A Mirror Mended

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

Zinnia Gray, ex-Sleeping Beauty and current fairy tale hero from A Spindle Splintered, is continuing to bash her way through fairy tale realities rescuing Sleeping Beauties trapped in narratives much like her own (at the expense of her own health and relationships) until she finds herself pulled for the first time into a different fairy tale, faced with a very different type of person in need of help - a villain.

I like how this series plays with fairy tales, and with the long tradition of retellings - from traditional, to gender swapped and grim-dark etc, etc. For someone who has always had fun reading these various takes on fairy tales, fiction that is self-aware of it's nature as a retelling is good fun. I also liked this book because the misunderstood baddie is a trope that tends to really work for me. And the Evil Queen is great - she knows who she is, and she doesn't compromise her sense of self even as she searches for a different narrative to follow.

One thing I liked less is Zinnia's self-centeredness where it came to her friendships, because it seemed out of character from the first book. To be fair, there is a small growth arc there in this story, though it was not as complete as I'd hoped. Charm barely features in it at all, and she was sorely missed. Perhaps in a future book that will be addressed.

In all, this is a solid second book in the Fractured Fables, and I will be looking forward to a third! 

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc, this is an unbiased review.