Review of Mirrored Worlds
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Review of Mirrored Worlds
[Following is a volunteer review of "Mirrored Worlds" by Tayma Tameem.]
Mirrored Worlds by Tayma Tameem follows an epic tale of three mismatched characters - Lila, Graute and Battleaxe - who are tasked to kidnap a baby that is born without any magical powers in a world of unicorns, elves, mages, giants and many more mythical beings. The setting takes place in Reath, a parallel world to Earth, but with the evolution of “magick” instead of science. The two worlds coexist in a delicate balance with a mirror separating them. This harmony is challenged after the birth of the human baby who becomes a catalyst for natural disasters. To restore balance, the trio embarks on a dangerous journey to Opar in search of the baby while simultaneously hiding from the corrupted Federation. Throughout the journey, they come across various challenges, battle against gruesome creatures, and form unexpected alliances.
The premise is unique with a magical mirror and a magic-less baby as the centerpiece which is not something commonly found in fantasy genres. There is also rising political tension in the background which gives the entire plot depth that I find interesting. What I enjoyed most is the fast-paced narration of the plot and the action sequence at every turn. The characters themselves also have contrasting personality traits which makes it easy for me to differentiate them. I can confidently say that this book has a lot of potential in terms of character, plot and worldbuilding, but whether or not it lives up to its potential is the question.
Despite my initial praises, I am disappointed with the way the story is carried out. There are far too many info dumps through dialogues, which comes across as unnatural and makes it boring to read. Every other character the trio meet in the story just serves as a checkpoint for the author to explain about the world’s political situation, quite forcibly, if I am being honest. This robs the realism of the world, because I felt like the story is being told to me instead of being able to immerse myself in this world with the characters.
A few chapters in and I could already tell that this is a plot-driven book with very two dimensional characters with no realistic attributes to bring them to life. This is especially true for Lila, who is the protagonist in this story. Even after reading more than 400 pages of this book, I have no clear sense of who Lila is besides a plot device for the author to expand the story. This makes it painfully difficult for me to empathize with her as well as the other characters because I simply do not care if they succeed in their mission or not.
Additionally, the magical system in the story is glossed over, with no clear explanation of what the limits are for Lila or mages in general. She seems to have just the spell at any moment to help them get out of sticky situations ranging from elemental spells, mind-control to random feats such as generating light. This is frustrating to me as a reader because everything is far too convenient to initiate any real conflict or suspense.
The very repetitive style of writing also turned me off as it shows a clear lack of professional editing with some minor errors here and there. The vocabulary is also quite juvenile, with repetitive phrasing such as overusing the word “top secret” in the first half of the book.
But the premise was good enough to carry me through the entire book and therefore I believe it deserves higher than one star. However, the execution of the story and the poor writing makes me hesitant to call it a good book. With all that in mind, I rate Mirrored Worlds by Tayma Tameem 2 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to those between the ages of 12 - 17 as there is no sexual content or profanities throughout the story. The simple writing and straightforward nature of this book is also suited for those who are interested in uncomplicated storylines and those who are not nitpicky about writing styles.
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Mirrored Worlds
View: on Bookshelves
Mirrored Worlds by Tayma Tameem follows an epic tale of three mismatched characters - Lila, Graute and Battleaxe - who are tasked to kidnap a baby that is born without any magical powers in a world of unicorns, elves, mages, giants and many more mythical beings. The setting takes place in Reath, a parallel world to Earth, but with the evolution of “magick” instead of science. The two worlds coexist in a delicate balance with a mirror separating them. This harmony is challenged after the birth of the human baby who becomes a catalyst for natural disasters. To restore balance, the trio embarks on a dangerous journey to Opar in search of the baby while simultaneously hiding from the corrupted Federation. Throughout the journey, they come across various challenges, battle against gruesome creatures, and form unexpected alliances.
The premise is unique with a magical mirror and a magic-less baby as the centerpiece which is not something commonly found in fantasy genres. There is also rising political tension in the background which gives the entire plot depth that I find interesting. What I enjoyed most is the fast-paced narration of the plot and the action sequence at every turn. The characters themselves also have contrasting personality traits which makes it easy for me to differentiate them. I can confidently say that this book has a lot of potential in terms of character, plot and worldbuilding, but whether or not it lives up to its potential is the question.
Despite my initial praises, I am disappointed with the way the story is carried out. There are far too many info dumps through dialogues, which comes across as unnatural and makes it boring to read. Every other character the trio meet in the story just serves as a checkpoint for the author to explain about the world’s political situation, quite forcibly, if I am being honest. This robs the realism of the world, because I felt like the story is being told to me instead of being able to immerse myself in this world with the characters.
A few chapters in and I could already tell that this is a plot-driven book with very two dimensional characters with no realistic attributes to bring them to life. This is especially true for Lila, who is the protagonist in this story. Even after reading more than 400 pages of this book, I have no clear sense of who Lila is besides a plot device for the author to expand the story. This makes it painfully difficult for me to empathize with her as well as the other characters because I simply do not care if they succeed in their mission or not.
Additionally, the magical system in the story is glossed over, with no clear explanation of what the limits are for Lila or mages in general. She seems to have just the spell at any moment to help them get out of sticky situations ranging from elemental spells, mind-control to random feats such as generating light. This is frustrating to me as a reader because everything is far too convenient to initiate any real conflict or suspense.
The very repetitive style of writing also turned me off as it shows a clear lack of professional editing with some minor errors here and there. The vocabulary is also quite juvenile, with repetitive phrasing such as overusing the word “top secret” in the first half of the book.
But the premise was good enough to carry me through the entire book and therefore I believe it deserves higher than one star. However, the execution of the story and the poor writing makes me hesitant to call it a good book. With all that in mind, I rate Mirrored Worlds by Tayma Tameem 2 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to those between the ages of 12 - 17 as there is no sexual content or profanities throughout the story. The simple writing and straightforward nature of this book is also suited for those who are interested in uncomplicated storylines and those who are not nitpicky about writing styles.
******
Mirrored Worlds
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Happiness is All We Want! by Ashutosh Mishra
