Review: The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath: From the Peculiar Adventures of John Lovehart, Esq., Volume 1 by Ishbelle Bee

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

1888. A little girl called Mirror and her shape-shifting guardian Goliath Honeyflower are washed up on the shores of Victorian England. Something has been wrong with Mirror since the day her grandfather locked her inside a mysterious clock that was painted all over with ladybirds. Mirror does not know what she is, but she knows she is no longer human.
John Loveheart, meanwhile, was not born wicked. But after the sinister death of his parents, he was taken by Mr. Fingers, the demon lord of the underworld. Some say he is mad. John would be inclined to agree.
Now Mr Fingers is determined to find the little girl called Mirror, whose flesh he intends to eat, and whose soul is the key to his eternal reign. And John Loveheart has been called by his otherworldly father to help him track Mirror down...

MY TAKE:
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this novel.

In The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath: From the Peculiar Adventures of John Lovehart, Esq., Volume 1, Mirror was changed after being trapped by her grandfather in an enchanted grandfather clock. She and her protector Goliath try to search for answers and help. Meanwhile, Loveheart is an odd man who Mr. Fingers took in as his adopted son when Loveheart was still a child. Now, he is asked by his adopted father to search for Mirror and bring her back. But for what?

This was the most surreal and strange book I've read in awhile. I have to decide if that's good or bad. I liked the originality of the plot. There were elements of Greek mythology, specifically the story of Persephone and Hades, as well as an explanation for Jack the Ripper's insistence, which was chillingly believable, especially after reading the story.

The novel had multiple narrators, shifting viewpoints every so often. These narrators include Mirror, Goliath, Loveheart, as well as Loveheart's brother Tumbletee and Detective White, whom I liked. This sounds confusing but it's actually not. The time shifts in between chapters where more confusing to me. I mean, I understood what was happening and how it related to the rest of the story, but it did get a bit disorienting every so often. I understood the need for it, though, as time does play an important part in the story.

The story was just average for me until Detective White's part in the story, then I started to get invested in what was happening. I love a good mystery, and I liked how his story intertwined with Mirror and Loveheart's.

This book certainly was darker than I expected, almost a gothic novel. I think I would have liked this more had I read it during a dark and stormy night, while drinking coffee or hot chocolate. I feel like this needs a certain kind of mood to be fully enjoyed.

THE GOOD:

1. It's an interesting premise.
2. The characters are quirky and slightly nuts.
3. There were awesome plot twists. 

THE BAD:

1. There were some confusing moments, partly due to the jumping between timelines. 

READ IT IF:

1. You like gothic novels.
2. You like weird, slightly creepy characters.
3. You like unusual stories. 

RATING:


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