I wasn't looking for it; in fact, I came to the bookstore for another book. Yet, I found myself taking home Mette Ivie Harrison's young adult novel, Mira, Mirror. Though I doubt it was the book cover that piqued my interest - the art reminded me of Lemony Snickett covers, cutesy but not arresting enough in and of itself. I did, however, find a story told from the point of view of the Wicked Queen's magic mirror, in the classic story of Snow White, interesting enough to keep me company on a rainy Maryland autumn afternoon.

At least, that was the plan. From the first page to the last, this book kept me transfixed. It's not the usual young adult retelling of a fairy tale at all. It's darker, earthy and connects with one's emotions in ways much deeper than Disney's movies ever could.

Harrison introduces us to four female characters, Mira (who tells the story in the first person narrative), her "sister" Amanda (who becomes the wicked step-mother of an absent Snow White), the peasant Ivana, and the merchant's daughter Talia. Each in her own way different. Each in her own way strong. How would you feel if you had been betrayed by one whom you thought of as a sister? To be trapped in the body of a mirror for more than a hundred years?

As I read, I wondered to myself:
What is beauty?
What does it mean to be "human"?
What is love?


"'Magic is born in death,' I said. 'But love is born in life, and death cannot end it.'"

Her words are beautiful, the meaning even more so. Even Harrison's ending left me thinking far into the night.