Book Review: Mirrorscape // Mike Wilks
Mirrorscape
Series: #1 Mirrorscape Trilogy
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy | Adventure | Middle grade
Synopsis:
Melkin Womper is thrilled to escape his dull future as a village weaver and develop his artistic talent when he’s apprenticed to Ambrosius Blenk, one of Vlam’s most famous masters. Mel is especially excited by the colors that he’ll be able to use, since color is a very expensive Pleasure, strictly controlled by the sinister Fifth Mystery.
Mel can’t wait to enjoy the wonders of the grand city and begin his important work for Blenk. Instead, his dreams are quickly crushed by the reality of days filled with unimportant tasks and bullying by the other apprentices whose wealthy families have purchased their positions. Still, the promise of working under the great Blenk and studying his legendary paintings makes the misery bearable.
But when Mel and his new friends, Ludo and Wren, inadvertently stumble into a battle between the Fifth Mystery and the Rainbow Rebellion, an underground band fighting to make Pleasures affordable for all, the trio must step through Blenk’s paintings into the Mirrorscape. In this alternative world, the friends encounter monsters, mazes, talking houses, angels, and more.
Rate: 3 / 5 ⭐ (was 3.5 but the more I think about the more it seemed like a 3-star read)
"In life there will always be men who only think in terms of profit, never in terms of value."
Review:
The premise of this story I absolutely loved. The idea that artists could travel into their paintings, actually transport themselves from one place to another through paintings, such a great idea! I loved the whole system behind the 'painting' worlds. But I felt the real world of the book seemed too underdeveloped. There would have been more information, especially on the political system. There seemed to be much to uncover from that angle. There was so much wasted potential there, to be honest. The plot of the story was good. It was interesting enough, again if I had read this as a preteen/ early teen I would have enjoyed this story a lot more.
However, I personally didn't feel any attachment to the characters. They felt underdeveloped. Their motives seemed too plain, too convenient. I was interested in one of the characters, Dirk tot, but even him in the end had nothing much. I mean for a book with 500+ pages you would have assumed that the relationships between the characters, their friendship would have been well developed but nope. It felt off and very convenient. There was nothing that felt like this was a golden trio that you wanted to protect and pray and hope that they all survived at the end, unfortunately.
I also found out, three years after I bought the book when I did check GoodReads on the day I started reading that this was a trilogy. I was upset because that meant I needed to get the other books to finish the story. But at the end of my read, I was upset because I honestly don't know how Mike Wilks stretched this story for two more books. I personally feel like this should have been a stand-alone so obviously, this means I won't be picking up the next two books.
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