The Mirrorwood - by Deva Fagan

Book Synopsis

Perfect for fans of the Twisted Tales series and Doll Bones, this thrilling, "cleverly original" (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade fantasy follows a girl without a face as she battles a deadly enchanted forest and learns the truth behind her world's fairy tales.

Appearances are always deceiving...

Fable has been cursed by what the people in her village call the Blight, a twisted enchantment that leaves her without a face of her own. To stay alive, Fable has to steal the faces of others, making her an outcast that no one trusts. When the fierce Blighthunter Vycorax comes to kill Fable to stop her curse from spreading, Fable narrowly escapes by fleeing into the thorny woods surrounding her small village.

The treacherous forest has been ruled by a demon-prince for centuries, a deadly place trapped in time. Fable--and her opinionated feline companion, Moth--is the first to dare enter in a very long time. There, she encounters a tediously chatty skull, dangerously meddlesome deities, and a beast so powerful it tears at the fabric of reality, leaving nothingness in its horrible wake.

Fable will soon discover that, in the Mirrorwood, nothing is quite like the stories say, and the perilous realm may be the only chance she has to break her curse and find her true self.

Review Quotes

"Fagan's sinister, fast-paced fantasy adventure is elevated by Fable and Vycorax's warm, slow-building friendship. This thrilling and unusual tale suggests that self-reflection--and self-acceptance--can be the difference between heroism and villainy."

--Publishers Weekly

"Realistic fans will have plenty to appreciate, as the girls' slowly building friendship and their struggles to find their own cores independent of family influence or enchantments feel just as vital to the novel as the magic."--BCCB

"Starts as a fairy-tale retelling but goes somewhere cleverly original once in the enchanted wood."--Kirkus Reviews

"The author excels in setting expectations and then subverting them: the Withering offers advice; the demon prince turns out to be nice; a blessing given to the true prince turns out to be a curse. Fable's twist ties in to themes of identity and self-confidence with gratifying neatness as the novel unfolds in unexpected directions through Fable's and Vycorax's competing motivations and pushes through multiple complications to a highly satisfactory conclusion."--The Horn Book

About the Author

Deva Fagan writes fantasy and science fiction for all ages. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading, doing geometry, playing video games, hiking, and drinking copious amounts of tea. She is the author of several books, including Rival Magic, Nightingale, The Mirrorwood, and A Game of Noctis. She lives in Maine with her husband and their dog. You can find her online at DevaFagan.com.