Mirror Maze

More maze than mirror, Jordan’s Victorian fantasy debut is an exciting and well-conceived story of demon possession, generations of betrayal and intrigue, and magical worlds. Jacob Aldridge, grieving his dead fiancée, Rhoda, is shocked when he and his twin sister, Cecily, meet a woman named Livia who looks just like Rhoda. Slowly they begin uncovering layers of subterfuge and lies, learning that Jacob and Cecily’s father and Livia’s father were wizards who brought down a fearsome curse upon themselves and their families. People are possessed and unmasked, often abruptly, and their complex histories unfold in shadows and reflections. The story goes around our world and in and out of various worlds inside mirrors, but the reader gets lost along with the indistinguishable characters. Nonetheless, Jordan’s magic is well imagined, and her Victorian London is brilliantly drawn, complete with charming historical endnotes. (Oct.)