Book Review: The Soul Mirror

Posted on  27/10/2023 16:06:45

book : The Soul Mirror

author : Carol Berg

series : Collegia Magica #2

publisher : Ace

length : 528 pages

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Here I thought Portier was the world’s most surprising person, a scrap of a librarian with the constitution of a dragon. And then a maiden who scarce reaches my elbow comes along and leaves one man dead, one bloodied, one frightened out of his boots, and another about to explode like a badly stuffed musket."

And that my friends would be Anne de Vernase, the FMC of this second installment in Carol Berg's Collegia Magica series, and quite possibly one of the best characters ever written.

A plain, awkward, outstanding young woman, so oddly simple, so incredibly complex... of such a sharp intellect and an even sharper tongue ... Anne is a formidable presence in an unforgettable tale of treachery, murder and dark magic.

Berg set a very high bar with The Spirit Lens but The Soul Mirror lifts the series to an an entirely different level.

This here is fantasy the way it should be written.
Detailed and nuanced, layered, vivid and unforgettable - The Soul Mirror is an irresistibly haunting mystery of terrifying murders and illicit necromancy, that will have any fan of the genre turn pages late into the night.

This is Berg at her best and she delivers!
Magic, mystery, intrigue and pure indisputable thought-provoking goodness!

🕯The Collegia Magica series is not your typical epic fantasy. It is more of a mystery story set in a fantasy world that is a bit reminiscent of Renaissance France, albeit full of magic. And, at the same time, it is a story of redemption in a typical edge of the seat heart-breaking and absolutely gripping Carol Berg style.

🕯 Here, in The Sould Mirror, the characters from book one are presented in a completely different and downright fascinating light. That of Anne's perspective. While Anne herself will have you rooting for her in no time.
Because, despite of how formidable she is - intelligent, strong and resourceful - Berg manages to keep her far away from the dreaded Mary Sue figure. Anne is also realistically weak, flawed and real.

🕯Fast-paced and full of unpredictable twists and turns, The Soul Mirror not only gives us edge of the seat action but also wondrous, terrifyingly beautiful magic, and a fabulous wordbuilding, all alongside characters that seem palpably real.

🕯This is hands down one of the best books I've ever read in the genre.

But you don't have to take my word for it.
Give it a try to decide for yourselves, and you can thank me later.😉😎

Happy reading my friends.
"May you find the grace of the divine, the courage of all saints, and all angels' blessings this day."

Check out this book and more of Carol Berg over at: http://www.carolberg.com/