The Mirror Season
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- Create Date：2021-05-30 10:56:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna-Marie McLemore
- ISBN：1250624126
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Summary
An unforgettable story of trauma and healing， told in achingly beautiful prose with great tenderness and care。 --#1 New York Times-bestselling author Karen M。 McManus
When two teens discover that they were both sexually assaulted at the same party， they develop a cautious friendship through her family's possibly magical pastelería， his secret forest of otherworldly trees， and the swallows returning to their hometown， in Anna-Marie McLemore's The Mirror Season。。。
Graciela Cristales's whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party。 She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce。 Neighborhood trees vanish overnight， while mirrored glass appears， bringing reckless magic with it。 And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her， and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned。
But when the boy， Lock， shows up at Ciela's school， he has no memory of that night， and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart。 Ciela decides to help him， which means hiding the truth about that night。 Because Ciela knows who assaulted her， and him。 And she knows that her survival， and his， depend on no one finding out what really happened。
When two teens discover that they were both sexually assaulted at the same party， they develop a cautious friendship through her family's possibly magical pastelería， his secret forest of otherworldly trees， and the swallows returning to their hometown， in Anna-Marie McLemore's The Mirror Season。。。
Graciela Cristales's whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party。 She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce。 Neighborhood trees vanish overnight， while mirrored glass appears， bringing reckless magic with it。 And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her， and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned。
But when the boy， Lock， shows up at Ciela's school， he has no memory of that night， and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart。 Ciela decides to help him， which means hiding the truth about that night。 Because Ciela knows who assaulted her， and him。 And she knows that her survival， and his， depend on no one finding out what really happened。
Reviews
zahra
，
you ever read a book so good and that you love so much that you’re afraid of starting another because nothing could ever top this one？
Georgeanne
，
Tw: This book deals with assault/rapeAs always it was beautifully written， in this book McLemore minimized the magical realism always present in their work。 In this case， the motif of the magic was used around the feelings of the characters after the incident。 Using the motif of glass/mirrors to show those feelings ended up being so powerful。
Vinícius
，
"We cannot keep each other together。 Neither of us can do that for the other。 It's our own work。 But we help each other keep track of the pieces。We make sure nothing gets lost。"aviso de conteúdo: abuso sexual e estupro （explícito）este livro é tão cru， corajoso e ao mesmo tempo bonito que me deixou sem palavras no final da leitura。 recomendo muito a quem não for sensível aos conteúdos dele。 "We cannot keep each other together。 Neither of us can do that for the other。 It's our own work。 But we help each other keep track of the pieces。We make sure nothing gets lost。"aviso de conteúdo: abuso sexual e estupro （explícito）este livro é tão cru， corajoso e ao mesmo tempo bonito que me deixou sem palavras no final da leitura。 recomendo muito a quem não for sensível aos conteúdos dele。 。。。more
Rhiannon
，
I think I would’ve liked this more without the weird magical aspects that had no explanation， and the awkward explanations and conversations about sexuality and gender were hard to take seriously， but I think it’s just bc it’s YA。 Other than that， this book was really good and had important conversations and
Betsy
，
This book is amazing， though admittedly almost impossible to read at times， due to the level of trauma experienced by its characters。 It contains some of the most beautifully crafted sentences I've ever read， however; and that kept me reading。 This book is amazing， though admittedly almost impossible to read at times， due to the level of trauma experienced by its characters。 It contains some of the most beautifully crafted sentences I've ever read， however; and that kept me reading。 。。。more
Mary Nee
，
This book is a look at surviving trauma after a sexual assault。 It does end happily， and it does have lots of love and joy in its pages。
ELLE
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 graciela choosing to have sex with him without telling him the full story ruined this entire book for me。。 it snatched away my joy at them being together & it slapped the magic out of this book for me。there's no gray area when it comes to consent and you can't really consent if you don't know all the facts。。 her cop out of "you didn't want to know。。" was a fucking slap to the face and it made my blood boil。i wish this story had played out differently i was ready to slap down 4 or 5 stars for a s graciela choosing to have sex with him without telling him the full story ruined this entire book for me。。 it snatched away my joy at them being together & it slapped the magic out of this book for me。there's no gray area when it comes to consent and you can't really consent if you don't know all the facts。。 her cop out of "you didn't want to know。。" was a fucking slap to the face and it made my blood boil。i wish this story had played out differently i was ready to slap down 4 or 5 stars for a story i thought was filled with magic and healing， but then that choice was made and now i can only give this 1 star。 。。。more
Regina
，
Review to come
bella
，
trigger + content warnings: sexual assault， rape， sexual violence， drugging， homophobia， bullying， emotional abuse， racism， sexism， classism， biphobia， trauma， grief， blood mentions， death of grandparent （mention of it happening in the past）， underage drinking， victim blaming， physical violence， threatsThe Mirror Season is a story of trauma and healing that's devastating yet tender， told in Anna-Marie McLemore's gorgeous prose。 I absolutely loved the elements of magical realism woven into the st trigger + content warnings: sexual assault， rape， sexual violence， drugging， homophobia， bullying， emotional abuse， racism， sexism， classism， biphobia， trauma， grief， blood mentions， death of grandparent （mention of it happening in the past）， underage drinking， victim blaming， physical violence， threatsThe Mirror Season is a story of trauma and healing that's devastating yet tender， told in Anna-Marie McLemore's gorgeous prose。 I absolutely loved the elements of magical realism woven into the story。 Though it's easy to pick out some aspects of how the book was inspired by "The Snow Queen，" McLemore makes this version of the tale completely their own。 The book does not shy away from the experience of living and dealing with trauma nor the difficult process of healing。 In addition to sexual assault and trauma， The Mirror Season touches on so many other important topics as well: classism， being brown and bi/pan， stigma around discussing sexual assault， racism， etc。 Ciela is such a strong main character—full of strength and heart and independence。 I loved how comfortable she is in her femininity， and her journey of healing involving reclaiming her body。 Lock is super sweet， and I liked how secure he felt （or at least projected himself to be） being himself。 His struggle with healing from the trauma as well as the stigma against male victims of sexual assault is such an important story。 I enjoyed Lock and Ciela's dynamic and relationship， how it develops from reluctant allies to friends， to eventually romantic interests。 I also adored the strong friendship between Ciela and Jess， and how supportive they are of each other。 I wish Jess had featured more in the book， but her romance subplot is super cute！ Another aspect of the book that I love is Ciela's relationships with different members of her family。 Her parents are so warm and loving and supportive， and I loved her dynamic with her aunt as well。 While there were some choices I didn't like as much （the plot twist）， I recognize how deeply important this book is。 It is not an easy story to get through at times， but the depictions of healing and love and friendships are absolutely beautiful。 I'm grateful to Anna-Marie McLemore for pouring their heart into this book， as well as sharing part of their own experiences in it。 。。。more
Kate
，
This book features sexual assault and two people it happened to。 It is part of the plot， weaved throughout the story， so definitely take that into consideration if it's a trigger for you。 Despite a book that deals with sexual assault， this is a beautiful and gorgeous read。I found the magical realism to be lovely- especially Ciela's gift for knowing what pastry a customer needs， but I also like the mirrored bits of glass that she's forever trying to collect， and the lovely story of the cliff dwel This book features sexual assault and two people it happened to。 It is part of the plot， weaved throughout the story， so definitely take that into consideration if it's a trigger for you。 Despite a book that deals with sexual assault， this is a beautiful and gorgeous read。I found the magical realism to be lovely- especially Ciela's gift for knowing what pastry a customer needs， but I also like the mirrored bits of glass that she's forever trying to collect， and the lovely story of the cliff dwelling swallows。 I loved Ciela and Lock's relationship- their conversations and interactions are funny， poignant and real。 I've read other books by the author， but this is my favorite of theirs。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
4。5 starsAnna-Marie always amazes me， and I always know I’ll love their books， but this story I am particularly honored to have read。 Even through fiction， talking about one’s sexual assault is difficult， and Anna-Marie drawing from her own experiences and going into that in the authors note truly made me appreciate the story even more。The representation of the mirror glass is ever evolving and beautiful， and the magic in Ciela’s baking made me so happy， especially knowing McLemore’s love of LIK 4。5 starsAnna-Marie always amazes me， and I always know I’ll love their books， but this story I am particularly honored to have read。 Even through fiction， talking about one’s sexual assault is difficult， and Anna-Marie drawing from her own experiences and going into that in the authors note truly made me appreciate the story even more。The representation of the mirror glass is ever evolving and beautiful， and the magic in Ciela’s baking made me so happy， especially knowing McLemore’s love of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE—a love we share ❤️this is definitely one of my new favorites of theirs！ I am truly floored and amazed and mesmerized 。。。more
Wynn
，
10/10Unsurprisingly， this fucking destroyed me
Emily Jones
，
4 stars， sad， good， made me cry， want to listen to the audiobook， eying a 3。5
Ale
，
4。5/5 stars。
Sofia Samu
，
trigger warning: （view spoiler）[sexual assault， PTSD， racism， homophobia， bullying， body shaming， victim-blaming， drink-spiking I have probably missed something， but those are the ones I remember right now （hide spoiler）]3。5/5Considering the tough topic this book deals with， I feel like I have to explain my rating but it boils down to one thing。 The writing of this book just didn't work for me at all， which I didn't expect to be my issue since I liked a lot the writing in Wild Beauty。 But in thi trigger warning: （view spoiler）[sexual assault， PTSD， racism， homophobia， bullying， body shaming， victim-blaming， drink-spiking I have probably missed something， but those are the ones I remember right now （hide spoiler）]3。5/5Considering the tough topic this book deals with， I feel like I have to explain my rating but it boils down to one thing。 The writing of this book just didn't work for me at all， which I didn't expect to be my issue since I liked a lot the writing in Wild Beauty。 But in this one， the descriptions didn't do it for me， and some words and phrases just got so repetitive that I felt annoyed。 Now apart from that， I don't have many issues with the book。 Some choices were made for sure， but I'm not sure what I feel about them yet。 I do think it's a very important story， and I recommend it as long as it doesn't trigger you。 It's about two SA survivors， one is a Mexican pan girl and the other one is a white guy， who are hurt at the same party and at the same time。 The girl remembers everything and the pain makes her lose her power， while the guy doesn't remember much。 They become friends and each other's support system， and then something more。 There are also elements of magical realism in this story， like Ciela's power to guess the perfect pan dulce for someone， or things around her turning into mirror glass after that party （Well， it is loosely based on the Snow Queen fairytale）。 。。。more
Lilly （Lair Of Books）
，
RTC…but first I need to take some time for myself， this book was painful and rage inducing on behalf of the victims。 I’d ask readers to please look for content warnings before reading。 It is a rape survivors story based on the very real life trauma experienced by the author。 This had to be very difficult to recount， my heart is hurting。
jut
，
if i could define this book with one word， it would be: painful。
Eli Oldham
，
Sticky Note Review @ the （book） supplier https://thebooksupplier。com/2021/04/0。。。 Sticky Note Review @ the （book） supplier https://thebooksupplier。com/2021/04/0。。。 。。。more
Ali Bader
，
4。5⭑。 CW: Sexual assault， PTSD， blackmailing and bullying。 This was a very difficult topic to read about and I think McLemore did it justice; this is a needed book in our society today。 Using beautiful prose the author integrates gender， sexuality and racial conflicts into the novel。 The characters felt so real with so many layers that were explored as the story progressed。 This was my first Anna-Marie McLemore novel and I'm excited to pick up more。 4。5⭑。 CW: Sexual assault， PTSD， blackmailing and bullying。 This was a very difficult topic to read about and I think McLemore did it justice; this is a needed book in our society today。 Using beautiful prose the author integrates gender， sexuality and racial conflicts into the novel。 The characters felt so real with so many layers that were explored as the story progressed。 This was my first Anna-Marie McLemore novel and I'm excited to pick up more。 。。。more
Gabriela
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was my first read by Anna-Marie McLemore， and this story was just as heartbreaking as it was about the main characters healing from the trauma of sexual assault。 McLemore's writing highlighted emotions， smells， sights and the power that they hold。 This was my first read by Anna-Marie McLemore， and this story was just as heartbreaking as it was about the main characters healing from the trauma of sexual assault。 McLemore's writing highlighted emotions， smells， sights and the power that they hold。 。。。more
annie
，
“Every moment of our life， it goes with us。 It lives forever。 And a lot of those moments you don’t have much say over。 So the ones you do， you’ve got to do everything with them。 So that what lives forever is something you want to live with。”powerful and vivid。 anna-marie mclemore's prose is gorgeous as ever in this novel， and i think this book is perhaps some of their best work yet。 the characters， especially ciela and her family & lock and his family （and also jess！ love her）， were distinct and “Every moment of our life， it goes with us。 It lives forever。 And a lot of those moments you don’t have much say over。 So the ones you do， you’ve got to do everything with them。 So that what lives forever is something you want to live with。”powerful and vivid。 anna-marie mclemore's prose is gorgeous as ever in this novel， and i think this book is perhaps some of their best work yet。 the characters， especially ciela and her family & lock and his family （and also jess！ love her）， were distinct and fascinating to follow throughout their journeys。 i really appreciated how character-driven this story was， but the themes were also really beautifully done。 sometimes i do feel like mclemore veered a bit into purple prose territory， but overall i really enjoyed this book！ （4。5 stars） 。。。more
Kate Welsh
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Gorgeous， heartbreaking， magical。 I loved this so much。
Lisa Andres
，
"My abuela used to tell me a story about snow like that， about a frozen queen called La Reina de las Nieves。 She ruled the coldest land that ever existed， her palace glittering with sheared ice。 I knew she was supposed to be la mala， la villana， the evil queen who steals a boy named Kai from a sweet， warm-hearted girl named Gerda。To me， though， Le Reina de las Nieves was magnificent。 She not only survived the cold， she made beauty out of it。"Plot Points: Graciela Cristales is La Bruja de los Pas "My abuela used to tell me a story about snow like that， about a frozen queen called La Reina de las Nieves。 She ruled the coldest land that ever existed， her palace glittering with sheared ice。 I knew she was supposed to be la mala， la villana， the evil queen who steals a boy named Kai from a sweet， warm-hearted girl named Gerda。To me， though， Le Reina de las Nieves was magnificent。 She not only survived the cold， she made beauty out of it。"Plot Points: Graciela Cristales is La Bruja de los Pasteles -- the Pastry Witch of San Juan Capistrano -- having inherited her great grandmother's gift for knowing exactly what sort of pastry will warm a person's heart， will make them smile。 But she loses that gift when she loses a piece of herself the night she -- and a boy -- are sexually assaulted at a party。 That same night， a sliver of glass lodges itself in Ciela's eye， in a hauntingly beautiful and subtle nod to HC Andersen's "The Snow Queen。" The story follows Ciela's coming-to-terms with what happened -- to her， and to the boy。 Love Triangle: No， definitely no。Diversity: Yes！ Ciela is a queer Mexican girl， and she and Lock are both scholarship students at their school; even though， as a white male， Lock does have a certain amount of privilege， his class status allows him to empathize with Ciela， while fully acknowledging that he can't even fully understand。 Slow Sequel Syndrome: N/ANew Characters: N/ATime spent reading a novel by Anna-Marie McLemore is never time wasted。 I picked this up at the wrong point in the semester （oodles of grading; end-of-term push） and eventually just started over 3 days ago， if only to reread the first chapters and McLemore's rich prose。 On its own， the story works。 The story of Ciela's trauma and healing is slowly -- painstakingly -- revealed， as the reader comes to learn how Ciela has had to survive， the lies she's had to tell herself， in the absence of any sort of support system。 Pieces of The Night are carefully woven in， so that by the time we learn the full story， Ciela is ready to own it， reclaim what is rightfully hers， and the reader is never overwhelmed。 And the trauma itself never takes center stage -- after all， it is not the defining moment of either Ciela's or Lock's life， or the book。 Then， there are the layers that McLemore just weaves so expertly: Ciela's job at her family pasteleria and her role as La Bruja de los Pasteles; the way the pastries and baking and food reveal inner secrets， depths， and desires; Ciela's friendship with Jess; the stories of the swallows of San Juan Capistrano; the commentary on race and white privilege and how the 4 white kids take possession of things they expect， simply because they are white and don't imagine anyone challenging them; a similar commentary on class and white privilege and how those same 4 white kids view their class as a safety net; and the power of community and owning your truth， but not letting it define you。 And， for me， that's why the last layer -- the subtle references to， and retelling of， "The Snow Queen" -- was the most powerful （and the most impressive）。 My favorite stories of McLemore's are when they take the old stories and make them new。 They did with "Snow White and Rose Red" in Blanca & Roja; they did it with "The Red Shoes" in Dark and Deepest Red。 And "The Snow Queen" just *works* here。。。。。。I taught Frozen and Frozen II this semester， and before we looked at those films， we read the original story by Hans Christian Andersen。 Somehow， I had never read it all the way through before， so it was relatively fresh in my mind when reading McLemore's story -- which helped me notice all the subtle references， like the red shoes， peering into reflective surfaces， and the hot coins on windowsills。 And while Andersen's story is a bit。。。eccentric -- there's a lot of emphasis on chaste， pure love; the power of prayer and faith （at one point Gerda's prayer breath becomes a host of avenging angels to face a horde of angry snowflakes）; and the Snow Queen herself isn't even present for the climactic rescue -- the idea of *why* the Snow Queen is so cold， aloof， distant is an intriguing one。 And it's why Frozen and its sequel work so well: they both take up this notion of what could have happened to leave these sisters so broken and alone？ And， at the heart of it， is the trauma they both suffered。 And what those films do so well -- what McLemore's story does so well -- is portray how important it is to reclaim your identity， to not let others define you no matter how they try to break you， and that while your trauma is something that happened， it is not *all* you are， it does not define you。 Please write more magical-realism retellings of old fairy tales， Anna-Marie McLemore -- they are the stories we need to read。 。。。more
Joyce
，
Wow。 Reading this feels like being repeatedly punched in the face。 It is difficult to read， but I couldn’t put it down。 I am so angry that the characters， and the author， had to go through what they did， and at the same time so in awe and so proud of them for how they deal with it。 There is so much compassion and support and love in these pages that it blows me away。 My mother is the one who told me my curvas were worth celebrating。 Every day growing up， I came home to a family where hips and Wow。 Reading this feels like being repeatedly punched in the face。 It is difficult to read， but I couldn’t put it down。 I am so angry that the characters， and the author， had to go through what they did， and at the same time so in awe and so proud of them for how they deal with it。 There is so much compassion and support and love in these pages that it blows me away。 My mother is the one who told me my curvas were worth celebrating。 Every day growing up， I came home to a family where hips and thighs meant health and beauty， and it saved me from thinking there was something immodest and shameful about my body。 Ciela is so， so strong。 My favourite part about this is how she realizes that the answer is her ability to process the situation， and how she is able to reclaim her body， step by step。 Lock is a big factor， but she is her own salvation， not anybody else。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Julia Sanchez
，
Wow， what a story with a full range of emotions！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Gerald
，
"Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。top "Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。top 。。。more
Riley Wang
，
Hi！ You might want to publish this in a mobile app so a lot of readers can see your lovely work。 Check on the NovelStar app and see how other writers earn by pursuing their passion in writing。 You can also check out their Facebook page to meet other writers。t
James
，
The Mirror SeasonCW/TW: Sexual Assault， Bullying， Racism， Homophobia I think I just need to accept that Anna-Marie McLemore’s books are going to make me cry and mad at pretty much the same time。 It’s a lot more complicated than that， though。 There is some very serious subject matter in this book。 I think they handled balancing that subject matter with the fact that just because awful things have happened to these characters doesn’t mean that absolutely everything is awful in their lives。 Both Lo The Mirror SeasonCW/TW: Sexual Assault， Bullying， Racism， Homophobia I think I just need to accept that Anna-Marie McLemore’s books are going to make me cry and mad at pretty much the same time。 It’s a lot more complicated than that， though。 There is some very serious subject matter in this book。 I think they handled balancing that subject matter with the fact that just because awful things have happened to these characters doesn’t mean that absolutely everything is awful in their lives。 Both Lock and Ciela had so many people who cared about them。 And of course they found each other too。 I absolutely hated four characters in particular in this book。 You’ll know them as soon as you start reading。 They are the absolute worst most disgusting teenagers。 Ever。 The fact that people like them actually exist is disgusting。 I really enjoy fairytale retellings/reimaginings etc。 so the elements from the Snow Queen story and how they were incorporated were very interesting。 I feel like if you need all the fantastical stuff explained then this book might not be for you。 Like with their last book， Dark and Deepest Red， there’s this bit of magic through the whole story that’s just there。 I really loved all the food in this book。 Everything was so well described that I didn’t need to look some of them up。 Of course I was constantly looking up pictures of these delicious treats though。 。。。more
Alana
，
An all-too beautiful book with beautiful representation and tragic albeit important themes with sexuality， sexual assault， and more。 Absolutely adored the pansexual representation and how McLemore portrays the erasure so many experience （of which I can relate to！）。 If there's anytime where basing a book off its cover was right， this time is it， because I can't explain how， but the tone and vibe of this novel is wonderfully encapsulated by the cover。 My last read of April， and I'll say！ - I am en An all-too beautiful book with beautiful representation and tragic albeit important themes with sexuality， sexual assault， and more。 Absolutely adored the pansexual representation and how McLemore portrays the erasure so many experience （of which I can relate to！）。 If there's anytime where basing a book off its cover was right， this time is it， because I can't explain how， but the tone and vibe of this novel is wonderfully encapsulated by the cover。 My last read of April， and I'll say！ - I am ending on a good note。 Onward to May。 。。。more
raquel
，
queer， gorgeous and intricate and so so meaningful。i've read Deepest Darkest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore。 it was good， but didn't hit me anywhere near as hard as Mirror Season。Lock and Ciela's tale of sexual assault was told in a truthful and intricate way， their relationship not forced and seen as the "solution" to their trauma。 the magical realism adds to what feelings are occurring， to how painful trauma is and how it follows you。idk how to explain my thoughts further， but read this。 yeah 😌 queer， gorgeous and intricate and so so meaningful。i've read Deepest Darkest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore。 it was good， but didn't hit me anywhere near as hard as Mirror Season。Lock and Ciela's tale of sexual assault was told in a truthful and intricate way， their relationship not forced and seen as the "solution" to their trauma。 the magical realism adds to what feelings are occurring， to how painful trauma is and how it follows you。idk how to explain my thoughts further， but read this。 yeah 😌 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Mirror Season
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Mirror Season&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Mirror Season&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0