Reflections

by Briana Morgan

In the small, rural town of Aldale, West Virginia, Ramachandra “Rama” Ganeshan wants nothing more than to avoid dressing rooms for the rest of her life. After a brutal assault destroys her confidence and self-esteem, she yearns to be someone else, someone pretty, popular, and loved, until multiple girls in town are found murdered.

After stumbling across her beautiful classmate’s body and a terrifyingly familiar face in the murderer, Rama encounters a group of shapeshifters who know more of the killings than they let on. Only by earning the shapeshifters’ trust and becoming one of them will Rama be able to help serve justice.

But first, she must learn to love herself and confront her painful past and find the courage to investigate the violence.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Audible Audio

Published May 9, 2018

About the author

Briana Morgan is a horror writer, editor, and author of The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories, which won a Godless 666 Award for Best Audiobook. With more than a decade of experience scaring herself and others, Briana has a fresh voice that shines through in her latest book, The Reyes Incident, which has sold more than 16,000 copies to date. Her other books include Mouth Full of Ashes, Unboxed: A Play, and more.

Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.

Reviews

[Sarina Langer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Touch by Morgan earlier this year and was really excited to read more by her. Reflections  was so good, friends <3 This is how you self-publish, my fellow writers! Reflections has easily earned Morgan her place on my insta-buy list.

I instantly fell in love with Rama. She's vulnerable and she's been hurt badly, and I wanted to hold her and make her tea so. badly. It was hard to put down from the moment I started, and I really enjoyed the writing.

Vishnu, Brahma, Kali, Ganesha - whoever's listening, I need help. I've never been so terrified of anything before. I know what needs to happen, but I'm not sure I can do it. Every time I try, my body freaks out. I have a meltdown. Help me, help me, help me.

The best part for me was Rama's character development. Morgan writes insanely realistic characters, and the way Rama went from a shy girl who can't stand to look at herself in the mirror to this beautiful unstoppable force of justice was wonderful <3

Like many young women, Rama has confidence issues. She hates to look at her reflection, she hates clothes shopping with her beautiful friend who looks stunning in everything, and she's hurting so deeply she doesn't know if she'll ever have the strength to tell her parents what was done to her, because she's scared they'll blame her instead. I felt for her so hard, friends. I can't remember the last time I felt this connected to a character <3 This book got to me.

He didn't know how Javesh had hurt her.

If it were up to her, he'd never know. She couldn't imagine what that would do to him, and she loved him far too much to put him through that kind of pain.

It made much more sense for her to struggle through it on her own, to keep her pain locked up and shut out the rest of the world. Maybe one day she'd get past it, but she'd never forget it. Never.

Reflections deals with the sensitive issue of rape, and how Rama, the victim, deals with it and with the impact on her life. She feels lost, and above all else she's scared that no one will believe her or even blame her, so she doesn't tell anyone. It's a poignant read, and Rama's transformation was inspiring to watch. If you're struggling with this very issue yourself, read this book. It just might help. If you're not struggling with this very issue yourself, read it anyway. Awareness and support are everything, friends.

[Kelly Sedinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

DISCLOSURE: Briana Morgan has been one of my favorite people in the online writing community for several years now, and I greatly enjoyed her previous novel, BLOOD AND WATER.

A young girl in an Indian family in rural West Virginia is uncomfortable with herself, with her body, and with her place in her town. Meanwhile, there have been several shocking murders of teenage girls in the town, and Rama (our heroine) is herself attacked in her family's own restaurant. This is all intriguing enough set-up, before we even get to the REAL weirdness in the book: Rama's discovery of a tribe of individuals with special powers who are living in the abandoned coal mines in the mountains above her town. Rama is both drawn to and repulsed by these people, and they are both drawn to and repulsed by her and what she may represent. And there's still the matter of the murderer on the loose.

Morgan's story starts off slowly, and initially I had a bit of difficulty with the setting (a small town that's been the scene of several violent murders), but those quibbles faded once the real story took over. Morgan's characters all felt real to me, and none of them have the easiest path in the world in terms of making choices. Things do not come easy for the people in this book, particularly Rama, and the resolutions when they come felt earned and satisfying.

REFLECTIONS is a quick read that touches on issues of gender, sexual identity, and sexual violence. Morgan is dealing with some deep issues here and most definitely has things to say about them and how we relate to the damaged people in our own families. Recommended.

[T.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

This was a fantastic read with great characters and a captivating blend of mystery and fantasy.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Ramachandra Ganeshan (Rama), who recently went through a very traumatic experience and struggles with body image and self-confidence issues. One of the things I appreciated most about the story was Morgan's careful consideration in handling such a delicate subject. She doesn't shy away from the truth, nor does she use Rama's trauma as an unnecessary plot device purely to elicit sympathy from the reader. At the same time, she doesn't go into all the graphic details. The focus remains on how the event affected Rama and continues to affect her, as well as her struggle to overcome what has happened to her and learn to love herself again. It's beautiful to see Rama grow and progress throughout the story.

Things start off a little slow, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The characters are all compelling enough that I wanted to keep reading and find out what was happening. My only complaint was that, especially in the first half of the story, some of the characters felt inconsistent and at times a bit contradictory. Nevertheless, most of their interactions were well-written and they definitely grew on me more as the story went on. I especially loved Leda; I would read a story about her and Nathaniel before they joined Vincent's tribe in a heartbeat, just saying.

The climax was a little predictable for me, but powerful and satisfying nonetheless. All of the characters' individual arcs were wrapped up nicely, especially Rama's. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys character-driven YA fantasy.

[Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was SO much stronger than the other book I've read by the same author. The characters had more depth, especially the protagonist Rama. The world felt more real, though I think the shifter world would have been nice to flesh out earlier in the novel. I really appreciate the themes and messages in the book, and the way Rama grows throughout it. Overall, I wanted more--and that's a good sign (even if one of the things I wanted more of was editing; I found myself noticing even small mistakes, such as when it briefly switched into 1st person or when a word was missing).

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant story from Briana Morgan. This one deals with some tough subjects so trigger warnings for rape, trauma, and negative body image. The subjects were dealt with with sensitivity and nuance, and it made for an emotional read. The supernatural elements of thr story with the shapeshifters was thoroughly engaging and was a really great YA tale. I can't wait for more from Briana Morgan.

[Megs &#x1f4da; · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters, the story, and the hard hitting yet beautifully created message within the pages were written with such talent I was in awe.

FULL REVIEW HERE:

betweenthepages13.wordpress.com/2017/...

[Korra II Allison Baskerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is easily one of the most creative murder mysteries I’ve listened to. Adding in the shapeshifter tribe and their dynamic added a lot of interesting backstory to the book. There were a few glaring issues that annoyed the hell out of me the entire time.

The first was how little of the story takes place outside of the shapeshifter tribe. It just made it blatantly obvious one of them was behind it or knew something. I didn’t read the summary until after I read the book, but the summary is misleading as well. It implies the entire tribe knows something about the killings, which isn’t true. That’s one of the reasons I don’t read book summaries. They’re often full of spoilers or misleading.

The second thing that irritated the holy hell out of me was how the protagonist stumbles across a murder scene, notices a key detail, and then proceeds to NEVER bring it up. Long after it was relevant and pieces should have clicked together. I kept waiting for the interaction where she’d bring this detail up and I think it was mentioned maybe one other time in the story, in passing as internal dialogue.

The final big issue was how janky the dialogue was. There were times when I found it difficult to tell who was saying what or what they were saying at all. It started to make me wonder if the story was written by multiple people, one of them, not a native English speaker. Maybe if it had only been partially proofread and edited, or some other factor.

It’s a fun story, but you really have to look past a lot of jank to enjoy it. At one point, the leader of the tribe of shifters mentioned not wanting to name somebody as his predecessor. That’s not how that works! Ugh.

Much like the story itself the narrator was annoying at times as well. She kept mispronouncing mine as mind. She wasn’t even consistent about it, which made it even more annoying to me. She said mine and mind both in the same bit of dialogue which is distracting and annoying. The audiobook itself was full of instances of repeated dialogue clips.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s nothing I love more than a story with a strong female character who learns to be her own hero and Briana Morgan majorly delivers that in her beautiful novel Reflections.

Ramachandra “Rama” Ganeshan just wants to be anyone but herself. After being sexually assaulted in her family’s restaurant, any self confidence she once had is absolutely gone. She doesn’t want to think about it, she doesn’t want to deal with it, and she absolutely doesn’t want to look at herself in the mirror. Meanwhile in her small West Virginia town, there’s other just as sinister events happening- teenage girls are being murdered and no one can figure out who’s behind it. When Rama stumbles across the dead body of a classmate in the woods and recognizes the face of the murderer, she knows she has to do something, even if it means leaving behind everything she knows and joining a mysterious group of shapeshifters she’s certain know more about the killings than they let on. Joining the tribe of shapeshifting strangers gives Rama the chance to escape herself and, if she can gain their trust, perhaps find some answers as to what is really happening in the small town of Aldale.

Morgan perfectly crafted a tale with just the right amount of mystery and fantasy and heart, filled with incredibly realistic characters. They feel like real people who sometimes make rash decisions and regularly deal with the idea that not every choice fits into the category of strictly “right or wrong”, which left me guessing until the reveal as to who exactly could be trusted. But the best part of all the character development is absolutely Rama. I just adored her from the very beginning. She starts off vulnerable and has dealt with so much and to see her find a sense of purpose and slowly regain her own self-worth in her fight for justice was inspiring. I particularly loved that Morgan made her main character different than most YA heroines I’m used to seeing. Rama is Indian and not stick thin and a victim of sexual assault, all things that I think are woefully under represented in both the YA and urban fantasy/paranormal genres. And I truly appreciated that Morgan did an excellent and respectful job including sexual assault in her novel. It isn’t graphic or explicit and it also isn’t simply a plot device used to endear Rama to the reader. It is a part of Rama’s history and gives depth and a greater understanding to why Rama feels the way she does.

The story itself is also fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat at times, making excuses to listen to just a few more minutes of the audiobook because I needed to know what happened next. Morgan knows how to world build, I loved how she crafted the supernatural elements that Rama finds herself in the middle of. There was the perfect amount of “how” and “why” the shapeshifting works, mostly told through Rama learning the skill, that it was easy to get sucked into the magic of it all, but not so much that you feel burdened by trying to wrap your brain around all the details.

All in all, Reflections, was a great read with a poignant message about learning to love yourself again after a tragedy and I highly recommend it. I also strongly recommend it as an audiobook. Kamala Alcantara did an amazing job of bringing Morgan’s characters to life and giving a performance that truly made me feel every emotion Rama dealt with.

Disclosure: I know Briana Morgan personally and received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Whitney McGruder · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Rama would trade almost anything for the chance to become someone else, even for a little while."

Ramachandra "Rama" Ganeshan lives in small Aldale, West Virginia, and she would rather be as small and unnoticeable as her small town. After she faces a brutal assault, her confidence and self-esteem, she feels more alone than ever. She doesn't know where to turn or if she should even tell anyone else about her assaulter or what happened.

At the same time, the town becomes increasingly uneasy about the beautiful, popular girls her age that continue to go missing and never come back. When she comes across the dead body of her classmate, she is discovered by a group of shapeshifters. They seem to know about the killings but keep mum about it.

Rama stays with the group in hopes of learning what they know about her missing classmates. She also has to learn to love herself and confront the events she had to endure to stick up for the friends she lost and seek justice.

Rama. What a real character. I sure wished I read something like this in high school. I think anyone who has dealt with self-confidence or body dysmorphia will find a piece of them in Rama and will find her journey throughout the book pretty realistic even though the novel has fantasy/supernatural/paranormal elements to it.

And as many reviewers have already said, there was an excellent blend of fiction and supernatural; at first I thought this would be a standard teen fiction novel based on the tone and setting, but the light burst of the shapeshifter stuff—and the magic rules that go along with it—only enhanced it.

All the shapeshifter characters are also really fun. Morgan has a way of making each character interesting and relatable, but you're still not sure who to trust. She keeps you in suspense until the very end. As in, you weren't sure if they witnessed the murders and didn't want their group to be found (while playing the heroes), or if they were up to something more deviant.

I think the only thing that consistently didn't work for me was the overdose of inner dialog we get from Rama. Someone would ask her a question or tell her to do something, then she would think to herself for a page or so. The pacing was disrupted because she was feeling a dose of self doubt and needed to fully express it. Thus, it felt a bit redundant. I'd prefer to have that peek inside Rama's mind not interrupt the dialog.

Morgan deals with a lot of serious issues such as rape, assault, and victim blaming. She handles these sensitive topics well throughout the novel but also provides professional links and resources at the end of the story. I'd also say that Morgan doesn't add this kind of content for shock effect, but it serves a deep purpose to the novel. If you prefer to avoid novels about rape and assault, there's no way to avoid this while reading, as Rama thinks about the events over and over again in order to analyze the situation and overcome the trauma.

[Brianna Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to go ahead and say: This is Briana's best work yet. It was harder to put down and had more interesting, more developed characters than her previous two stories.

While it has a bit of a slow start, it didn't take long for me to become hooked. I enjoyed the supernatural elements; the shapeshifting magic system was developed enough to be believable, and I liked how it was an element of the story, not the focus.

Also, the mystery was intriguing. There were multiple suspects, and the plot kept me guessing who was the killer. I couldn't know who to trust until the end.

Still, I wished the characters spent less time thinking about things and talking about things, and more time doing things. Also, a lot of the dialog felt off to me. But neither of these things got in the way of me breezing through the story.

(I consumed the whole thing in two days, which is really fast for me. o.o)

Last but not least, the diversity was refreshing. I learned from Briana's personal Twitter feed that some of these characters are supposed to be queer. I didn't get that vibe while reading it, but I did appreciate that the protagonist was Indian, brown, and not model-thin. She was also a rape survivor, which was actually a huge part of the plot. All in all, she brought a seldom-seen perspective to YA urban fantasy that makes the story stand out.

Post script: The cover doesn't reflect the genre very well, so don't let it fool you. This is YA urban fantasy, with strong themes of trauma, body shame, and female self-confidence. The cover is a good reflection (see what I did there? 😏) of the story themes, and not necessarily the adventure aspects... so if you're into that, don't let the cover steer you away!

(3.5 stars)

[Shelby McCraley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections is a story about Rama overcoming her own self-confidence issues after dealing with a brutal sexual assault. Oh, and there is also a serial killer on the loose that is murdering teenage girls in Rama’s hometown. In order to solve the murders, Rama joins a shapeshifter tribe and finds more than just the answer she’s looking for.

On the positive side, I enjoyed the characters of the novel. All of them had very distinct voices and mannerisms that kept them from fading into the background. Rama’s character arc is inspiring as she overcomes her own self-confidence issues and determines to not let her rape define her. I thought Morgan did a great job handling the sensitive issue of sexual assault while keeping it realistic. Morgan is also a strong writer and I find myself loving her word choice no matter what novel I read by her.

On the negative side, I did think this novel moved a little slow in the middle. I found myself craving more action, or for Rama to finally make a decision about her life. Indecision is important for Rama’s character development, but it began to become tedious in the middle when the beginning and end of the novel progressed so smoothly. I also wanted more world-building around the shapeshifter clan about why they live in a mine, how they make money, etc. Not including some mundane details about the clan, really tests my suspension of disbelief.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy, or a good coming-of-age story. Morgan’s writing and characters make this worth a read, even with a slow middle. 4 out of 5 stars!

Disclosure: I received a free audiobook review copy from StoryOrigin in exchange for an honest review.

[R.S. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always I started with the blurb and cover. From the very first sentence I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy of this book. I love Briana's writing and this blurb did not let me down. Why does Rama want to be someone else, and who are these creepy shapeshifters! The cover was definitely the icing on the cake though, and suits the story so perfectly.

The story starts off giving you a little background on Rama and how she hates the way she looks, how she longs to look like someone else. Then she discovers the body of her classmate and goes on a long journey to self acceptance and gaining the confidence to find her friends killer. I knew there was something dark about this story and was pleasantly surprised at how it was executed.

Overall, this book was a wonderful story of self-discovery and fighting for what is right. Everyone has secrets and everyone has the power to become something they want to be. DEFINITELY a wonderful read. I am not saying that because Briana is my friend, but because I READ IT IN FOUR HOURS. Admittedly I wan lying on a sun lounger in Rhodes at the time but still. FOUR HOURS. Go grab a copy.

Review originally written on www.littlenovelist.com

[Christina Hannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a gripping story of a girl called Rama who struggles to accept herself after dealing with sexual assault in her parents’ restaurant and finds a group of shapeshifters in the forest that may be tied to the disappearance Rama’s classmates and other girls from around the neighbourhood. As mentioned before, it does deal with sexual assault, but I do believe that Morgan did a great job of focusing on Rama’s growth and journey towards healing and self-acceptance rather than how I’ve seen it handled by other writers in the past. Which is really refreshing.

I loved this story and I liked being in Rama’s head whilst she tried to juggle becoming a shifter, finding who killed Jessica and grappling with her own insecurities and confidence issues. I loved how everything was set up and fell into place nicely. It’s definitely a story I’d recommend to others. I also want to mention the part after the epilogue where Morgan speaks about the issues touched on in the novel and offers a whole list of helplines available for people to use. A truly moving story with a lot of heart. After reading this, I’m really looking forward to Morgan’s upcoming work, “Livingston Girls”, which sounds right up my alley.

[Martin Berman-Gorvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is strength, and who is strong? This stunning YA fantasy novel will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the hidden wellsprings of strength among those who feel they are victims at the mercy of a cruel world, and the hidden weaknesses of those who appear powerful and self-confident. It will also make you ponder the meaning of the current pop cultural obsessions with "superpowers"-in this novel, shapeshifting. The protagonist, a teenage girl named Rama, is an outsider, a member of a close, loving Indian family who run a restaurant in a small West Virginia town. As the novel opens, she is hiding a terrible secret: she was raped and is too terrified and ashamed to tell anybody. She is also contending with grief and fear as girls her age who are her friends and classmates are being murdered by a serial killer. Then she encounters a band of shapeshifters out in the forest, and everything will change for her.
Shapeshifting is of course a wonderful metaphor for the identity shifts that come with adolescence, and you will cheer Rama on every step of the way as she learns to change who she appears to be... and also learns who she really is.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing style made Rama come to life on the page, all her feelings, fears and obstacles. Her characterization was strong and perfectly executed in a way that made the reader grow with the MC. It was like two stories in one. Not only was I taken on a journey of growth, but also of friendship and love.

The magical elements thrown in made it even better. The self-love theme was prominent throughout and it made me fall more in love with this book. There are not enough books that deal with trauma and self-love in such a deep and understanding way, as well as in a relatable manner.

One of my favourite quotes from the novel: “At one point in her life, the dark had been scary. But the most dangerous monsters hid in plain sight, attacked in broad daylight.”

[Raya Whitehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~Warning~~, this novel does touch on triggering issues that some might not want to read. I didn't see a warning in the blurb so thought I would put that up here in my review.

Some words were missing, whether that was the books fault or the author overlook it, I couldn't be sure. The book is packed with a multitude of things that can be hard to discuss/read

Book follows Rama in her adventure to self discovery and things that happen within her life. She wanted to be a normal girl but one that was well liked, though her past keeps haunting her.

I enjoyed listening to the novel, even with the few mistakes that is within it.

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving am honest review.

[Lo-arna Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a little late getting this review out but I was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC copy. I read Briana's debut novel Blood and Water and enjoyed the action with a story I could really sink my teeth in to.

She hasn't disappointed this time around either. I love a book that has characters with substance. Rama was likeable and easy to relate to, and I really search for that in books. I can't get in to the story if I can't relate to the main character and there was no issue with that.

Reflections has a few elements at play, keeping it interesting and engaging while touching on some of the more serious matters in life.

Do yourself a favour and read it now!

[Northernsaw-whetowl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book very randomly, never heard of it, never heard of Morgan, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. Rama was fantastic and relatable and the hard things she went through didn't seem like they were thrown in for drama/shock factor. I appreciated how she handled addressing the villain, especially because it wasn't what I expected. Anyway, overall, this was a fantastic book!

[Sathepine Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The struggles of young Ramachandra in dealing with trauma and her own self-esteem felt realistic especially for a teenager like her. I like that the intrigue of mystery and magic is added in as well, which makes the concept quite interesting. I wish though that the fantasy elements in this story were used more and explained more, further justifying its purpose. Overall, it is a decent read. I love the touches of Indian culture and the Additional Resources at the end regarding sexual assault.

[Avalon Roselin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great supernatural mystery

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The mystery and characters in Reflections made for an intriguing read! However, I wish the second act had kept up the momentum of the first few chapters as Rama went back and forth on her choices a little more than necessary. Still, the writing is strong enough and the plot interesting enough that I would still recommend it to a YA audience without reservation.

[Patricia Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...this was just incredible. The story was great, and any girl struggling with self image issues should definitely read this. I'm pretty sure that's most of us, lol. Great original story. The narrator repeated phrases in a few places, but otherwise was good. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read

This book addresses sexual violence, trauma, and self confidence in a story that is interesting, compelling, and in some places; dark.
I recommend everyone and anyone to read this book

[Jennifer Acres · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW:

Intense, emotional, and gripping from beginning to end. Despite knowing the difficult topic it covered (sexual assault/rape), I was not expecting to be as moved as I was reading this book. It was both heartbreaking and hopeful.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teenage me probably would have loved this more. I did enjoy Reflections by Briana Morgan though. The story was well written, engaging throughout and handled a difficult subject matter well.

[Beaulah McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story. It reminds us how self love is so important. Loved it.