Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison

Everyone knows the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” but Mettie Ivie Harrison has something more to say, not just about the Evil Queen, but also her magic mirror. In recent years it has been rather vogue to take a traditional fairytale and put a new spin on it (usually by retelling it through the eyes of the antagonist), but Mira, Mirror not only acts as a sequel to “Snow White,” but also provides a new point-of-view in the form of the Queen’s mirror… The language is beautiful and rich, and seeped in a fairytale quality that speaks of dark forests and ancient manor houses, and since there’s no detail given on the time period or setting, it retains its folklorish ambiguity as to when and where everything is taking place. Harrison also provides interesting origins for the Queen’s motivation, the poisoned apple tree, and (of course) the mirror and its purpose, and an interesting dynamic evolves between two sets of sisters… Altogether, Mira, Mirror is an intriguing and thoughtful look into an aspect of the fairytale that is seldom explored. Read the rest.