True crime is one my absolute jams, so when I heard In A Dark Mirror was a fictionalised account of the 2014 real life story of the Slender Man I was immediately interested … and it did NOT disappoint!

While there have been many storylines written about these events, I felt that Kat Davis gave this one soul. The relationship between Maddie and Lana was complicated and toxic, yet the superb character development created palpable tension and did a fabulous job portraying the often tumultuous bond between teenagers.

Brilliantly researched with an added depth, and highly entertaining - I could not put it down. The audio narration by Jess Nahikian was top notch and they did a fantastic job bringing the voices to life.

Many thanks to Brilliance Publishing for an ALC - highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Lavender Public Relations #partner, and Brilliance Audio for the copies to review!

This story was inspired by the Slender Man case from 2014, which I was fascinated by back then and thought Davis did a great job with this book. The audio was wonderful, I found I could not stop listening to this one, just knowing it was inspired by real events made this unputdownable. I could not believe it originated with 12 year olds but thought the premise was interesting, well executed, and was a very entertaining read overall.

Told in dual timelines from the perspective of three girls, but mostly from the perspective of Maddie, this story explores youth and how things can go so horribly wrong. Is the dark illusion of a terrifying man real or is he a figment of the young imaginations of two best friends Maddie and Lana? I enjoyed the limited but deep perspectives of the three girls that slowly reveal more details to unravel this suspenseful tale. The narrator did a wonderful job of portraying the creepy moments and I found her entertaining.

I just finished listening to In a Dark Mirror by Kat Davis and here are my musings.

Maddie and Lara are the best of friends. They share a love of horror stories and fanciful imaginings. But Lana thinks 12 is too old for playing pretend. She wants them to be more grown up and serving Him is the best way to do it. He sits in the shadows watching… Waiting… He talks to Lana. Maddie doesn't want to believe it but she can’t help thinking maybe Lana might be telling the truth when she thinks she sees him too and Maddie doesn’t want to lose her most important friendship even when Lana tells her they must sacrifice a human girl for him.

Ten years later, Maddie is released from the institution she served 10 years in after she was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the crime. Coming home to a mother who fears her is hard enough without trying to reintegrate into a town where the crime happened. For closure, Maddie goes online to see what was said about her back then but instead finds an online community dedicated to Him. Getting pulled in to helping these girls not end up down the path she did, Maddie takes the dangerous step of immersing herself back into Him.


This book was so creepy and the narrator absolutely nailed it for me. I think it heightened the enjoyment for me.
YIKES!! I remember the story that this was based on, I am a mother of an 18 year old and she talked non stop about the online stories of slender man and this story does an excellent job of sticking to the facts of the case while making a gripping story of the aftermath. I had chills up my spine listening to this book. It’s set in the past with the story giving us the lead up to what happened in the woods and the current day with Maddie being released. The book gives us an insight to the dangers of social media for kids especially ones with mental health issues.
The book was well researched and brilliantly executed. I was so immersed in the world I didn’t stop listening at all. It’s my kind of mystery thriller that ebbs on the cusp of being a horror. I am here all day for that.
You can’t help feeling bad for the girls too, especially Lana and her declining mental health for which Maddie was the only one to see the change but she was too young to understand or to do anything about it. The book was epic and it's 5 stars from me.


Thank you @brillancepublishing and @netgalley for my gifted copy.

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Lavender Public Relations, #partner, for the advanced copy of In a Dark Mirror in exchange for my honest review.

This story is inspired by the 2014 Slender Man Case, a case I happen to be slightly obsessed with, so of course I had to read this…and I absolutely loved it!!! Give me a good thriller/true crime story any day and I’m one happy girl!

This is a dark, twisted psychological thriller that had me on edge the entire way through. Even though I knew the gist of the story that it was based on, there are plenty of original touches to make it still feel like a fresh new story. I found myself completely invested in this story and on edge, and what’s more, I kept thinking how could something like this have really happened? But it did and that makes it so good, but also so scary!

I loved the way the author set this one up. She was able to really get into the mindset of the young girls, to the point that it was unsettling. We see how Maddie and Lana, both a little jealous of their friend, make the decisions that they do, and why Sage ultimately becomes their target. Having the story move back and forth in time from before the incident gives the story that perfect sense of unease as well as helps to build suspense.

As you can see…I cannot get enough of this case. It was just as riveting as I hoped it would be, with just enough twists to keep you guessing even if you are familiar with the case and I could not have loved it more.


Audio thoughts: This book translated really well onto audio and I loved the way Jess Nahikian narrated it. She really did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.

I didn't realize this was based on the Slender Man crime until I started reading, but I noticed the similarities within the first couple of chapters. Knowing this made the book a little less suspenseful, since I'm familiar with the case, but no less riveting. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't stop reading until the end. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending; I wish we had gotten a slightly more dramatic climax, but otherwise I loved this dark and twisty phycological drama.

The narrator did a great job as well. Very highly recommend.

My rating guide:
1- Hated it, don't read this
2- Not for me, you might like it
3- Very good! Add to your long list
4- Loved it, you need to read
5- NEW FAVORITE!!! READ IT NOW!

I received a free advanced reader copy of the audiobook of in a dark mirror by Kat Davis via NetGally by brilliance Audio. Thank you so much for the free art copy.

I did also receive a Kindle copy of this book via the Amazon first reads program via Amazon prime. I did do a tandem read with both copies.

I didn't notice any big discrepancies between the two copies. They both read equally well and I really enjoyed the narration by Jess Nahikian.

This is a psychological/occult fiction thriller that follows three young people as they try to navigate power dynamics among their peers. We have Lana and Maddie, who are longtime best friends and then we have sage who was trying to incorporate into the friend group having just moved to the area.

Matty and Lonnie are suffering from some delusions that are causing some sinister side effects. And sage is about to become the victim of their delusions.

I found the book to be very easy to digest. We have multiple POV as well as time jumps between the past and the present timeline, and I was never confused as to what I was currently reading. It was done very well and it keeps you very engage

The only problem I had is while the big reveals at the end, or what are intended to be the big reveals at the end. We're not predictable per se. They didn't give me that wow factor in the way they were presented that I feel like they could have. But overall, it was a very good book and I will definitely read more by this author.

This book does have some great representations surrounding mental health and schizophrenia. I felt like the schizophrenic rep was done very well because while the person in question in this novel does have violent tendencies, the book makes it very clear that most people with schizophrenia are not violent or dangerous. And I feel like that point is missed sometimes when schizophrenia is used to be a cause for some violent tendencies. I also like the way the book normalized taking medication for mental health as well as voluntarily attending therapy. overall, I would recommend this book. I thought it was very well done and very interesting.

This book contained almost everything I enjoy in a book: creepy kids, paranormal being, potential way to resurrect a demon, a cult following, and a crime. Seriously, how could I ask for more??? Two friends, Maddie and Lana are 12 years old and have been friends forever. Recently, Lana wanted to play a different game. She has been seeing the figure of a man, and he talks to her. They will have to kill someone in order to make the man real and live the rest of their lives together. A new girl in town, Sage, could be the answer to their problem. This book goes back and forth between when the girls were 12 and now, when Maddie is getting out of juvenile detention. This book was seriously excellent and kept my attention. Fast paced with many dimensions to the story were key components in what made this book fabulous.

A brilliant fictionalization of true ‘Slender Man Stabbing’ in 2014. I was fully invested in the story from the first chapter and thought the narrator was a perfect fit for the story. The young characters are portrayed true to life, and the ending made my jaw drop! Loved it!

Social media and GR review to come…

At first I liked the narration, but with a bit of time I found the presentation weak and not very compelling. I was intrigued by the premise so I might try a physical book but I did not enjoy this audiobook enough to finish for a full review.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I love true crime, when I saw this one I was so excited to get into it. Unfortunately, it failed to keep my attention and it was way too similar to the real life event it is based on and there's already a book regarding that. I would've liked some things to be better explained and more detailed. Some aspects were also very uncomfortable to read since they do follow real life minors and I feel like I couldn't get past that.