The Obsidian Mirror (Chronoptika Quartet, #1)

by Catherine Fisher

[Risa Nichols]

Note: I won this ARC through First Reads.

Wow. After finishing The Obsidian Mirror last night, that is the only word my lips dare utter. Wow... My brain is still reeling from this fantastical work of fiction that left me breathless and wanting more.

I had never heard of Catherine Fisher prior to reading this book, but let me tell you...after finishing this novel, I will now become more familiar with her work. I have always enjoyed fantasy novels, but often I find that they generally overuse the same idea and their plots override one another in such a "been there, done that" fashion. This was not the case for Obsidian Mirror. The characters, the setting, the plot--all were unique to this novel and this world that Fisher created. I applaud you, Catherine Fisher, for writing such a unique piece of literature and sharing it with the world.

Now on to the cons of this book... The first 1/4, or maybe the first 1/3, of this novel was very hard for me to follow and I would often sit and re-read the page I just read, trying to make sense of it. I felt very confused and lost, thinking that perhaps I had missed something or that maybe my brain just wasn't up to the challenge of reading such an in-depth fantasy. However, later on in the book, when the pieces start to fall into place and you find yourself discovering all of those delicious little "Aha!" moments, I believe that the prior confusion is the price to be paid.

Over all, this is a fantastic work of art and I am astounded at the talent Catherine Fisher possesses. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, simply because I was so confused at the beginning of the story. I will anxiously await the next two books and I look forward to familiarizing myself with her previous novels.