Mirrors and Mysteries by Christina Bauer – 4 Star Review

Grayson Eyre has left her old life behind.

Welcome to one of the April 1st stops on the blog tour for Mirrors and Mysteries by Christina Bauer with XPresso Book Tours (schedule linked.) Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

This is the second book in an arc within a larger series. Read my review of the previous book here!

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Mirrors and Mysteries
Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Book Nine
by Christina Bauer

Published 24 March 2022
Monster House Books

Genre: YA Fantasy, Retelling

Rapunzel meets Jane Eyre in the epic conclusion of this fairy tale romance!

Grayson Eyre has left her old life behind. She’s no longer stuck serving Lady R, a sadistic Rapunzel from the Lowood clan of elves. Instead, Grayson now teaches at the Thornfield home for shifter orphans. Even better, her boss is none other than the sexy alpha, Dex. It’s all good until a mysterious witch, Jocasta, appears in a nearby tower, demanding that Dex and Grayson discover the true nature of all Rapunzels. If not, Lady R will return to claim Grayson… and Thornfield will be wiped out by the evil Prism Master. Can Dex and Grayson discover the truth in time? And what will it mean for their growing attraction?

Secrets are revealed and feelings explored in this epic conclusion to the story of Dex and Grayson!

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Excerpt

Dex

“Owoooooo!”

High-pitched howls echo in through my bedroom door, along with the click-clack of tiny paws racing across the outer hallway. I wake up and smile.

The shifter pups are racing through my palace again. Fifth time this week.

I’d love to join in right away. Still, as pack alpha I must set a good example. I slide out of bed and into my formal kit as leader of Wulfhelm. That means a black leather jerkin, along with matching pants and boots. A short cape hangs over my shoulders. I have long black hair, pale skin, and a lean body that’s roped with muscle. Once I’m ready, I open my door and step into the corridor beyond.

Wulfhelm territory includes a castle-city and acres of woodland. My little corner is called Thornfield. It’s a medieval-style building that mixes dark wood, stained-glass windows, and ancient tapestries.

“Owoooo!”

The pups are only few hallways away now. A minute later, twenty of them tear around the corner, coming to a skidding stop by my opened door. The smallest pup is named Ulliver. Like me, he’s one of the few shifters who can speak while still in wolf form.

“Will you run with us?” Ulliver positions his little wolf self so he stands directly under the opened doorway across from my own. Not sure if this is because he’s six, but Ulliver mimics everything I do. It’s beyond endearing.

I put on my most mature face. Once the pups see I’m tempted, they’ll never let up.

“Shouldn’t you be in lessons?” I ask.

“It’s the girl’s turn,” explains Ulliver. “We have to wait.”

Wulfhelm is a unique pack. We’re all orphans and runaways, either from Faerie or Earth. For thousands of years, we’ve had female teachers for the girl shifters, but our population keeps declining. As a result, the boy’s teachers have been doing double duty lately.

“Don’t you want to run with us?” asks Ulliver. All around him, the pups yip and jump with excitement. “Please, Alpha?”

I pretend to consider this request. In truth, part of me made my decision the moment I heard the high-pitched howls.  I nod slowly. “I’ll give you a head start.”

“Yay!”

My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads

I was granted complimentary eARC access to Mirrors and Mysteries by Christina Bauer as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with XPresso Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I’ve been a big fan of Bauer’s writing for a couple of years now, and when I reviewed Towers and Tithes last year I fell in love with this story arc in particular. I absolutely could not wait to keep reading! I was under the impression that this arc would be a duology within the Magicorum series, not sure why, but I’m delighted to find that there’s another piece of the puzzle coming. Give me more!

Greyson is free, but all is not well. Dex is blind and there are still plenty of fires to put out. This book follows Greyson and Dex as they hop through magic mirrors trying to figure out who’s behind the big, sinister operation that’s working to keep them apart (among other goals,) and why. They need to know the truth behind Rapunzels, and that good old human classic Greyson loves so much, Jane Eyre, seems to have something to do with it.

As with all of the books in their series, this was a quick and easy read that really doesn’t have any dull moments. With that said, much like the previous book in the storyline, this feels much more mature than I’m used to Christina Bauer books feeling. We do get appearances by characters like Ella, a classic bubbly, impulsive teenaged Bauer girl, but Greyson and Dex feel older. Most characters in these books go up against the world at one point or another, but it has changed these characters at some point. If you’re here for bubbly Ella or characters like the ones you’ll find in Angelbound or Pixieland Diaries, this arc that started with Towers and Tithes isn’t for you. If you’re a fan of slightly older, more gritty and honest styles of fairytale retelling fantasy (like those written by Mercedes Lackey,) these books are your ideal next read!

About the Author

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

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Giveaway Alert!

Tour-wide giveaway (INT)
A copy of Mirrors and Mysteries and more!

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