This was a really unique book that mixes real life with fantasy, and delivers many twists and turns. It focuses on Cat, whose estranged identical twin, El, goes missing. Cat leaves her home in LA to return to the creepy old house where she and El grew up in Scotland, and where El and her husband are currently living. Cat is convinced that El is playing a trick on all of them, as evidenced through notes and emails she receives as well as her own past experience. The book takes the reader back and forth between their childhood, where they created a magical land called Mirrorland as an escape, to the current time where Cat is trying to figure out what actually happened to El.

The writing in this book was lyrical, and I could really envision the settings. I thought that the author did a nice job of bringing the reader along Cat's journey as she explored what had happened in her past. What initially felt like fantasy had a much more sinister vibe when it all came out, and I thought the loose ends were tied up nicely and what seemed unlikely started to make sense.

I must admit that I got a little bored reading about the Mirrorland segments- there was an extreme amount of detail and at least for the first half of the book, I didn't understand its relevance. The 2nd half of the book is when it all started coming together and was a much faster paced read. The narrative did switch back and forth between current times and past times, which was a little jarring; because I read this as an ARC, I am hoping that this will be cleared up by final release.

All in all, I would recommend this book, even though it is a tad slow in the beginning. There is a fantasy aspect which isn't for everyone, but I think it's worth the read even if that's not your genre. It's a unique story with beautiful prose and I was surprised to see it was a debut novel. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been 12 years since Cat has seen her mirror twin, El. The estranged twins have lived a world apart but now Cat must go home because El is missing. Believed dead by most everyone, Cat doesn’t buy it. Especially since she is finding clues that is bringing up the past, and a world the girls created when they were kids that Cat would rather not remember. Also emerging from the past are Cat’s feelings for Ross, El’s husband. Cat needs to figure out what is going on before she loses everything.
Mirrorland is unlike anything I’ve read before. Johnstone plays with reality in a way that has you questioning everything. Her writing is enthralling and the world that she has created is a place that I loved reading about but would never want to visit. This is the read for you if you want shocking twists and an eerie atmosphere.

I wanted to like this book, really. When I read that it was like Gone Girl + Room, I was excited. If you haven't read Room, it should be noted that there are many trigger warnings for abuse. As I got into the story, it was just ... not for me. It just didn't feel authentic and the world was poorly put together. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but there were so many unanswered questions at the end of the novel, but not in an "I hope the sequel answers them" kind of way. I'm sure the lack of past/present/future time knowledge is meant to be part of the magical elements, but it was just annoying to not know when the characters were. I can't say that I'd recommend this story, because of the abuse and because it's just difficult to read itself.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers of #Mirrorland for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an intense, intriguing, crazy ride this book was! Identical twins Cat and El have been estranged for many years. But when Cat finds out that El has gone missing, she returns from America to Edinburgh where the girls grew up to find out what is going on. She stays in her old house that her sister and her husband, Ross, have bought--and which holds all the memories that Cat has forgotten about. El has gone missing on her boat, but what made her leave? And who is emailing Cat with a clues? Crazy twisty right until the end. Loved it!

Carole Johnstone's writing is more lyrical than most writers out there today. It is actually a symphony of words that is both beautiful and hypnotic. Add to this a story that claims your attention immediately and holds on right up to the very end, all the while turning our emotions inside out.

Mirrorland is the story of identical twins who grew up in a house of horrors that follow them into adulthood. The traumas experienced as young children unfolds thorough twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up to the most extraordinary end ever.

This book is a gem and not to be missed.

It was pretty good! The atmosphere and plotting were pretty tight, and the story held its mystery hand well. In places, the connection between the two worlds felt messy, and it kinda became about something else at the end, which is in some ways is a success, but a lot of the conclusion and "postscript" felt a little tacked on.

I wanted to like this book, but I realized that I am not a fan of magical realism. One needs to be, in order to enjoy this novel. The storyline involves two identical twin girls, El and Cat, who lived with their mother and grandfather enduring abuse, only escaping by entering Mirrorland, a magical kingdon of their own creation, where they play and pretend to have adventures. That is until one day they run away to start new lives. Fast forward years later, the girls are grown. They don't speak to one another. Cat moved to America. El lives in the Mirrorland house with her husband, Ross. But, when El suddenly disappears in a sailing accident, Cat must return home to Mirrorland. Cat is convinced El is faking her death. Clues are left all around for Cat to find. She learns that she cannot trust anyone. She must discover for herself if El is alive or not. It is very twisted and dark with twists.
I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I love Scotland, and so if I book takes place there (and especially Edinburgh, my favorite city!), I am drawn in on that basis alone. This book was excellent for so many other reasons - it was easy to get into, and held my attention throughout. I thought that the blending of fantasy and reality was well-executed and intriguing, and I would read future books by this author!

Warnings for discussions of abuse.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

When Cat’s identical twin El is seemingly dead at sea, she travels back to Scotland to seek answers not only to her sister’s disappearance, but also to come to terms about their past and their following estrangement. What follows is a trippy tale of worlds created within their dysfunctional family, the man who tore them apart, and the very real mystery if El is alive and if so, why she chose to stage her own death.
Mirrorland marries fantasy with reality, secrets with painful truths, and love with betrayal. An intriguing and fast paced read.

A great blend of fantasy and reality, this psychological thriller is a page-turner! El and Cat are mirror identical twins, who grow up in a house full of fantasy and terror - their escape being Mirrorland, a fantasy world in the basement. They have a falling out as adults, and now El is missing, presumed dead, and Cat returns. El and her husband have purchased the childhood home, and Cat is forced to confront how much of her childhood was real, and how much was fantasy.

"Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.

But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues in almost every room: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting...

A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom."

What really keeps the pages turning is that the reader starts to realize what reality v. fantasy was before Cat, and you wonder if she will figure it out in time to save herself.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was really torn about this book. I was desperate to get to the end of it and find out what happened to Cat's identical twin sister El. I NEEDED to know what happened in Mirrorland and why the twins' mom was so afraid of everything. I tore through the parts of the book that would give me the answers that I couldn't sleep without knowing... But then I trudged along through some of the bits that don't quite make sense until later. Mostly because, in a book where half of it takes place in a twisted Wonderland-type imagination world and it jumps back and forth with no warning, it can be kind of hard to follow whether or not the thing you are reading is actually happening. I found myself having to go back and reread pages at a time once I got a clue (*her cell phone rang* "oh, this must be the real world! I thought this section took place in Mirrorland! Has to skip back 5 pages because I thought this was all a childhood fantasy", etc). There were also sections where you get a diary entry first, which makes no sense, then a flash back, then you have to go reread the diary entry to remember what cryptic thing was said to make it so important in the first place since a diary page with no context wasn't actually all that meaningful until after you read the backstory to realize WHY it was meaningful, pages later. So it actually took me quite a but longer to read than I thought it would because I had to keep going back repeatedly, but I knew I had to finish it, no matter how long it took. I just wasn't always super happy about it. Definitely a love/hate thing going on, learning more toward the love side since I definitely didn't anticipate how it was going to be in the end. Or the middle. I appreciate Netgalley for letting me review this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fast-paced and fun to read, this book will spark the imagination while also compassionately addressing the emotional and mental effects caused by an abusive childhood.

This is a story of identical twins who become estranged and one goes missing. It’s very similar The Girl In The Mirror, another thriller about identical twins where one goes missing. This book has a lot of fantastical elements to it, which didn’t really appeal to me. The mystery was compelling and the book is well-written, but I didn’t really click with this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for sending me this ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner/Simon & Schuster for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing gets me going quite like a moody, gothic-style novel with a “haunted house” at its center, and Carole Johnstone’s Mirrorland fits this mold perfectly. Catriona (Cat) is forced to return to Edinburgh and her childhood home when her twin sister Ellice (El) is reported missing after an apparent sailing accident. The twins had a falling out many years prior, and Cat moved to California - as far away from her past as possible. The only thing that seems to connect the two anymore is El’s husband Ross, who is a childhood friend and the one to phone Cat when El disappears. Cat reluctantly returns to Edinburgh, insistent upon the fact that El is not actually in danger, but manipulating them for attention - something she has been no stranger to in the past.

Upon arrival at her childhood home, Cat is struck with memories of the fantastical games she and El used to play filled with pirates, cowboys, and yes, clowns. The majority of this make-believe took place in Mirrorland - an imaginary world underneath the pantry stairs that belonged to El, Cat, and Ross. These fantastical pieces of the novel were somewhat difficult for me to get through, as I felt as though I was being pulled away from the center of the plot. However, looking back on the book in its entirety, I can appreciate why Johnstone chose to utilize this technique.

Alongside Cat’s haunting flashbacks to Mirrorland, there is something equally sinister at play in the real world, as Cat begins to receive letters of warning and clues to a “treasure hunt” she believes must be the workings of El. Is El really alive, or is Cat once again inventing scenarios to help her deal with reality?
3 stars overall - Johnstone’s writing is incredibly detailed and atmospheric, but in my opinion, there were too many plotlines to follow.

I really wanted to love this, and there were a lot of good parts, but I found that overall this had way too much going on. I found the plot that centered on a make-believe land to be original, but at times I felt bogged down by the details of it. I think that this might appeal more to other readers who like a lot of detail, but it wasn't to my liking. I found the plot to be overly dramatic to the point where my mind wandered while reading. I did enjoy that this had multiple unexpected twists, however I found some of it to be too over-the-top and not believable. I urge other readers to give this a shot, as it had many positives. It just wasn't my favorite..

Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from the gothic house in which she and her estranged twin sister El grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. But when El mysteriously disappears, Cat returns to the home - and a past -- that is full of ghosts and secrets, including Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns.

That’s the only bit of summary I’m giving about this one...
---

I truly didn’t know what to make of this when I first started reading it. It was clear that the writing was very good, but I couldn’t figure out if this involved magical realism or a main character that was almost completely untethered from reality or all of the above or some of the above or something else that I wasn’t even getting. I even got a little frustrated, to be honest, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Then it finally all came together. That veil lifted, and I was just absolutely blown away.

The center of this book -- the heart of it -- is pure genius. And I don’t say that lightly.

If you get a little frustrated in the beginning, like me, please push through. What seems blurry will begin to come into focus, and it is SO worth it once it does.

This book had me feeling so very deeply for the main characters. This is one of those rare stories that will fully engage you emotionally. I even found myself going back to reread portions, which I rarely ever do, and even studying the dang map of the house at the front of the book.

I know it’s early 2021, but I already know this is going to be a top read of the year for me. And look, I’ll also admit, it’s not perfect, but I just don’t think I care with this one. For instance, for me personally, I would have preferred if the story ended earlier, about 85% of the way through, according to my Kindle. It would have been a bit more believable and much darker, which is the way my taste tends to go. But one’s enjoyment of a novel is entirely subjective, and the twists and turns in that last part of the book -- which seemed a bit excessive to me -- will most likely make many die-hard thriller fans incredibly happy.

But SO much was done beautifully. The timing. The pacing. The reveals. The characters. The layers. The DEPTH.

This is A STAND out among psychological thrillers in terms of uniqueness and boldness and imaginativeness and creativity, and it will stick with me for a very long time to come.

If you like mysteries and thrillers - and especially psychological thrillers, you MUST read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!

I will post this on my blog and social closer to the publication date, unless the publisher requests a different timeline.

I was so confused with the storyline in this book. I was never quite sure when it was present day, in the past, if it was a dream or if any of it was even true. However, I will say that it all came together in the end and made sense, but getting there was a difficult read. I would definitely classify this as a psychological thriller which is not usually a type of book I read.
This is a story of mirror twin sisters who have been on estranged for many years. When El goes missing Cat returns to find that El has left her clues to her disappearance and situations for Cat to remember. Numerous twists and turns which at times I found very confusing.

MIRRORLAND
BY CAROLE JOHNSTONE

What did I just read? One of the best thrillers that I have enjoyed so much in probably the last five years. I really hope that my review can do this book the justice that it deserves. As I fully admit my strengths lie in reading more than they do in writing but suffice it to say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this deeply chilling atmospheric novel that has Gothic vibrations. From the very first sentence this wonderfully talented debut author Carole Johnstone had me hooked. I was completely sucked into this story and saying that I couldn't put it down is a cliche and a great understatement. This dark and richly atmospheric setting of the house itself was one of the most creepy and vivid houses that I have ever read in modern contemporary fiction which was in of itself one of the character's. I felt like Carole Johnstone's inclusion of the blueprints for the stone manor at number 36 Westeryk Road where most of the suspenseful and creepy plot takes place was a pure genius insight. It has all of the layout of both the rooms on the ground floor and also the rooms on the second floor. This really enhanced my reading experience and with her keen description's of each of the details describing the colors and the various furnishings gave me the opportunity to feel like I was inside them myself. The location of 36 Westeryk Road is located in a village called Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. There was always a sense of eery isolation in this scary house.

It begins with a terrific prologue of identical twins Catriona and Ellice at approximately twelve or thirteen year's old fleeing from what they refer to as the end of their first life and beginning their second lives where they are near the harbor.

Twenty years later Cat has been living in a condo at Venice Beach, California where she lives alone and is a freelance writer who lives paycheck to paycheck. Mostly writing for magazines and she has a blog and a verified twitter account with sixteen thousand followers. She mostly writes lifestyle articles and goes out to nightclubs at night alone. Her and her mirror twin El have been estranged for the last twelve years so she ignores her brother-in-law's 13 calls telling her that El is missing. El had gone out in her sailboat called the Redemption and never arrived to her destination that day. So Cat reluctantly books a flight back to Scotland from Los Angeles and her layover is in the John F. Kennedy airport where she consumes too much wine and doesn't eat her burger. She begins tuning into the missing person's search and rescue news broadcast from the BBC with shots of her brother-in-law, Ross with desperation and a grief stricken face. She watches two videos of two days of the search and rescue efforts on her laptop displaying images of both a tanned El and Ross. The waiter is perplexed because he confuses seeing El's smiling face with a banner saying missing woman at sea on Cat's screen. Cat explains to him that the broadcast is her identical twin.

When Cat is greeted by Ross she is jet lagged and hungover from her international flight and she is stunned to see that the house at 36 Westeryk Road has all of the same furniture as if it has been frozen in time. All the rooms are virtually the same and the windows are still nailed shut. That first day home Cat hears the doorbell chime and when she opens it nobody is there. However laid down on the doormat is an envelope that says CATRIONA in bold, black, block letters. When she opens it she sees it is a sympathy card saying: "Thinking of you." When she opens up the card it says: LEAVE.

Cat and Ross get a visit from a man and a woman who have driven up in a Mercedes. The woman is in charge and she is Detective Inspector Rafiq with a man who is Sargent Inspector Logan. Ross starts accusing them of giving up on the search for Ellice and they reassure him that they had to call it off temporarily because of the storm but they are going to resume the search with the Coastguard for one more day but that they are not giving up on the investigation. Cat tells Detective Inspector Rafiq and Detective Sargent Logan that she doesn't think that El is missing or that she is dead because she thinks El is close by in the area and then she gives them her mysterious card which is slipped into an evidence bag. Cat explains that nobody but Ross and El knew that she was in Leith so the card must be from El. Cat tells Ross, D.I. Rafiq that she finds that it is just like El to disappear only to turn up a few days later after causing all of this commotion. Besides Cat feels deep down that if her sister was dead that she would have sensed it and she hasn't. Ross says that the two of them were going through difficulties lately because El was always either spending her time painting or on that damn sailboat and he was busy working as a psychologist. He discloses that El seemed mildly depressed but nothing major. Cat walks outside to see the two detective's to their car and D.I. Rafiq asks Cat if there is anything that they ought to be aware of that Cat might've not wanted to bring up in front of Ross and Cat says no.

I didn't even get into the twin's secret hiding spot under the pantry stairs that they called "Mirrorland." There are clowns, a witch and pirates. Blackbeard and Bluebeard. Blackbeard was a monster who fed women and children into the water to the sharks and Bluebeard was a man who hung up his prey on coat hooks. There is a love triangle which adds complexities to drive the plot. Cat starts getting emails that are cryptic in nature with the subject line saying: HE KNOWS with a treasure hunt each containing a clue that only El would know about from a mysterious John Smith from a gmail account. If I could give you one piece of advice it is to read this paying very close attention to all of the details. This was such a fantastic twisty turn of a thriller with a final reveal that is impossible to see coming. This was one thrilling read that I literally read in one sitting that I never wanted it to end. The only downside is that I know for 2021 this is the top thriller for me. After this one there is no topping it for the genius of imagination that it took to write a masterpiece like "Mirrorland." I am so grateful to have read something soooooooooo great. Definitely buying this as a pre-order as it will remain that special favorite in the thriller genre. And to think that this is Carole Johnstone's debut. She is an author to keep my eye on and I look forward to reading anything that she writes in the future. Enjoy! Highly, Highly recommended to fans of this genre.

Publication Date: April 20, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Carole Johnstone and Simon & Schuster--Scribner for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Mirrorland #CaroleJohnstone #Simon&Schuster-Scribner #NetGalley

I am shocked that this is a debut. This type of story is not my usual cup of tea- fantasy, adventure, but...it reminded me of The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman, which I love.
The prologue takes us to 1998, Scotland. Ellice(El) and Catriona(Cat) are twins and as children, they created their own world called Mirrorland which is a magical (imaginary) realm in the cupboard full of clowns, pirates, witches, and anything else their minds can come up with. We soon learn that for 12 years, since they were 19, the twins have been living separate lives on different continents, El remained in the family home in Scotland and Cat went to Venice Beach. There's no real contact between them, just memories and even those vary from person to person. El disappears one afternoon on her boat and is presumed dead, which prompts Cat’s return. This entire time El has been married to the love of their (both twins) life and that marriage may not have been all that perfect, according to people who knew El.

Cat soon begins to suspect that El's husband is not who he portrays himself to be and this makes her begin to question everything as the past and present converge and real-life and fantasy become more confusing, and long-suppressed memories from the fantastical Mirrorland begin to emerge. This book was a beautiful portrayal of sisters, dysfunction, trauma response mechanisms, and how far our own minds will go to protect us. I absolutely loved it and will be buying a physical copy upon publication!

I really wasn't sure if I was going to like this book initially. It's very descriptive and initially there's a lot of content about pirates, being on a ship, etc. and I was a bit bored.

However, around 20% of the way through, I was fully invested. I'm really glad I stuck with it because it's a really great book. As the action picked up, I started to enjoy the detailed descriptions and fantasy elements.

It's not exactly a traditional thriller until closer to the end, but I like the combo of styles. I would definitely recommend this book to friends!