When his wife becomes friends with someone who is considered an outcast, she has to make a decision to either keep a friendship she has come to cherish or follow her husband on the path of becoming loved by the community.

Her choice is a ripple effect.

Fast forward a few years and the wife has a daughter who seems to have a lot of the same abilities that her friend has. She has another hard decision : hide that part of her daughter or let her daughter shine.

This book deals a lot with witches and how people perceive them (I've been trying to tip-toe around not mentioning witches, but here we are). I honestly thing the author did a fantastic job bringing together how hate and prejudice can not only effect the person it is aimed towards, but the community that they are apart of. This just reinforces my life motto : just be kind.

The writing and story telling reads just like a fairy-tale and I am excited to see what the next author is going to do with this family lineage!

The Mirror: Broken Wish is a beautiful upcoming release from Disney Publishing, a fantasy tale reminiscent of older Disney tales with a bit of a darker theme. Broken Wish is one of the first books I've read in a multi-author series (and I'm anxious for the next installment already). After finishing the first book I'm curious to see how the next books progress the storylines while at the same time maintaining each author's individuality.

There were some unique parallels in the relationships between Mathilda (the witch) and Agnes (the mother), and Mathilda and Elva (the daughter). The character development is on point for this story, so you very quickly develop an investment in discovering what happens to the characters. We see how one choice can have lasting unintended consequences, and how the consequences can affect more than just the person making the decision. In addition to the importance of decisions and their consequences, we also see the importance of friendship, promises, and magic. Readers of any age can learn a lot from the lessons the characters go through in the story.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales that aren’t all sunshine and roses, and who is ok with having no guaranteed happily ever after in the first book of a series. You get the Disney style writing, with some of the darker themes that aren’t usually present in the stories that Disney puts out. The cameo of the Brothers Grimm was a definite bonus and helped to tie together some of the dark fairytale archetypes present in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing for my free e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

Actual rate: 3,5 stars!
It took me some time to sit and read this book, but finally, when I started, I couldn’t stop until I finished it.
I really enjoyed this read, I liked the narrative style, the plot, and the concept, although in some point the narrative turned to be a little slow for my taste. The story is rich and complex with wonderful fantasy elements and the little girl inside me loved being in fairy-tale land.
Also, I enjoyed the friendship developed in the story, however, I had a hard time trying to understand the main character’s motives, I guess her actions are part of the growing up kind of thing, but still, something got lost in the process.
Overall is a nice story with great elements.
I received an ARC from Disney publishing Worldwide through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was super curious about The Mirror Broken Wish. My daughter has read many books that were reinvented fairy tales, so I thought maybe this would put an interesting twist on what seemed to start off as a typical Disney Princess fairy tale. For me the beginning of the book seemed a little slow and somewhat predictable. I was super disappointed that Agnes chose to take advantage of her friendship with Mathilda. But the story did become interesting, when Elva started to show signs of having special powers and how her parents tried to keep their family secret. I had a really hard time pushing through this book, but then again I am not the target audience. I could definitely see how this book could spark the interest of teen girls.

I did receive an Advance Reader Copy of the book from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.

Julie C.Dao has pretty much established herself as a master in dark and twisty fairytale retellings. Following up from the deliciously dark and sweeping Forest of a Thousand Lanterns duology and companion, her latest book is a dark and bittersweet fairytale that sets up the stage for a series that follows a curse that spans multiple generations of the same family. In Broken Wish, we are introduced to the curse’ origin, set in the backdrop of the quaint town of Hanau in 1865 Germany, the town that originated the Grimm Brothers and their fairytales.

Broken Wish is about a broken promise – of course – but it is also about unlikely friendships, betrayal, acceptance and the sinister side of fairytales. The story follows Elva, a 16 year old girl who struggles to hide her magic in a town that has spurned a witch for decades, knowing very well what her secret would cost her parents’ hard earned position in the gossipy town. But when she sees a vision that signals doom, she know she has to act, and she sets on a journey to find more about her magic, birth and, the tales that surround the mysterious witch of the Northern Woods.

The book employs so many well loved and known fairytale tropes. There’s also a hint of tales we love – a little bit of Rapunzel, little bit of Snow White, and a little bit of Beauty and the Beast. There were superstitions surrounding numbers, wishing wells, and old wives tales of witches who eat children. The familiarity is so soothing, and it helped set up the fairytale feel of the overall story. It definitely reads more like upper MG than a YA novel – and I really loved the liberty the book takes without compromising on the tone and impact.

Owing to the fairytale feel, this is such a fast paced and quick read with a tight and well woven plot. I finished the book in one setting, and the tension was built up so well. However, Julie doesn’t compromise on characters either. Yes there are some who are obviously villains and heroes, but there were characters you loved who continued to be stubborn and did questionable things, and then some who surprised you with their goodness or evil streak. My favourite was Cay, Elva’s younger brother, a smart and sensitive young boy whose curiosity and gentle heart was so endearing.

Elva herself was such a sweet, kind hearted girl who immediately captures the reader’s heart. On the flip side is Mathilda, who has built so many walls around her after years of loneliness and heartache. (She reminded me of Elphaba from Wicked!) The friendship they have is so so beautiful and giving, and the tender relationship was definitely the heart of the story.

Mathilda’s arc was also built on acceptance and prejudice. It broke my heart to see how people are so quick to judge and hate, but then in the world we live in now, is that even strange? Julie also brings up the sinister side of stories, that sometimes these stories we love so much could actually be harmful for some people because of the way it misrepresents them or reveals secrets they don’t want to be known.

Overall, Broken Wish is a perfect little dark and bittersweet fairytale that is perfect for this season, with a spooky and magical warmth that will remind you of childhood love of stories and fairytales. Don’t forget to pre order it at your favourite indie bookstore!

I didn’t fully understand how much I was going to love this book. The world-building is vivid and the magic of the story swirls around it creating this timeless setting for readers to fall into!! There is so much to love about this! And the fact that this story is part one of four dealing with the descendants of this book !! It’s going to be amazing .... minus the wait !

Much love to NetGalley and Disney for giving me the advance copy !,

Elva lives in a small, suspicious village, where the people hate anything, or anyone, that’s different. And while Elva pretends to be completely normal, she has a secret: she has visions of the future, and until now, all her visions of them have come true. But when she has a vision that shows a devastating future, she has to do whatever she can to stop it. She’ll even go to the evil witch in the woods and seek help from her, all without knowing how this witch is connected with her family and her past.

I received an advanced reading copy of Broken Wish in exchange for an honest review.

Broken Wish is a young adult fantasy novel by Julie C. Dao. I’ve been a fan of Dao since I read Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, part of the Rise of the Empress series. In that series, she rewrote the story of Snow White and the Evil Queen, so when I heard that she’d be rewriting some fairy tales with a bunch of other amazing writers, of course I was immediately interested!

Broken Wish is part of a new series, one of four novels which follow the story of the same family through several generations. The series is called The Mirror, and has four books, each written by a different author. Dao started us off in Germany in the 1800s, and the story she wove was certainly a great way to kick off a series!

The focus of this book is around friendship and family. Elva, our main character, cares about her parents and brothers and wants to protect them. That’s what leads her to take every action here, including meeting the witch in the woods. It was refreshing to have a focus on family and friendship, rather than romance, and I felt even closer to Elva because of it.

As for the plot, it starts out fairly simple, but I was startled to discover that the book was completely character-led. It was impressive to see how a story so based on magic actually depended on the choices the characters made throughout the book.

It was really choices, now that I think about it, that control this book. Every single choice made in this book is vital, and affects everything. It speaks to how we can affect our lives and environments, and it made me think about the choices I make in my daily life.

Broken Mirror is a fun start to a series that is full of magic and wonderful characters, and I can’t wait to read the next installment, Shattered Midnight, by Dhonielle Clayton.

Broken Mirror will be released on October 6. You can pre-order your copy from Disney Hyperion here.

Thanks to Partner NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the digital ARC of Julie C. Dao’s Broken Wish in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.

Julie C. Dao’s Broken Wish is the first in a series of four YA novels spanning generations of a cursed family. (The authors are heavy hitters: Dhonielle Clayton, L. L. McKinney, and Jennifer Cervantes will round out the series.)

I requested this one because it has so many elements I love, including witches and magic and romance. The Grimms appear, and so do magic mirrors and wishing wells. It’s a beautiful tribute to folklore and fairy tales.

The book begins with a familiar story: a couple moves into a small cottage in 1840s Germany. The wife, Agnes, befriends a neighbor through baskets and gifts and written notes but hesitates to pursue the friendship because of rumors her husband Oskar has heard. Eventually, though, the two women meet and solidify their friendship, and the solitary woman, Mathilda, offers to help Agnes with her dearest wish, to have a child. She only asks in return that Agnes maintain their friendship.

Oskar, however, is opposed--he’s been an outcast before and wants to escape that fate. So Agnes lies to Mathilda and breaks her promise, despite the fact that Mathilda succeeds in helping her fiend. Agnes does indeed have a daughter. Agnes’s dishonesty and betrayal begins the curse.

The narrative picks up with the couple’s daughter, Elva, who has a strange magical ability and no knowledge of her parents’ history. Her parents have stayed true to their desperation not to be outcasts and have trained Elva to hide her magic from everyone, which she does . . . until she falls in love.

Broken Wish is a lovely novel, filled with all the magic a lover of fairy tales could want. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I think it’s perfect for YA readers (and some middle-graders!). I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

The Mirror Broken Wish
by Julie C. Dao
Disney Publishing Worldwide
You Like Them
Disney-Hyperion
Teens & YA
Pub Date 06 Oct 2020 | Archive Date 06 Oct 2020

I was really curious about Disney Publishing Worldwide and wanted to like this book. There was no true resolution in the end so I ended up being disappointed. However, this author will draw middle-grade
readers to the book. Thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the ARC.
3 star

The time is the mid-nineteenth century in a small German village filled with superstitions and fear of the unknown or the “different.” For sixteen-year-old Elva, keeping her growing powers of magic a secret is becoming more and more difficult. She knows what happens to witches and she’s heard the horrors of meeting up with the Witch of the North Woods.When she sees a vision of devastating proportions, she must find a way to prevent what happens without revealing her secrets. Must she find the feared witch to attempt to get the help she needs? What she discovers is far from what she has ever known, now it is a race against time to undone the wrongs of the past to change a dark and horrible future. The answers may lie in the magical mirror she found…

BROKEN WISH by Julie C. Dao is a haunting tale of secrets, pain, deceit and fear as one girl risks everything to save those she loves and the only life she has ever known.

Ms. Dao has created an atmosphere of magical proportions with her words! Enter into the past where times were simpler, yet more complicated, isolated and fear of the unknown or different are treated as evil. Feel the desperation of one girl as she befriends the mysterious witch and learns of the betrayals she has endured. Rich descriptions, amazing characters with flaws and pain and the innocence, this tale is like falling into another time and place where magic is possible.

Prepare to be saddened, angered and feel the fear these characters feel. Elva is a positive and strong young female character role model and this story highlights the pain people can inflict through ignorance and selfishness.

Wonderfully written! Julie C. Dao is an author to watch!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Disney-Hyperion! This is my honest and voluntary review.

I went in to this book not knowing much about it besides there were fairy tales and it was an author I've adored. The story really captured the fairy tale vibes with the way it encompassed the passing of time and how different generations were involved. The writing was addicting, though I had some issues with the pacing of the book. The ending was totally unexpected and I'm sort of curious as to where the series can go next.

The power of promises is at the heart of this fantasy/fairytale origin story. After breaking a promise to a neighboring witch, a woman gives birth to a daughter with magic and sets a family curse in motion. In order to save her family and end the curse, Elva must make amends with the witch and learn to use her magic for good.

I am a big fan of Julie Dao’s writing and she did not disappoint in this novel. She has such a firm grasp on language, and each page had a lyrical, magical quality. The book is definitely leisurely-paced, echoing the pastoral setting and slower pace of life of this family and town. Because of this, there were moments when the plot lags, particularly in the middle. If you are a fan of action over characterization, this is not the book for you.
One of my favorite aspects of the book is the development of setting. We are taken to a small German village that fears the unknown and is incredibly unkind to those who are different. This small, close-minded town is juxtaposed to the seemingly endless magical forest, which contains many mysteries. I like the movement back and forth between those two worlds, and the idea of a woman living on the cusp between them.

The major letdown for me with this book is the ending. It felt unfinished and pointless, as nothing came from the major action at the end. Additionally, two of the major plot points of the book were never resolved. Although this is a first book in a planned series, it appears that future books are mostly separate from this story, so we will never get a real resolution.

Ultimately, the lack of a resolution ruined the story for me personally. Still, the book is well written and the characters are interesting enough to make this book a potential choice for middle grade readers with an interest in fairytales.

The Mirror: Broken Wish is the first book in a series that spans four books where they are connected by the curse that plagues a family over several generations. Each book will be written by a different best-selling YA author (Julie C. Dao, Dhonielle Clayton, Jennifer Cervantes, L. L. McKinney). Dao’s novel is the beginning when two friends make a promise, only for one to break it and her family to become cursed. This story actually follows sixteen year old Elva, the daughter of one of those two friends. She is the first cursed from her mother’s broken wish. Elva can see the future in reflections. And thus, a magical, fast-paced, riveting, enchanting start to a series that readers will be unable to put down. The story takes queues from Grimm Brother’s fairytales. The romance is swoon-worthy, while the ending falls a bit on the darker side. Fans of disney fairytales or fairytales in general will definitely want to check this series out. Be sure to read The Mirror: Broken Wish today. Highly recommended!!

Another great retelling of fairy tales in Dao`s creative way. I loved the characters and their growth in the story. An unexpected ending resonated with me.

I knew I wanted to read this when I saw the amazingly talented and diverse authors who were going to be penning this series together. There are many things I enjoyed about this book. I love the way it read like a classic fairytale, taking nods to familiar stories (I personally got Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Wicked vibes) while managing to feel like its own completely unique story. It felt like a Grimm's tale that I just hadn't read yet. I also loved the wonderful mixture of magic and romance and friendship and betrayal and mystery. It was just a fun book to read, and an easy book to get yourself lost in.

I also loved the characters. I enjoyed Elva as a protagonist. In some ways I wish the book would have delved even deeper into her character, but we do see the ways in which she is both kindhearted and flawed, and the strong way she handles the various circumstances thrust upon her. There is a level of distance there that feels very characteristic of a classic fairytale anyway. I was definitely surprised at the way the book ended, and now I'm so interested to see how the family curse will play itself out in the next book and what the next generation will look like. I can't wait for the next installment!