Hello, friends! I’m popping into the blog to bring you a review of Anna-Marie’s McLemore’s most recent release, The Mirror Season. This post will include a review and some of my favorite quotes from The Mirror Season. Thank you so much to Colored Pages Tours for the opportunity to be part of this tour and Fierce Reads for the copy of the novel.
I received a copy of this book which did not influence my thoughts in any way. Thank you once again to Colored Pages Tours and FierceReads for providing me with a copy.
Favorite Quotes
“Sprinkles cover a multitude of sins.”
The Mirror Season, p. 229
“It costs something to listen to someone else’s story. People forget that sometimes.”
The Mirror Season, p. 92
“Every moment of our life, it goes with us.”
The Mirror Season, p. 239
“Whatever the question, red lipstick is the answer”
The Mirror Season, p. 279
“There is enough alive in me to grow a hundred rosebushes, a thousand blooms, a million leaves”
The Mirror Season, p. 220
Review for The Mirror Season
CW: graphic descriptions of sexual assault, harassment, homophobia, bullying
The Mirror Season is my second book by Anna-Marie McLemore even though I own all of their books. This book made it very clear that McLemore’s writing is simply one of my favorites. Their writing is just pure magic! The Mirror Season had me hooked from its very first line. This is a story of survivors and learning to live in a body that doesn’t feel like yours anymore. The main character, Graciela Cristales, loses her confidence as a result the assault and her journey centers around the guilt of what happened and finding herself.
Part of this journey means becoming La Bruja de los Pasteles once more. Ciela has granted to her by her great grandmother which tells her what type of pan dulce someone needs, what pan dulce will soothe them and fill them. I feel like I’m not doing the gift justice, but it is truly fascinating and I want to write a piece about it. This brings me to the food descriptions in the book, they are just scrumptious and I kept asking my partner if we could go to a pastelería because I want to try all the pan dulce mentioned in the book. Now, moving on to some other aspects of the book.
Ciela became one of my favorite characters quickly. She is the first character I’ve read about who is Pansexual. I cannot speak to this representation myself, but I certainly hope to read more characters who share her identity. One of the things I loved most about her was her love for her family. Family interactions in YA is something that I pay close attention to. Ciela’s love is found all over the book, not just in her interactions with her family members but in what she says. She always has a story about her cousins or tías or grandparents or parents. The narrative is full of these tidbits about her family and I enjoyed reading about a character with deep familial bonds that went beyond her nuclear family.
The book follows Ciela’s perspective and the reader learns about the night of the assault through her. The unraveling of the narrative was amazing. We got bits and pieces which Ciela felt comfortable sharing with us. She was in control of it and we were there to experience her process. I enjoyed how information was revealed to us and so many things caught me by surprise. Moreover the layers of her story interweave with Lock’s story. The dynamic between Ciela and Lock was great and filled with humor. In an interview with the Write or Die podcast, AM McLemore mentioned how The Mirror Season has the most humor out of all their books because it is something SA survivors do. I was laughing out loud at the jokes, the humor was very witty!
Another topic McLemore discusses is how queer brown bodies are often sexualized. I really enjoyed this discussion because I found it related. The author touches upon how bodies with brown bodies because of them being so over sexualized are seen as an open invitation when they are not. I found this extremely relatable and reminded me of my own experiences and how from a young age my body has been seen like that.
There was another discussion about Ciela loving her body from a young age because her mother and other women in her family encouraged her to do so. I absolutely loved this! This is something I also found relatable because it mirrored (I had to do it!) my own experience and journey with loving my body. I think it’s really important to encourage body acceptance from a young age and the impact it has on the person.
The Mirror Season takes inspiration in the fairytale of the Snow Queen. This is not a fairy tale that I’m entirely familiar with, at least not anymore. I used to have a book of translated fairy tales and I remember La Reina de las Nieves being right before the Emperor’s New Suit. However, I don’t think it was one I read often. The story has some descriptors of the fairy tale, so being unfamiliar with it doesn’t hinder the pacing or anything of the sort. Me not knowing the base fairy tale did not affect my enjoyment of the fairy tale aspects in The Mirror Season. I was enthralled by the mirrors and the secret forest. I love anything that has to do with nature, so the forest was just amazing to me.
The Mirror Season presents the reader with a raw exploration of being a sexual assault survivor. We experience Ciela’s journey of regaining her confidence, finding love, and living as a survivor overall. Her interactions with Lock are full of humor and I enjoyed how their dynamic. The story has so many aspects to it that I loved. The fairy tale, Ciela’s character, self-love, and the pacing are just a few of them. I could honestly say so much more but I’m going to stop here. I hope you enjoyed this review!
My conclusion: 5 ⭐️
Author info
Anna-Marie McLemore was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and taught by their family to hear la Llorona in the Santa Ana winds. They are the author of The Weight of Feathers, a 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist; 2017 Stonewall Honor Book When the Moon Was Ours, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature; Wild Beauty, a Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist best book of 2017; Blanca & Roja, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice; Dark and Deepest Red, a Winter 2020 Indie Next List title; and The Mirror Season.
The Mirror Season is out now!
Get your own copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Book Depository
Sabrina says
I forgot The Mirror Season was coming out, so I’m glad I saw your post. From what you’re describing it sounds like McLemore’s latest is almost like a literary blend of the work they did in When the Moon Was Ours and Wild Beauty. They have such a unique voice and gift with language. I can’t wait to dive into the scrumptious descriptions of food that you pointed out as well as experience the dynamic between Ciela and Lock. Five stars is high praise, so your review has made me excited to read The Mirror Season despite its difficult subject matter.
Natalie says
I’m so glad that my post brought it to your attention!! I can definitely see some parallels between When the Moon Was Ours, but have not read Wild Beauty yet. They most definitely do and that’s what I gravitate towards their books. This is a book that greatly impacted me and probably one of my favorites this year. I ended up writing a seminar paper on it lol. Hope you enjoy it!!
Sam @ Spines in a Line says
This is such a beautiful review! I haven’t read any of McLemore’s books yet but I can’t wait to start
Natalie says
Thank you!! I highly recommend give their books a read, hope you do so soon 🙂
April Lee @ Booked Till Midnight says
this one sounds so good! i have to admit the quote “Sprinkles cover a multitude of sins.” peaks my interest! lovely review, i might need to check this one out
Natalie says
Thank you!! I hope you get to read it, it’s truly a great one 🙂