I came across a mention of Kai Meyer’s The Water Mirror on the Endicott Studios website in their Young Adult Book Recommendations for Autumn/Winter 2005/2006. I was at once struck by the artwork of Jonathan Weiner. The cover art, including the creepy back cover image of a sharp toothed mermaid, instantly made me want to pick up this book to see what it was about.
In The Water Mirror a medieval Venice is in the midst of a 36 year seige by an Egyptian mummy army who has decimated the rest of the known world. Venice has thus far escaped destruction due to the beneficence of an unseen entity known as the Flowing Queen. This Venice is not quite the same one that exists in our world. In Meyer’s Venice, stone lions patrol the city, mermaids with razor sharp teeth inhabit the canals, and the denizens of Hell itself are edging ever closer to the surface. Into this world two teenage orphan girls, Merle and Junipa, are apprenticed to a magic mirror maker. Each girl is, of course, more than what she seems, having a destiny that only just begins to unfold in this first of a trilogy of novels known as the Dark Reflections series. At 250 pages this book is a quick read, but Meyer manages to pack an amazing amount of story and detail into those pages. Magic mirrors, mermaids, flying lions, plots to usurp the Flowing Queen, thieves, phantoms, mummys, pharoahs, creatures from the underworld…The Water Mirror has these and more. The story is filled with mystery, suspense, adventure, magic, treachery…and all the while the symbolism of mirrors and reflections is interwoven making you realize that you know very little about the characters and are bound to discover interesting and possibly terrifying truths about them as the series continues. The book is filled with plot twists and enough unresolved issues to ensure many more surprises before this series is completed.
This book is translated from the original German by Elizabeth D. Crawford and I can only assume that she does a marvelous job as the story flows very well and is highly entertaining. On a few occasions sentences seem slightly odd and I wonder if this is due to translation issues. By and large though the book makes me understand why Kai Meyer is so popular in his native Germany.
The Water Mirror is indeed a young adult book but despite that has some fairly creepy descriptions of the few beings from the netherworld who make an appearance. The descriptions, though brief, instantly brought to mind the eerie, dark art of Brom. I would suggest an appropriate starting age for reading this to be 12 and it is definitely well written enough to be thoroughly engrossing to adults who love their fantasy laced with sinister suspense. Very engaging!
Cool Cover. I’m a sucker for picking up a book with a cool cover. That mermaid on the cover with the teeth is very creepy, too. It actually gave me a shiver when I looked at it over at your house.
The book sounds very interesting. I’ve never been to Venice but it has always seemed so incredible in my mind from all the photos and movies I’ve seen of it. It’s on the list of places I want to travel someday when I’m idependently wealthy. The story sounds pretty dark for young adults but I won’t judge it too much before I get a chance to read it. All the subject matter seems pretty intense to me for something classified as young adult though. It definitely sounds interesting to someone of my age though. 🙂
I probably made it sound darker than it was, but those two descriptions of envoys from Hell were pretty graphic IF someone is very visual and can easily picture things when they are described. Overall the rest of the book wasn’t too much darker than books like the Lemony Snickett series or Harry Potter.
My sister and her husband visited Venice this past year, among other places, when they went to Germany to visit his parents. I’d love to do an Italian tour someday as well….probably from watching Under The Tuscan Sun too many times!!
That definitely sounds like one I’d like to add to my pile of books to be read. I love a dark story like this, with such incredible imagery. (I have given up down-sizing, obviously – it started feeling unnatural.)
Think Big-Read Big should be our motto for 2006!
I like that Carl although I don’t want to become any BIGGER!
I said THINK big and READ big…..not GET big. That was the theme for the last several years..ha,ha… 😉
Did you read yet that SAJ had her baby?
I’m a little brain dead Abby, who is SAJ?
Ahhhh…Secret Agent Josephine! I figured it out, yay for me! Nope, no word yet.
Wow, that actually sounds really fascinating! I particularly love to read books that were orignally written in another language and try to pick up the differences in the way they word phrases or describe things. Great review!
Michele sent me 🙂
No, I meant that she DID have her baby – a little girl. Ever since you talked about a photo showing her cat wrapping its paws around her tummy, I have been reading her post daily. I have been fascinated with the whole pregnancy watch thing. I just wanted to tell you that she did have her baby – for pics go to sister-in-law’s blog – http://www.comfortablycrazy.blogspot.com
I don’t read her blog regularly, but on occasion I go check out her pictures. Thanks for the update Abby.
I wish I had taken at least a few pictures of my pregnant body. I love her stomach shots. I had a really pretty prego tummy, no stretch marks either. I really regret not doing at least my own pics if not going in and having some professional photos done. As awful as pregnancy feels at times, it’s very beautiful.
So Abby when you do your own pregnancy watch someday, take lots of pictures of your pretty tummy! Even if you never show them to anyone, you’ll look back on them with fond memories and you’ll be glad you have them.
I must take this opportunity to say…its not too late Jules…the opportunity for pregnant belly pics has not passed you by!!!
Congrats to SAJ, the baby is a real cutie.
Thanks for the blog visit Angela, the book is indeed very good.
It has if our tax return is big enough. 🙂
I’m not going to have to go along and hold James’ hand am I?
im definetly going to read ths book
Cool, come back and let me know what you think of it once you read it.
I followed the link from RIP II to this review. I listened to the Water Mirror on CD earlier this year, and I very much enjoyed it. Do you know if the sequel is out yet?
Oy-that was Eva from A Striped Armchair. My one and a half year old niece is distracting me! 😉