The Secret Mirror (Emily Feather) by Holly Webb
| The Secret Mirror (Emily Feather) by Holly Webb | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: A human girl finds out that her adopted family are fairies and that their home is a gateway to other worlds. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 208 | Date: August 2013 |
| Publisher: Scholastic | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1407130934 | |
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It was hard enough for Emily to cope with the news that she was adopted. She had missed all of the signs, but now everything seemed painfully obvious. She didn’t resemble her sisters and brother, with their slender, delicate features. They belonged together. It was clear that Emily was different from the rest of her family, but the real shock was when she realised how different she was. The Feather family were not even human. They were high-ranking fairies and their home served as a gateway between the human and fairy realms.
The book makes it quite clear that not all fairies are as sweet and pleasant as we would believe. In fact, the menacing but beautiful Ladies are more like vampires, happily sucking the life force from any human child foolish enough to become enticed by the tempting delicacies on offer. Emily has already had one lucky escape from the Ladies and their hunting hounds and has been warned by her family to stay well away from the fairy world. But when the world seems to beckon behind every cupboard and mirror in her home, Emily is finding the lure increasingly difficult to resist...
Webb has ventured away from the familiar territory of puppy and kitten tales with a book that is most likely to appeal to the 9-13 year age range. Despite the cute cover art, the book has quite a dark tone and deals with some heavy subject matter, including adoption and bullying. The characters are interesting and Webb does a great job contrasting the close-knit and protective Feather family with the malevolent entities that inhabit the fairy realm.
Despite the interesting premise and well-drawn characters, the story was a bit of a let-down in terms of actual plot. When creating an alternative world such as this one, it is inevitable that a large portion of the narrative will be devoted to scene-setting and explanations of how the world works. We then have various chapters of Emily brooding and sulking about her problems. The actual story itself seems to be crammed between pages 129 and 200, with the reader finally getting a reward of some action and excitement after wading through 129 pages loaded with pre-teen angst. Oddly, the titular Secret Mirror does not even make an appearance until page 164, which is almost at the end of the book.
I wanted to love Emily Feather and the Secret Mirror, but I was disappointed by the lacklustre plot and misleading title. Wells seems to have all the essential ingredients for a fantastic story but has failed to use them to best effect. However, the book is part of a planned series and I am confident that this talented and popular author will be able to turn things around and create something magical for the next Emily Feather instalment.
Tweens who enjoy Webb's darker stories may enjoy Rose and the Magician's Mask by Holly Webb. We enjoyed Knightley and Son: K9 by Rohan Gavin.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Secret Mirror (Emily Feather) by Holly Webb at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Secret Mirror (Emily Feather) by Holly Webb at Amazon.com.
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