The Woman in the Mirror

I was drawn to this book by its Gothic setting and the promise of a creepy read. The setting is perfect - an old mansion with its own secrets and past, that overlooks the beautiful but treacherous coastline of Cornwall. When that locale is paired with sinister happenings, possible hauntings and a couple of deaths, I was expecting a truly ominous read.

But what I got was a story with a good premise but the way it was told was underwhelming. I was intrigued enough to keep reading but I was disappointed in how little the creepy Gothic aspect was used. There are a couple of truly sinister scenes but the story itself is sluggish with the intrigue not picking up until the last ten percent of the book. The story was also more complicated than it had to be making it feel like the author tried to add too much to her plot without allowing time to flesh out these ideas fully - especially Alice's outbursts that seemed to come out of nowhere.

I also found the storytelling and dialogue a bit clumsy, particularly the anatopisms early in the book when Rachel used very British phrases for a woman who was raised in the US. They just didn't fit, and a better edit would have weeded those out.

The setting is well described bringing readers onto the remote shores of Cornwall. The author uses dual timelines and multiple POVs and this back and forth was done smoothly. Rachel and Alice tell most of the story but unfortunately I found them both to be unlikable and I wasn't a fan of the romantic focus later in the book because it took page time away from the suspense which is why I picked up this book in the first place.

While I had intended to love this book, it didn't captivate me like I had expected. It had an interesting premise and I liked the pacing of the ending but wish that energy had been used throughout the book.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Rebecca James

Genre: Historical Suspense

Type: e-book

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: March 17, 2020

Opening Line: Listen! Can you hear it?

Book Description from GoodReads: 1947 - Governess Alice Miller loves Winterbourne the moment she sees it. Towering over the Cornish cliffs, its dark corners and tall turrets promise that, if Alice can hide from her ghosts anywhere, it’s here.

And who better to play hide and seek with than twins Constance and Edmund? Angelic and motherless, they are perfect little companions.

2018 - Adopted at birth, Rachel’s roots are a mystery. So, when a letter brings news of the death of an unknown relative, Constance de Grey, Rachel travels to Cornwall, vowing to uncover her past.

With each new arrival, something in Winterbourne stirs. It’s hiding in the paintings. It’s sitting on the stairs. It’s waiting in a mirror, behind a locked door.