Hayden grew up with a fear of mirrors. After the disappearance of her cat at a young age immediately following viewing a mysterious boy in a mirror, she knew that things were not always what they seemed. In the present, what started as a story about a man entering a hair salon, ended with Hayden being pushed down a manhole. When Hayden awoke, she found herself in an unfamiliar room with only the boy, now a man, from the mirror. She discovers that the boy from the mirror is actually her brother, who had fallen into the mysterious Destiny Falls, and she has just joined him. A found family, a house that is holding many secrets, and eventually, murder, follow Hayden as she figures out her part in Destiny Falls.
Despite the murder, Destiny Falls would be such an amazing place to visit. Rather than simply being the setting of a mystery, the town is an entity that is almost more of a character itself. It was fascinating to watch everything in the town evolve and change as the story progressed and Hayden learned more about the town and her family. The people in the town were so welcoming to Hayden that it made the reader forget that the book is ultimately a murder mystery. Destiny Falls itself was so wonderfully described that it almost overshadowed the plot at times. That is not necessarily a complaint, just an observation.
The mystery was enjoyable to read and took unexpected twists and turns. When it came to it, I did not come close to guessing the culprit, but I don’t care. It was a fun buildup to a satisfying conclusion. There was a level of magical wonder that really helped keep the culprit from being discovered.
The characters were all charming, if not a bit one dimensional. For a family that has just had another family member dropped into their lives, they were surprisingly open and accommodating. It was wonderful to see such a kind and loving family, it just did not fit with what I would have expected in the circumstances. The one dimensionality was not a problem given that it is a series and there is so much room for growth. I cannot wait to see what happens as Hayden continues her journey in Destiny Falls!
⅘
I received a copy of this ebook from the author and publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own.
The Novel Llama 