It’s the middle of the holiday season, and although things are crazy-busy, I found some time to review Mirror Gate by Jeff Wheeler.
Review
The sequel to Storm Glass trades sky manors for a school of magic. Muirwood Abbey serves as Wheeler’s version of Hogwarts, and there is even a Dumbledore-like headmaster named the Aldermaston. And just like the two protagonists who begin the novel as students at the Abbey, the reader learns a lot more about the magical “mysteries” that power the unique world of the Harbinger series.
There are other similarities between the Harbinger series and Harry Potter, too. Both involve teenage protagonists, and Wheeler’s novels tend to be much closer in tone to the fiction of J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis than, say, the gritty sex and violence of A Game of Thrones.
Where Storm Glass was largely confined to the sky manors of Fog Willows and Lockhaven, Mirror Gate offers a broader view of Wheeler’s story world. In this book, we learn about the mirror gates. They are portals to another world ruled by a rival empire called Kingsfountain. Even more, the two empires stand on the brink of war.
The novel, however, still revolves around the two protagonists introduced in Storm Glass: Sera and Cettie. Sera’s story involves her struggle to become empress when her grandfather, the emperor, passes away. But her ambitious father, who sits as Prince Regent, will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening.
While Sera’s story offers plenty of drama, I found myself drawn more to Cettie’s tale. She has a peculiar aptitude for the mysteries, and the questions about her origin become even more intriguing in this book. She must learn to confront the ghosts that continue to pursue her. And fortunately, Wheeler provides much more information about the nature of these evil spirits this time around.
By the end, Mirror Gate opens the door to a broader and more sweeping story, where Sera and Cettie will likely help decide the fate of the conflict between empires. The series continues to hold promise, and I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds in book three, Iron Garland.