Mirror of Argent

Mirror of Argent grabbed me and wouldn’t let go…I’ve eagerly anticipated the release since the cliffhanger ending of Binding of Silver, and in no way did it disappoint. The Blood of the Fae series continues delivering stellar world building and lore, richly crafted characters, and layered plots so masterfully done that even though it’s fantasy everything makes sense and feels both plausible and real—and deeply gripping. Cliffhangers, surprises, revelations that are shocking but leave you looking back at the trail of clues that built to the unveiling; it’s been a wilder ride with every book and always leaves me wanting more. I especially enjoy the continued emphasis and exploration of true, sacrificial love that never gives up and how that is not only found through romantic love. However, we do get some continued unfolding of the romantic plot thread as well, much to my delight. Jessa continues growing as such a lovable, relatable and believable heroine and there are no side characters in undeveloped shades of grey here. Each is richly colored, filled with their own struggles and motivations and we get the sense that many of them could have full stories of their own. Riven is the complicated fae hero you desperately want to see in a fae based fantasy but he never feels like a trope and his continued character development is so rich. 10/10 will definitely be reading again.

This book kept me reading, theorizing, and Googling plant symbolism until the early hours of the morning.

By now, I expect everything in the Blood of the Fae series to surprise me completely, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it less when it happens. Like the previous book, there were some world-shifting events in Mirror of Argent that I never guessed would happen the way they did, and those were not even the highlights.

We left Jessa Caldwell on a cliffhanger as she was hauled off by the Vigil, who think they have finally discovered her secrets.

Not only are they very wrong, but they are also being manipulated, since the mortal world continues to be a fae playground.

Exhibit A, a new horror that is claiming mortals all over the place, but the catch is, it poses just as much danger to fae as to mortals.

Jessa must join her very good “friend” Riven in tracing the problem in the Otherworld, where she struggles increasingly with isolation from her family and the pressure to conform to the fae ideas of strength.

She also faces a whole host of extremely villainous men, all too easy to hate. There should be a prize for the worst of them, and I know who my money would be on.

Along the way, she digs deeper into her own connections in the courts and learns even more about Riven’s very complicated personal and court life, the very things that force them into a heartbreaking situation that leaves lasting damage.

I found the otherworld cast of characters much more engaging than those in the previous book, but that might also be because Jessa is now getting in really deep there.

However, I missed the characters in the mortal world, and hope that the clean break Jessa left with does not mean the series will shift radically away from it, and them.

It would make sense, considering the stakes are getting higher and higher, and the real power certainly does lie in the Otherworld. But the interaction between fae and this Regency-based mortal world is one of the things I like about this series, and I am so invested in the fates of her little team of family and friends she’s been forced to leave behind.

Some of the best parts were Jade’s very cat-like amusement during her running mental commentary, especially at the dreaded prospect of keeping company with hounds. The horror! Not to mention her increasingly drastic measures to break through her companions’ refusal to get to the heart of matters, whether from ignorance or otherwise.

Overall, it was a wild ride from start to finish. Just when you think things can’t possibly get more intense, they somehow do.

Many questions were answered, and many more remain, and once again, we’re holding our breath for the next book, because that ending was almost too much for me to take.

Jessa has finally been snared by the Vigil. Her plan to have Jade follow fell apart when the presence of Other artifacts came into play. While at the Everstone Institution she is horrified by what she witnesses and the truth about how much Other has influenced the mortal world. Once free of the Institute she discovers she is on borrowed time. The Vigil and Magistrate are coming for her, requiring Jessa to clear her name before they can snare her again and the king of the Court of Gold patience has worn out demanding she come to Otherworld. Claims from the Vigil seem to have some truth causing Jessa, Riven, and Mr. Burke to become involved with this mystery. Jessa finally realizes she can no longer protect those she loves by herself but asking others to potentially get in harm’s way isn’t an easy task for her. Additionally, her and her sisters are still trying to uncover the truth about their past. She feels pressured for results as the time she carved out to accomplish these things quickly runs out. And she knows what waits for her in Otherworld is going to be harsher and unknown. The only constants that help keep her grounded are Jade, Risha, Riven but even then how they act will be influenced by the powerplays in Otherworld and the fae courts. The mystery she and Riven decide to investigate spills into the Otherworld, following leads becomes harder due to politicking and power games. Games that she herself gets pulled into much to her displeasure.

This book clearly marks the middle of the series. Her hold on her mortal life has been slipping, almost as if the glamour placed on it is breaking, while the Other has been slowly encroaching and this book gives a great showing of just that. The two worlds clash and finally we get answers to some long held questions. But as we get those answers we get more questions that will leave Jessa’s world changed. And now that we have answers and can mostly see what damage is done, is it too late to fix the mistakes made? But we see that the way Jessa handles herself and her choices are being noticed and are having some rippling effects that I am hoping get larger later in the series. We finally get large interaction with the fae monarchy and Riven does a great job of providing the explanations for both Jessa and the reader. You can tell there will be a shift in how some things will be handled moving forward and I hope to have more answers from the next installment.