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Require: Cookie #1
Mirrorfall: Episode One
Episode One: Wherein actions have consequences.
Stef Mimosa doesn't know about magic. She doesn't know about the fae, the monsters, and everything else that goes bump in the night.
She also doesn't know about the nanite-construct Agents created to keep the monsters in check. What she does know is that she died when she was two, and an angel confronted death to bring her back.
Twenty years later, her angel finds her again, saves her, and takes her under his metaphorical wing. Though she stumbles, though she's an ill fit, for the first time in her life, someone seems to want her around.
But Stef's angel is really an Agent named Ryan, and he's more software than seraph. In an Agency where magic is the bleeding edge of technology and cookies can be summoned by thought, Stef must come to terms with her past and her own unstable mind. And with the possibility that even angels need family.
Stef Mimosa doesn't know about magic. She doesn't know about the fae, the monsters, and everything else that goes bump in the night.
She also doesn't know about the nanite-construct Agents created to keep the monsters in check. What she does know is that she died when she was two, and an angel confronted death to bring her back.
Twenty years later, her angel finds her again, saves her, and takes her under his metaphorical wing. Though she stumbles, though she's an ill fit, for the first time in her life, someone seems to want her around.
But Stef's angel is really an Agent named Ryan, and he's more software than seraph. In an Agency where magic is the bleeding edge of technology and cookies can be summoned by thought, Stef must come to terms with her past and her own unstable mind. And with the possibility that even angels need family.
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2012
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118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 2, 2013
(this is a review for the entire Mirrorfall novel, not just episode one)
Intended Audience: YA
Sexual content: Significant
Ace/Genderqueer characters: Yes (human)
Rating: R for language, violence, some sexuality
Writing style: 2/5
Likable characters: 3/5
Plot/Concepts: 2/5
Stef is a hacker, a loner genius who loathes humanity and loves her laptop, Frankie. Ryan is the agent who brought her back from the dead. Stef wasn’t supposed to remember him, but she did, and now she’s stumbled into a combination of magic and technology that even her overactive imagination wasn’t quite prepared for.
Books with human ace characters are pretty rare. This one included A.I. but had the human as the primary ace character, which is rarer still. It also included a lot of nerdy “fandom” references to enjoy—my favorite part of the book. And despite the agency being an agency rather than a school, the setup gave a bit of the “magical academy” type of feeling that I know appeals to a lot of people. Stef has to try to fit in to a new world and a new group of people, which would be difficult even in the normal world, as her social skills are pretty bad.
Unfortunately, the book is in need of several more rounds of editing. Level one is the technical aspect—punctuation, sentence structure, and many cases of extra or missing words. Nearly every chapter had a problem with one or all of these. If it were just one of those things I might pass it off as a formatting error in the digital copy I was reading, but with all three occurring so frequently it became clear that this manuscript needs a major overhaul. Second level is the dialogue. There were several instances where I felt completely lost by the turns in the conversations between characters. It felt unnatural, not only because of how often the characters’ reactions didn’t seem to make sense, but also because the way everything is written gives the impression that the dialogue is supposed to reflect a certain scene’s “feel” rather than actually be true to the characters. This is especially noticeable in the beginning. It gets a little better later.
On that note, some of the descriptions were a little too shortcut-like. For instance, Ryan’s expressions are often referred to as being “narc”. Not only did I have to look up what the word meant (probably regional slang?), it doesn’t actually describe much of anything in terms of expression, so to use it every time he smiles or makes some other face is ineffectual. And it’s not the only problematic description either. The most memorable came from a passage near the beginning of the story, and went something like “he closed the door, and made a big show out of leaving it unlocked.” How does anyone make a show out of that? Did he stare at the lock, look pointedly at Stef, then look back at the lock and walk away? Did he act like he was going to lock it and then didn’t? Did he lock it and then unlock it again? Actually showing the reader what he did would have been much better than writing a non-description like that. The writing style’s greatest strength is that it’s not too boring or repetitive (apart from the narc thing), and some of the wording and humor is pretty clever. I was pleased to find such a diverse range of references and nods to various geekery. There is potential there, if the aforementioned weaknesses can be addressed.
Characters are an important part of any story. I’d say Mirrorfall is roughly 50% character musings, 30% worldbuilding, and 20% plot. A lot of space is taken up by dwelling on Stef’s insecurities, her disdain for other people, her love of computers, and above all her “crazy” nerd self. She has a voice in her head which is never quite explained but which apparently is the genius half of her, who tells her what she should be doing. But it is also—at least in the beginning—quite harsh. I really wanted to like and empathize with Stef, but she just came off as very selfish, and the fact that she has few qualms about killing people is also instantly repellant. She barely has to work for anything that she gets in the course of the story, and people let her get away with stupid decisions instead of setting her straight. Personally, I also didn’t like that her asexuality was tied so closely to disliking people in general… it harks too close to how some people perceive aces as cold and unsociable. Really, most other aces I’ve met are nothing like Stef, so as far as representation goes she’s not the best candidate. Stef is an individual, though, and she has some reasons to not trust people. I feel pity for her insecurities, but I still didn’t come to like her. I also expected to like Ryan, her agent guardian. Once again, I felt sorry for him, but he was a bit too one-dimensional to connect with. My favorite character was Curt, the ex-Solstice on probation at the agency. Solstice are enemies of the agency and of all magical or otherworldly beings, and Curt seems like a genuinely good guy. It would have been great to see the distrustful relationship between him and the agency played out a bit more. I have the feeling he could be a really complex character if he got more attention.
As for the world itself, it felt a bit like a fairytale anime. There wasn’t anything superbly surprising about any of the magic or technology, and most of it seemed to play the role of escapism wish-fulfillment in the story. Much of the magic is just cool, although Stef does encounter the dangerous side of it more than once. I enjoyed some of the scenes where the magic was shown as a cosmic force, rather than a curiosity to gawk at.
Despite Stef being ace and unsociable, she seems to stumble on “squicky” situations even more than is normal for a repulsed ace. In one scene, the man who recruited her to his hacking team randomly decides to use her room to have a fling with some sexy chick, and when she walks in he quickly agrees to let Stef sleep in his bed instead, even though he knows that if Stef tries to go to his room she will end up seeing things and beings that she should not see. The unlikelihood of all those events happening in quick succession is confusing. Why would someone like Dorian be that stupid? Why didn’t he go have sex in his own room for heaven’s sake? There should have been some other plot device, something more realistic, to introduce Stef to the world of magic. And later, at the agency, there are twin doctors who apparently have sex (or at least make out and strip off clothing) in front of recruits all the time. The inclusion of such a thing seems really bizarre in context. It feels like something thrown in, like a movie shower scene, to titillate the reader. It feels unnecessary and baffling.
The biggest problem with the plot, however, is that despite stuff happening, nothing really happens. There’s no sense of rising action, nothing tying it all together… it’s just a series of events that only feel connected because Stef lives through them. I kept expecting some earlier parts of the story to tie in at the end, such as, say, a reappearance of the first “monster” Stef saw, but nothing like that happened. Stef’s living alone, then she’s working for a group of hackers, then she’s at the agency, and then she’s watching the mirror (core of a dead world) fall. The mirrorfall is where the climax of the story ought to be, but it was so loosely connected to the rest of the story that I didn’t feel the sense of engagement I usually expect when I reach the end of a book. There is no plot apart from Stef, and I think there needs to be. Harry Potter might have still been entertaining if it was only about Harry going to Hogwarts—and this story is entertaining too, in a way—but the real story is what’s happening with Voldemort’s return. What’s the real story here? If there is one in the longer arc of the series, I could barely feel it.
Mirrorfall has some of the basic ingredients for a great novel, but there are some big holes that need to be filled… and more ingredients that need to be added to make the flavor richer and more layered. It’s a start, but it definitely has further to go before it is all that it could be.
Intended Audience: YA
Sexual content: Significant
Ace/Genderqueer characters: Yes (human)
Rating: R for language, violence, some sexuality
Writing style: 2/5
Likable characters: 3/5
Plot/Concepts: 2/5
Stef is a hacker, a loner genius who loathes humanity and loves her laptop, Frankie. Ryan is the agent who brought her back from the dead. Stef wasn’t supposed to remember him, but she did, and now she’s stumbled into a combination of magic and technology that even her overactive imagination wasn’t quite prepared for.
Books with human ace characters are pretty rare. This one included A.I. but had the human as the primary ace character, which is rarer still. It also included a lot of nerdy “fandom” references to enjoy—my favorite part of the book. And despite the agency being an agency rather than a school, the setup gave a bit of the “magical academy” type of feeling that I know appeals to a lot of people. Stef has to try to fit in to a new world and a new group of people, which would be difficult even in the normal world, as her social skills are pretty bad.
Unfortunately, the book is in need of several more rounds of editing. Level one is the technical aspect—punctuation, sentence structure, and many cases of extra or missing words. Nearly every chapter had a problem with one or all of these. If it were just one of those things I might pass it off as a formatting error in the digital copy I was reading, but with all three occurring so frequently it became clear that this manuscript needs a major overhaul. Second level is the dialogue. There were several instances where I felt completely lost by the turns in the conversations between characters. It felt unnatural, not only because of how often the characters’ reactions didn’t seem to make sense, but also because the way everything is written gives the impression that the dialogue is supposed to reflect a certain scene’s “feel” rather than actually be true to the characters. This is especially noticeable in the beginning. It gets a little better later.
On that note, some of the descriptions were a little too shortcut-like. For instance, Ryan’s expressions are often referred to as being “narc”. Not only did I have to look up what the word meant (probably regional slang?), it doesn’t actually describe much of anything in terms of expression, so to use it every time he smiles or makes some other face is ineffectual. And it’s not the only problematic description either. The most memorable came from a passage near the beginning of the story, and went something like “he closed the door, and made a big show out of leaving it unlocked.” How does anyone make a show out of that? Did he stare at the lock, look pointedly at Stef, then look back at the lock and walk away? Did he act like he was going to lock it and then didn’t? Did he lock it and then unlock it again? Actually showing the reader what he did would have been much better than writing a non-description like that. The writing style’s greatest strength is that it’s not too boring or repetitive (apart from the narc thing), and some of the wording and humor is pretty clever. I was pleased to find such a diverse range of references and nods to various geekery. There is potential there, if the aforementioned weaknesses can be addressed.
Characters are an important part of any story. I’d say Mirrorfall is roughly 50% character musings, 30% worldbuilding, and 20% plot. A lot of space is taken up by dwelling on Stef’s insecurities, her disdain for other people, her love of computers, and above all her “crazy” nerd self. She has a voice in her head which is never quite explained but which apparently is the genius half of her, who tells her what she should be doing. But it is also—at least in the beginning—quite harsh. I really wanted to like and empathize with Stef, but she just came off as very selfish, and the fact that she has few qualms about killing people is also instantly repellant. She barely has to work for anything that she gets in the course of the story, and people let her get away with stupid decisions instead of setting her straight. Personally, I also didn’t like that her asexuality was tied so closely to disliking people in general… it harks too close to how some people perceive aces as cold and unsociable. Really, most other aces I’ve met are nothing like Stef, so as far as representation goes she’s not the best candidate. Stef is an individual, though, and she has some reasons to not trust people. I feel pity for her insecurities, but I still didn’t come to like her. I also expected to like Ryan, her agent guardian. Once again, I felt sorry for him, but he was a bit too one-dimensional to connect with. My favorite character was Curt, the ex-Solstice on probation at the agency. Solstice are enemies of the agency and of all magical or otherworldly beings, and Curt seems like a genuinely good guy. It would have been great to see the distrustful relationship between him and the agency played out a bit more. I have the feeling he could be a really complex character if he got more attention.
As for the world itself, it felt a bit like a fairytale anime. There wasn’t anything superbly surprising about any of the magic or technology, and most of it seemed to play the role of escapism wish-fulfillment in the story. Much of the magic is just cool, although Stef does encounter the dangerous side of it more than once. I enjoyed some of the scenes where the magic was shown as a cosmic force, rather than a curiosity to gawk at.
Despite Stef being ace and unsociable, she seems to stumble on “squicky” situations even more than is normal for a repulsed ace. In one scene, the man who recruited her to his hacking team randomly decides to use her room to have a fling with some sexy chick, and when she walks in he quickly agrees to let Stef sleep in his bed instead, even though he knows that if Stef tries to go to his room she will end up seeing things and beings that she should not see. The unlikelihood of all those events happening in quick succession is confusing. Why would someone like Dorian be that stupid? Why didn’t he go have sex in his own room for heaven’s sake? There should have been some other plot device, something more realistic, to introduce Stef to the world of magic. And later, at the agency, there are twin doctors who apparently have sex (or at least make out and strip off clothing) in front of recruits all the time. The inclusion of such a thing seems really bizarre in context. It feels like something thrown in, like a movie shower scene, to titillate the reader. It feels unnecessary and baffling.
The biggest problem with the plot, however, is that despite stuff happening, nothing really happens. There’s no sense of rising action, nothing tying it all together… it’s just a series of events that only feel connected because Stef lives through them. I kept expecting some earlier parts of the story to tie in at the end, such as, say, a reappearance of the first “monster” Stef saw, but nothing like that happened. Stef’s living alone, then she’s working for a group of hackers, then she’s at the agency, and then she’s watching the mirror (core of a dead world) fall. The mirrorfall is where the climax of the story ought to be, but it was so loosely connected to the rest of the story that I didn’t feel the sense of engagement I usually expect when I reach the end of a book. There is no plot apart from Stef, and I think there needs to be. Harry Potter might have still been entertaining if it was only about Harry going to Hogwarts—and this story is entertaining too, in a way—but the real story is what’s happening with Voldemort’s return. What’s the real story here? If there is one in the longer arc of the series, I could barely feel it.
Mirrorfall has some of the basic ingredients for a great novel, but there are some big holes that need to be filled… and more ingredients that need to be added to make the flavor richer and more layered. It’s a start, but it definitely has further to go before it is all that it could be.
January 28, 2016
Review originally posted to A Keyboard and an Open Mind January 29, 2016:
I was recommended this series by a friend years ago when it was still a web serial and not yet available in book form. I think perhaps if I had also read it as a web serial, I would have been a little more forgiving of it, but as it was, I found it hard to really enjoy. It definitely delivers on its promise of being “urban fantasy for geeks”, but a lot of that went over my head, too, which didn’t help.
When Stef Mimosa was only two, she died of a gunshot wound, but an Angel confronted Death and brought her back. Years later, Stef still remembers this, but she tries to focus on science instead, and pays the bills as a hacker. After a job goes crazy wrong, her Angel, actual name Ryan, finds her hiding in a wardrobe, and introduces her to the Agency, an organisation that combines magic and technology to benefit and protect the masses. When Stef joins them, they are in preparation for Mirrofall, an event where another world ends and pieces fall to Earth. Stef quickly embarks on training to help her take part in the process, but her own insecurities threaten to prevent her from ever really being part of this new world.
I think one of the issues is that the book covers such a short space of time. The events really only take place over about a week, so in terms of character, there is little time for anything to really change. When you think about this short time span, the fact that Stef undergoes very little character growth, and is still having exactly the same “I’m a failure, I can’t be here, I’ll f*ck everything up” freak-outs at 90% that she was having at 25% of the book, is not surprising. But it’s frustrating to continue reading that and not see any change.
On the flip side, Ryan was very quick to adopt her as the daughter-he-never-had (he has a son who has nothing to do with him, but Stef remembers him saving her and he’s sentimental about things like that) and to let his affection for her cloud his judgement. He makes some really poor decisions for really no reason at all, like making her a field agent like him in the first place, and then letting her be in the field with him for the Mirrorfall, despite the fact that she hasn’t even had a week’s worth of training and she is really better suited to the tech department.
There’s another character, Curt, who does actually point out these issues, but I felt like I was supposed to be finding him annoying and whiny, rather than the voice of reason.
The world-building was actually really good, but filtered through Stef’s tech-oriented mind, a lot of it went over my head. I’m still not sure whether Ryan was AI or what. Stef viewed him as some sort of program or code, but I didn’t actually understand for the most part. I did enjoy the descriptions of the different magical creatures that Stef and Ryan met.
The other main issue was that this definitely could have used another edit. There were typos and words missing often enough, and certain… not really leet-speak, but words mostly used online like “fsck” instead of swearing and “pls” rather than please. I wouldn’t have minded if it had been Stef writing a note, but when she used “pls” in dialogue, it seemed odd.
While the editing isn’t something that can be fixed by anyone but the author, from the reviews I’ve read of the second book, it does sound like it addresses some of the plot/character issues I had, so I haven’t entirely written off. It’s just always a bit sad when you don’t love a book as much as the friend who recommended it did.
I was recommended this series by a friend years ago when it was still a web serial and not yet available in book form. I think perhaps if I had also read it as a web serial, I would have been a little more forgiving of it, but as it was, I found it hard to really enjoy. It definitely delivers on its promise of being “urban fantasy for geeks”, but a lot of that went over my head, too, which didn’t help.
When Stef Mimosa was only two, she died of a gunshot wound, but an Angel confronted Death and brought her back. Years later, Stef still remembers this, but she tries to focus on science instead, and pays the bills as a hacker. After a job goes crazy wrong, her Angel, actual name Ryan, finds her hiding in a wardrobe, and introduces her to the Agency, an organisation that combines magic and technology to benefit and protect the masses. When Stef joins them, they are in preparation for Mirrofall, an event where another world ends and pieces fall to Earth. Stef quickly embarks on training to help her take part in the process, but her own insecurities threaten to prevent her from ever really being part of this new world.
I think one of the issues is that the book covers such a short space of time. The events really only take place over about a week, so in terms of character, there is little time for anything to really change. When you think about this short time span, the fact that Stef undergoes very little character growth, and is still having exactly the same “I’m a failure, I can’t be here, I’ll f*ck everything up” freak-outs at 90% that she was having at 25% of the book, is not surprising. But it’s frustrating to continue reading that and not see any change.
On the flip side, Ryan was very quick to adopt her as the daughter-he-never-had (he has a son who has nothing to do with him, but Stef remembers him saving her and he’s sentimental about things like that) and to let his affection for her cloud his judgement. He makes some really poor decisions for really no reason at all, like making her a field agent like him in the first place, and then letting her be in the field with him for the Mirrorfall, despite the fact that she hasn’t even had a week’s worth of training and she is really better suited to the tech department.
There’s another character, Curt, who does actually point out these issues, but I felt like I was supposed to be finding him annoying and whiny, rather than the voice of reason.
The world-building was actually really good, but filtered through Stef’s tech-oriented mind, a lot of it went over my head. I’m still not sure whether Ryan was AI or what. Stef viewed him as some sort of program or code, but I didn’t actually understand for the most part. I did enjoy the descriptions of the different magical creatures that Stef and Ryan met.
The other main issue was that this definitely could have used another edit. There were typos and words missing often enough, and certain… not really leet-speak, but words mostly used online like “fsck” instead of swearing and “pls” rather than please. I wouldn’t have minded if it had been Stef writing a note, but when she used “pls” in dialogue, it seemed odd.
While the editing isn’t something that can be fixed by anyone but the author, from the reviews I’ve read of the second book, it does sound like it addresses some of the plot/character issues I had, so I haven’t entirely written off. It’s just always a bit sad when you don’t love a book as much as the friend who recommended it did.
December 18, 2014
Are you from the internet? Can you think in memes? Do you proudly rep your geek cred, hard, and like to think of yourself as a code monkey (but really you can only do some light html editing)? Yes? Then this book is for you. Really I liked it because of one Terry Pratchett reference. Also, I'm glad it was free on kindle or I would have never read it. This is kind of an escape fantasy for young people who fantasize about having a better father.
January 11, 2015
A difficult read for me. Most of the tech stuff went over my head. The characters were likeable and multi-layered. The descriptive talent of the writer is wonderful. So the book was well written. But it was so far over my head in the tech department I couldn't enjoy it. For those of us who are technically challenged it's a hard read. But the writer has a very nice style that flows well.
March 18, 2019
I like the characters of Stef and Ryan (and Curt!) but the pacing on this story felt really weird. The first 90% of the story is Stef settling in to a super-secret supernatural Men-in-Black-style organisation (which happens in a suprisingly easy, laid back, way with the bulk of her challenges being internal ones). This is fairly interesting (albeit drawn out and meandering), even if the character relationships grow insanely quickly for a story that takes place over a week.
Then the titular Mirrorfall event - which a novice agent should not be involved in, I don't care how much Ryan cares about her - gets crammed into the very end of the book in a rushed and confusing manner. And then the book ends on a cliffhanger.
There's a lot to like about this story, with its focus on an asexual(?), neurologically atypical person discovering a world of magic and interacting with it in an asexual, neurologically atypical way. The geek references are fun (if occasionally a little forced) and the writing is well crafted in places. But it kind of meanders through the bulk of the book without an great source of tension, even without the contrast of how hard it hits the accelerator towards the end.
Overall I didn't like it anywhere as much as I expected, and that's a shame, because there's a lot of potential in there. :(
Then the titular Mirrorfall event - which a novice agent should not be involved in, I don't care how much Ryan cares about her - gets crammed into the very end of the book in a rushed and confusing manner. And then the book ends on a cliffhanger.
There's a lot to like about this story, with its focus on an asexual(?), neurologically atypical person discovering a world of magic and interacting with it in an asexual, neurologically atypical way. The geek references are fun (if occasionally a little forced) and the writing is well crafted in places. But it kind of meanders through the bulk of the book without an great source of tension, even without the contrast of how hard it hits the accelerator towards the end.
Overall I didn't like it anywhere as much as I expected, and that's a shame, because there's a lot of potential in there. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2018
The author has done something difficult and done it well. She has built a magical world that sits alongside our own - but we see it through Stef's eyes.
Stef is broken. She's extremely intelligent, but has negligible social skills. Her voices have more common sense than she does - and she's lucky to have the benefit of their advice. When she is found in the wrong place at the wrong time, she is recruited by the Agency - an as-it-were-magical Men-In-Black organization.
McDermott makes it work. Stef is broken in a way that has left her sense of wonder intact. She's not a very good Recruit, but she is an excellent lens through which to see the partly-magical-partly-high-tech-partly-grubby world in which she finds herself.
Stef is broken. She's extremely intelligent, but has negligible social skills. Her voices have more common sense than she does - and she's lucky to have the benefit of their advice. When she is found in the wrong place at the wrong time, she is recruited by the Agency - an as-it-were-magical Men-In-Black organization.
McDermott makes it work. Stef is broken in a way that has left her sense of wonder intact. She's not a very good Recruit, but she is an excellent lens through which to see the partly-magical-partly-high-tech-partly-grubby world in which she finds herself.
January 4, 2025
This was a fantastic storyline. I really enjoyed reading it. The only complaint I have is a few spelling and grammatical errors that must have been missed in editing. Overall though, a great book for anyone into fantasy and science fiction.
June 28, 2013
Stef, or Spyder, is a hacker, computer genius and an all round geek. Who has just been given a job that is compelling, fascinating and almost impossible – decipher indecipherable code. Code that resembles nothing on Earth. Code that she can almost comprehend and is driven to solve. Code that may not even be from Earth – nor her employers
At least until guys with guns show up and everything becomes very confusing very quickly.
She’s always wanted to see magic and things beyond the norm – and now she’s plunged into the middle of it, torn between loving every second and running in terror of not being able to meet the challenges of her new world – or her new job as a field agent for the Agency. Police, facilitators – she’s joined the organisation that tries to bring some semblance of peace and order to a very chaotic supernatural world.
And her boss may be an angel. He certainly saved her life before.
In story terms I think there are 2 stories pushed together here. One is Stef discovering the world beyond the one she knows, being recruited for the agency and then actually joining up and becoming Ryan’s protégé. This is a good story and needed a lot of growth. Then there is the Mirrorfall which feels kind of rushed, addressed only in passing and to be made up of a whole lot of bad decisions and not very well explained. I feel the Mirrorfall could have been a separate story and we could have just focused on Stef joining the agency and proving herself and establishing he bond between herself and Ryan – things which badly needed doing.
I didn’t dislike the stories but they needed more development, and to move faster. We spend so much time on Stef’s internal dialogue and doubts with occasional lectures that not enough happens or develops. Which is a shame because with some development this could go from a good story to an excellent story. With some development the intriguing relationship between Stef and Ryan could have become powerful and fun and interesting and not a little rushed and with Ryan’s affection being understandable – but excessive in the brief period he’s known her.
Which is a shame – because Ryan, the man who is never remembered, connecting with the child he saved, the child he broke all the rules for, the child he would not die who then grew up and actually remembers him is poignant and powerful without the angsty monologues that are so often used to try and convey strong emotion in the genre. Throw in him not being seen as human or living by most people who see his true nature, but Stef’s unique outlook caused her to not only see that but embrace it joyfully and you have a powerful foundation. Or Stef and her past and thought processes negotiating this new world, bringing to it the unique perspectives of her mind and hobbies and how this brings new strengths and richness to her role and makes her a far better field agent than anyone expected. These are great stories, these are excellent stories and there are wonderful cores of them there – but they’re not developed to their full potential before we head off to the Mirrorfall and a whole new story setting.
There is very good ongoing presentation of Stef as neurologically atypical person. Her thought processes are extremely good and representative of that, how she thinks, the odd places her mind goes, the unusual way her mind works is really well expressed. Several of that bleeds over into her actions – things she does, things she can tolerate, things she can’t abide and odd behaviour that is explained a lot when you can see into her head. This is compounded by her upbringing and her father who wouldn’t tolerate his daughter and her different mentality, his cruelty and his harshness has left Stef with an extremely low self-esteem and zero sense of her actual self worth.
This leads to a lot of insecurity on Stef’s part. She is constantly going to Ryan assuming she’s not good enough, assuming she’s too much of a horrible person to be tolerated, assuming she’s too criminal or too useless or too embarrassing to keep around
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At least until guys with guns show up and everything becomes very confusing very quickly.
She’s always wanted to see magic and things beyond the norm – and now she’s plunged into the middle of it, torn between loving every second and running in terror of not being able to meet the challenges of her new world – or her new job as a field agent for the Agency. Police, facilitators – she’s joined the organisation that tries to bring some semblance of peace and order to a very chaotic supernatural world.
And her boss may be an angel. He certainly saved her life before.
In story terms I think there are 2 stories pushed together here. One is Stef discovering the world beyond the one she knows, being recruited for the agency and then actually joining up and becoming Ryan’s protégé. This is a good story and needed a lot of growth. Then there is the Mirrorfall which feels kind of rushed, addressed only in passing and to be made up of a whole lot of bad decisions and not very well explained. I feel the Mirrorfall could have been a separate story and we could have just focused on Stef joining the agency and proving herself and establishing he bond between herself and Ryan – things which badly needed doing.
I didn’t dislike the stories but they needed more development, and to move faster. We spend so much time on Stef’s internal dialogue and doubts with occasional lectures that not enough happens or develops. Which is a shame because with some development this could go from a good story to an excellent story. With some development the intriguing relationship between Stef and Ryan could have become powerful and fun and interesting and not a little rushed and with Ryan’s affection being understandable – but excessive in the brief period he’s known her.
Which is a shame – because Ryan, the man who is never remembered, connecting with the child he saved, the child he broke all the rules for, the child he would not die who then grew up and actually remembers him is poignant and powerful without the angsty monologues that are so often used to try and convey strong emotion in the genre. Throw in him not being seen as human or living by most people who see his true nature, but Stef’s unique outlook caused her to not only see that but embrace it joyfully and you have a powerful foundation. Or Stef and her past and thought processes negotiating this new world, bringing to it the unique perspectives of her mind and hobbies and how this brings new strengths and richness to her role and makes her a far better field agent than anyone expected. These are great stories, these are excellent stories and there are wonderful cores of them there – but they’re not developed to their full potential before we head off to the Mirrorfall and a whole new story setting.
There is very good ongoing presentation of Stef as neurologically atypical person. Her thought processes are extremely good and representative of that, how she thinks, the odd places her mind goes, the unusual way her mind works is really well expressed. Several of that bleeds over into her actions – things she does, things she can tolerate, things she can’t abide and odd behaviour that is explained a lot when you can see into her head. This is compounded by her upbringing and her father who wouldn’t tolerate his daughter and her different mentality, his cruelty and his harshness has left Stef with an extremely low self-esteem and zero sense of her actual self worth.
This leads to a lot of insecurity on Stef’s part. She is constantly going to Ryan assuming she’s not good enough, assuming she’s too much of a horrible person to be tolerated, assuming she’s too criminal or too useless or too embarrassing to keep around
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August 19, 2014
Did I like Mirrrorfall? Yes for the most part.
How would I describe Mirrorfall? What genre would I best describe Mirrorfall? That is a little tricky. There is blend of genres that makes Mirrorfall unique. If Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction had a baby then you would Mirrorfall. Then add in all the guns, fights, nerdy pop culture references with a flawed and broken protagonist, Stef and you have Mirrorfall.
That is just the outline of this novel. Most of the characters are damaged in their own way. The one thing that they all have in common is that they all think they are doing the right thing. Or at least attempting to try. Trying to find out where they fit in the world around them.
Stef, our protagonist, is a hacker. She is hired to attempt to decode a message. Little does she know by accepting the job her whole entire life will change. She comes face to face with monsters that go bump in the night, people driven by their fear to eradicate anything different, the Angel that saved her life when she was a toddler and that is just the beginning. Then she discovers magic is real. She embarks on a roller coaster of discovery all the while learning just how strong she is, finding and making friends, learning to accept herself flaws and all. That she is a part of something much bigger than she ever could have dreamed.
I laughed out loud, I shook the book, as if to shake some sense into Stef. I yelled, cursed and even cried. To me that makes a damn good book. I felt like I was along for the ride. Too bad I can’t require a cookie. I however did not like the cliffhanger at the end… so I guess that means that I have to get the next book. :)
How would I describe Mirrorfall? What genre would I best describe Mirrorfall? That is a little tricky. There is blend of genres that makes Mirrorfall unique. If Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction had a baby then you would Mirrorfall. Then add in all the guns, fights, nerdy pop culture references with a flawed and broken protagonist, Stef and you have Mirrorfall.
That is just the outline of this novel. Most of the characters are damaged in their own way. The one thing that they all have in common is that they all think they are doing the right thing. Or at least attempting to try. Trying to find out where they fit in the world around them.
Stef, our protagonist, is a hacker. She is hired to attempt to decode a message. Little does she know by accepting the job her whole entire life will change. She comes face to face with monsters that go bump in the night, people driven by their fear to eradicate anything different, the Angel that saved her life when she was a toddler and that is just the beginning. Then she discovers magic is real. She embarks on a roller coaster of discovery all the while learning just how strong she is, finding and making friends, learning to accept herself flaws and all. That she is a part of something much bigger than she ever could have dreamed.
I laughed out loud, I shook the book, as if to shake some sense into Stef. I yelled, cursed and even cried. To me that makes a damn good book. I felt like I was along for the ride. Too bad I can’t require a cookie. I however did not like the cliffhanger at the end… so I guess that means that I have to get the next book. :)
September 22, 2014
I won a free copy of this Australian geek urban fantasy in exchange for a review. It was fun to read, although it verified that I am not that much of a geek--I only caught some of the cultural references. And I'm definitely not a hacker, so some of the terminology was a stretch for me. The story follows a young woman hacker who is very introverted and anti-social. Her internal dialogue is hilarious at times.
Stef is a hacker, hiding out from the world, when she is hired to work on figuring out some code and completing it. This puts her in the path of an urban fantasy world. She does not become a kick ass heroine overnight. She stays true to her strengths and weaknesses. However, she is brave, and has moments when she can make a difference. And she does make a difference in the life of the Director of the Agency.
That is the part where I struggled a bit. I understood her attachment, but his was not quite as clear to me. And I wonder how he managed to have personal relationships in the past, since he seems to be so constantly stiff. I liked Curt, and wonder how his character will develop in future books. This book does end on a cliff hanger, but it is not hard to guess what choice is made. The entire book leads up to that moment.
I will say that I found the relationship between Stef and Ryan refreshing. It is not the typical urban fantasy relationship. Nor is Stef's relationship with Curt.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but felt the end was a bit confused and confusing. There were a handful of grammatical and spelling errors (the occasional missing word, etc.). I'd give the story 3.5 stars overall, and expect the next book will also be fun.
Stef is a hacker, hiding out from the world, when she is hired to work on figuring out some code and completing it. This puts her in the path of an urban fantasy world. She does not become a kick ass heroine overnight. She stays true to her strengths and weaknesses. However, she is brave, and has moments when she can make a difference. And she does make a difference in the life of the Director of the Agency.
That is the part where I struggled a bit. I understood her attachment, but his was not quite as clear to me. And I wonder how he managed to have personal relationships in the past, since he seems to be so constantly stiff. I liked Curt, and wonder how his character will develop in future books. This book does end on a cliff hanger, but it is not hard to guess what choice is made. The entire book leads up to that moment.
I will say that I found the relationship between Stef and Ryan refreshing. It is not the typical urban fantasy relationship. Nor is Stef's relationship with Curt.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but felt the end was a bit confused and confusing. There were a handful of grammatical and spelling errors (the occasional missing word, etc.). I'd give the story 3.5 stars overall, and expect the next book will also be fun.
April 15, 2013
I was surprised by Mirrorfall, not that it was good or bad but at the characters. They were the most original characters I've seen in a long time. I especially like Stef, she's eccentric, crazy and hilarious. Her inability to communicate with others is amusing but also rather sad as her past is explained and actually accounts for her behavior. She is a realistic character, being abused and reacting naturally (if in an unhealthy way.) Her interactions with Ryan and Curt are well written. They are 'real' characters and I was impressed about how their interaction was done and much of it is due to Stef's character. She makes things very interesting. I also loved the references that she would spew out. I didn't understand all of them but I really liked that she'd pull rather obscure references and I'd get them and others' expressions/reactions to her. Outside of the characters I don't think it was that great of a story, it was good not great but I really loved the characters! I don't know what I was really expecting when I started reading, and I didn't know much of what to expect while I was reading either, which is nice for a change. Many stories/books are too predictable I thought that Mirrorfall was very original. I think the thing that bugged me the most was the number of spelling errors, they were small and didn't interrupt the story much, but I was kind of surprised by the number.
July 31, 2013
Mirrorfall: Episode One (Require: Cookie, #1)by Grace McDermott
Stef Mimosa loves magic, she would like to know more about anything to do with it, monsters included. She does find out that she died when she was two, and an angel confronted death to bring her back to life.
Twenty years later her Angel finds her and saves her again. Soon she is under his care and in training. But she finds that her savior Ryan is not what she thought he was, he is an agent. Now she must learn of another world, the arts of magic, how to summons it and use it. She also has to face her past and learn to accept who and what she is.
I loved the concept of this story and the Characters are likable, but I did find some spots a bit hard to follow. Overall it was a great story and I would love to read the next book in the series.
Stef Mimosa loves magic, she would like to know more about anything to do with it, monsters included. She does find out that she died when she was two, and an angel confronted death to bring her back to life.
Twenty years later her Angel finds her and saves her again. Soon she is under his care and in training. But she finds that her savior Ryan is not what she thought he was, he is an agent. Now she must learn of another world, the arts of magic, how to summons it and use it. She also has to face her past and learn to accept who and what she is.
I loved the concept of this story and the Characters are likable, but I did find some spots a bit hard to follow. Overall it was a great story and I would love to read the next book in the series.
October 12, 2014
3.5 stars I would have rated it higher except for two major things. One, the editing/spell check was really bad, to the point of pulling me out of the story sometimes in order to try to figure out what the author was trying to say. The second thing is that it ended on a cliff hanger. I hate cliffhangers! I probably won't buy the next book, but if it comes up free I'll snag it. From the author's webpage there appears to be at least three other books in the series. Overall, this was a fun fantasy book. I liked most of the character but the main character became a bit annoying towards the of the book. The closet geek in me also enjoyed picking up the Sci-fi/fantasy references throughout the book.
September 27, 2014
[Mirrorfall(Require:Cookie Book 1)] by [Grace McDermott] was incredibly fun to read. There were so many side references to other things that some people might not get it was like having an inside joke with the character. Even the title [Require: Cookie] you will not get until you read this book. It is an action adventure for nerds. My favorite by the way was the "Avenue Q" reference.
March 9, 2015
I loved this book. I felt really bad for the heroine (major self esteem issues there), but I admired that she summoned the courage to keep trying. There is a lot of action in this book. Also, there are funny parts and weepy ones. I love Agent Ryan, as well. This book ends with a pretty big cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next one.
September 11, 2015
I loved the beginning of the book when Stef is looking for the code but after that, I lost interest and I felt like Stef's personality changed half way through, and that lack of confidence in herself really bothered me so for that, I give it three stars. Overall it was still interesting but I won't be reading the next one.
September 14, 2015
Innovative and fun. I liked the main character quite a bit. It's always good to read about someone who's outside of the box. I'm intrigued by the setup and looking forward to learning more about the world.
February 12, 2013
I continue to be a fan of the character of Stef. She's unconventional and fun. I enjoyed seeing more of the world and finding out more about The Agency. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Curt in future installments.
December 4, 2013
The book had a slow start, and there's a lot information to absorb about the world. I loved the main character, mainly because I get her jokes and geekness. The ending of this book was pretty good and I can't wait to read the next one.
January 12, 2015
Solid world building, good character development, original story. One or two dozen typos (mostly a missing word here and there), but not enough to pull me out of the story for long.
Might write more later. Got a cold. Immediately bought book two upon finishing, though.
Might write more later. Got a cold. Immediately bought book two upon finishing, though.
December 1, 2012
I liked this a lot. It was strange and unique, and I really dug the main character. Good stuff.
February 14, 2013
I kind of what to cuddle Stef, the poor thing. The developments with Ryan are also intriguing, and I'm pretty attached to Curt already.
February 15, 2013
I'm enjoying Stef's character development and the evolving relationship between her and Ryan. There's a nice dynamic between the two of them.
January 22, 2015
I had a good time reading this. Interesting in a nerd/geek way that I can appreciate.
May 21, 2016
Loved this - a unique take on urban fantasy with a main character that compelled me to keep reading.
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