Synopsis

When Hayden was a child, she lost her cat. Adults told her the cat ran away, but she knew the truth. The mirror had taken her. She knew because the mirror had given her a glimpse of an alternate world and had nearly pulled her in, so she was certain the cat had suffered that fate.

Twenty years later Hayden discovers the secret of the mirror when she is thrust into it. She learns of a world she never knew existed, and a family she never knew she had. But danger brought her here, and it followed her. Now, Hayden is on a mission to remove the threat, so that she can begin her magical, meaningful new life in this enchanted world.

Review

This is a new series that is bound to be a smashing success for this author. It may be her first foray into fiction writing, but she definitely shows us what she can do in the fictional world.

The book starts off somewhat eerie and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the prologue other than I was intrigued. We are tossed into Hayden’s world where we learn she is not a morning person (don’t talk to her until she has had her first cup of tea), has a love for cats, and an amazing support system with her best friend and grandmother and great grandmother. Her parents are long gone, or so she thinks until she is pulled into a magical world that introduces her to her brother, father, and his parents. What a crazy day that was for her to find out the true story of what happened to her father. On top of that, she can communicate with her cat, Sassy, who now wants to be called Princess Latifa.

Destiny Falls is a world unto itself and her family, the Caldwells, are the keepers of this town. The town is magical and continually rearranges itself to fit what Hayden, or anyone else, needs. All is going well until someone is murdered and Hayden is determined to discover who the killer is and why. There is a lot of effort displayed throughout the book to portray the town, the Caldwell family, and the other citizens. Quirky is probably an understatement to describe the Caldwell family. Outside of Hayden’s brother, her half-siblings are all named after shades of blue – Indigo, Sapphire, and Cobalt.  Their mother is Jade and that might have played a part in their names.

Caldwell Manor is another interesting facet of Destiny Falls. This is where Hayden is staying while she adjusts to the town. The house seems to sense what each person needs and provides it to them. Now if we could all have a home like that! The staff is rarely seen but there is one person, Cleobella, that is fascinating and I loved the descriptions of her each time Hayden saw her. The outfits and the glitter made me giggle.

The mystery itself kept me guessing and just when I thought I knew who the killer was, BAM, a twist. I was quite surprised at the reveal and never would have suspected this character. The author did a good job of keeping this character out of the spotlight and while I thought this character was a bit odd, I would never have thought them possible of the crimes. Shows you what I know!

The mystery does seem like a minor part of the story until near the end. With the magical aspect, it does take a lot to build up this world because it isn’t like going to another small town. Well, it is but it isn’t. There is a couple of potential love interests for Hayden and while there is a peek into what might happen in future books, we still don’t know what will occur since it would seem that Hayden would want to return to our world and her friends and family. I’m sure you are wondering where they think she is….Denmark, on a research trip. This does seem a little farfetched that Hayden would take off on a moment’s notice for another country and not tell anyone where she is going until she gets there. But, Hayden had to come up with something because she cannot tell them where she really is at that moment. In fact, the computer servers won’t let her spill those details.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and do recommend it. I am curious to see what is in store next for Hayden.  We give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives near Seattle and is the mother of four and nana to one. This is her first work of fiction.

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