I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

When I read Silver in the Bone last year, I definitely enjoyed it, but it didn't take my breath away. It was a fun, well-written young adult fantasy, and I personally loved the Arthurian influences. The Mirror of Beasts is completely different in that it is absolutely amazing and probably the best young adult novel I've read this year.

The Mirror of Beasts continues Tamsin's story after restoring Avalon to its place in the real world, unintentionally freeing Lord Death from his makeshift prison, an ancient pseudo-deity who has recruited her own brother in his plans to rip through the world, destroying sorceresses and anyone else who gets in his way. His actual motivation is a mystery, but one Tamsin and her party are determined to find out. I absolutely loved the emphasis on sisterhood and female friendship in this second installment; Tamsin, Neeve, Katrina, and Alwyn were an amazing group to follow, each with their own personalities and convictions. I had not caught on to the romance brewing in the group in the first book, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was made more obvious. Speaking of romance, Emrys has returned after betraying Tamsin in the last book. I, like Tamsin, was hesitant to trust him, but he definitely pulled through. The other betrayer, Cabell, I was less sympathetic towards, and Bracken did a great job obscuring what his final fate would be, which I think is a good balance for that character.

My favorite part of this book was without a doubt Tamsin. She is a character that I both adore and relate to, and the sympathy that this book yanked out of me for her was impressive. I cried three separate times. She is someone you can't help but root for, and (spoilers) I was relieved that she finally got her happy ending. This book is on the longer side, but the pacing is nice and steady; there's always something happening, it doesn't get repetitive, and despite the various plot threads everything got its time to shine and be neatly wrapped up in the end. I was anticipating liking this book, but I came out loving it, and I had a wonderful time reading it.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did opt to mainly listen to the final production audiobook via my library.

Like the first book this is a bit on the long side, clocking in at around the 500 page or 19 hour mark depending on your preferred format. The narrator again did a great job giving each character a unique voice so you can tell who is who when there is dialogue and she also did conveying emotion throughout the book.

This picks up where book one leaves off, so you don't really want to read this as a standalone. You really need to read the books in order to understand what is going on. Tamsin and her group are attempting to regroup after the events of book one. With Avalon destroyed, they must search for the artifacts that will defeat Lord Death and the Wild Hunt before he unleashes hell on Earth. Tamsin has to use her skills at solving puzzles and tracking to figure out who her allies are and where those items are hidden before Lord Death finds them or destroys them. She and her friends find help in unlikely places and she uncovers some new information that is hard to swallow that will help them with their mission.

I feel like this book lacked the focus that the first book had. This wasn't as much of a quest, which is what I really enjoyed about the first installment. While there was action in this book, it didn't feel as well choreographed as the first. We still get some dark and gory scenes though. There were so many characters (maybe too many characters) but I still don't feel like I got to know any of them. I wanted more character development and backstory in the first book, and I still don't feel like I got that. For as long as this book is, I wanted more information and more answers.

If you enjoy King Arthur retellings, this was an entertaining duology. It doesn't strictly stick to Arthurian lore, but the characters and setting are certainly inspired by it. While I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed book 1 it was still fun, and tied things up nicely for our characters.

I am so glad I got to read this book ! I liked the first book in the series but this was so much better ❤️

An epic conclusion to a stunning duology!! I loved Tamsin so much. She was such a great FMC. And the MMC???? ADORED HIM!! He was so flawed and yet so great??? LOVEE! I will forever read anything Alexandra Bracken writes!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.75/5 stars

I enjoyed this one much more than the 1st, though I did still fee like pacing was a bit off. I enjoyed getting more into the characters and expanding more on the lore and the world, and the focus on their relationships following the tragedies of book 1. But I felt like it was still longer than it needed to be, and then the end felt too fast in comparison. It wasn't rushed, but it just felt like a lot of build up for not as much payoff as I would have liked.

I did really enjoy the evolution of Tamsin and Emrys' relationship, as well as Tamsin in general as a character. Honestly that character development was the win for me in this book more than anything else.

Overall, I enjoyed this duology. It wasn't what I expected and I didn't absolutely love it - but I really enjoyed it and would still recommend it and would read more books by the author.

"The Mirror of Beasts" was a non-stop, action-packed conclusion. Tamsin and her friends face danger at every turn as Lord Death goes on a deadly rampage and an ancient mystery gradually unfolds.

I liked that Tamsin took a greater role in Book 2 and was upfront with her feelings because it really showed how much she had significantly grown since returning from Avalon to the mortal world.

The author made every page of this dark and foreboding fantasy count, keeping readers in suspense with incredibly high stakes, well-thought-out plot twists, and a creative blending of Arthurian mythology into a contemporary setting. All of which lead toward a bittersweet but satisfying end for this fantastic duology.

Thanks again to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

OH MY GOD!!!!

Every time I thought my heart was healing, Alexandra Bracken tore it apart at the seams--and she did it so beautifully, so masterfully, that it ached in the best sort of way. YOU MUST make time for this exciting, suspenseful, heart-wrenching sequel!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

After the ending of Silver in the Bone, I had no idea how this next book would go. But oh my did it go! There was so much happening in the book it was hard to tell which way was up and times, but that's how I like it! The magic system in this book is just so intriguing! And the characters I feel are very well rounded and thought out!

I enjoyed book one more than book two but overall this is a solid duology. This story goes in a much different direction than book one and has some twists. I recommend reading them back to back so you don't forget things since book two jumps right in.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Children's | Knopf Books for Young Readers for this eARC to review. All thoughts are my own.

5/5 stars!

Alex absolutely blew me away with this conclusion. It was so dark, intense, and full throttle, and I was not prepared for where this would go. Alex had me crying at multiple points of the story, to the point where I had to take breaks for a day or two cuz I was scared for our characters (I've grown very attached). I didn't want this story to end, but the ending was so beautifully satisfying for all of our characters. It was so satisfying that I didn't foresee majority of the plot twists, and I audibly gasped multiple times throughout the story. Excited to read more from Alex!

Fantastic finish to a series! I love Bracken's writing so much, and she does not disappoint with this sequel. I love the fantastical elements as well as the character development and the relationships within this series. It's beautifully done.

This book starts off directly after the destruction of Avalon and the return to the mortal world and it is non stop action, evading Lord Death, his Wild Hunt, and sorceresses that are after them for their own reasons. It is a tough job but Tamsin, and the other survivors are up to the challenge of finding the key to destroying Lord Death before his plan comes to fruition on the solstice. It was a nice surprise to see the return of Nash (who I really liked, despite Tamsin's mistrust of him) which kind of helped counter the sting of Cabell's betrayal. Emrys also makes a reappearance and luckily he can help with the finding of the mirror. With all of that going on, there is little time for any romance but that has never stopped people before. It just makes the romance more heartbreaking.

So, lots of action, traveling to yet another land (thanks to the hag of the moors who is absolutely hilarious even if she is only in a small part of this book) finding mirrors and swords, losing them and then losing friends and getting to a pretty dark place before Tamsin rises to the occasion, along with Neve and true natures of others are revealed too for an ending that is kinda sad but nice.

I will say that is a well written modern day dive into Arthurian legends with a nice twist of its own and a satisfying ending with no unanswered questions.

A wonderful conclusion to Tamsin's story. I always worry when a first book in a series is a 5 star read that the sequel won't be able to live up to it, but this novel was just as good and I look forward to adding this duology to my favorites bookshelf.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Decent ending albeit with a few too many too-convenient plot "twists." Magic, mirrors, magic sword, hidden, magic, hidden origins, and connections, connections, connections embody the entire story. The ending is romantic and sweet. There is nothing too difficult about the story. I liked the first book in the trilogy most.

Thank you PRH Audio, TBR and Beyond tours for my gifted review copies of the book.

This was such a good follow up to the first book, and a great Arthur retelling. Breaming with more secrets, betrayals and adventure, this book/series will be a great addition for any fantasy lover.

It has been far too long since I read Silver in the Bone (which I loved) and it definitely affected the way I felt about the sequel. I would have done a re-read if I had the time, but I did not, and books really need a recap at the start if they are a sequel because I remembered very few details. So while I liked it and will recommend it, it took me way too long to get through the book which was not helped by how long it was. I think it does a good job of keeping the action going and ties up various plot points for a well wrapped up ending. Will be purchasing in my school library and recommending to students. (Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children's Books for the ARC)

A fantastic conclusion to a duology I adored.

Mirror of Beasts is, inevitably, very different in tone to the first book since the setting has changed so dramatically, however the things I really loved about the first book - the characters and their relationships - shone just as brightly in the sequel.

I’m not usually a fan of some of the tropes in this book (which I won’t list since at least one of them is a fairly significant spoiler) but they were handled in such a way that they didn’t bother me as much, if at all, in this book.

I did find the start to be quite slow, but once it got going it was action packed and I didn’t want to put it down.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Mirror of Beasts and would highly recommend this duology.

I loved the way this ended; it's hard when you have so many moving parts to deliver a satisfying ending but Alex Bracken really delivered. She condensed so much into this final novel. I loved every single character. I loved the way some were redeemed and some got the ending we were hoping for. As always, Bracken delivered.