The Mirror Season
by Anna-Marie McLemore
High School    Feiwel    320 pp.    g
3/21    978-1-250-62412-3    $18.99
e-book ed.  978-1-250-62413-0    $10.99

In this story that blends realism and fairy tale, McLemore (Blanca & Roja, rev. 11/18) introduces readers to a sweet, warm young woman making her way through trauma. Ciela is La Bruja de los Pasteles, the pastry witch, who through her “don,” the gift inherited from her great-grandmother, “knows what kind of pan dulce you want before you do.” After she is sexually assaulted at a party, a shard of mirrored glass enters her eye, and Ciela loses her don. She also becomes inextricably tied to a new boy in town, Lock, another survivor of the same night. Only through friendship, honesty, and courage does Ciela begin to uncover the truth of what really happened. Themes of violation and consent are present throughout; Ciela’s trauma is conveyed through cutting imagery, with comforting (if sometimes repetitive) descriptions of confections providing narrative reprieve. This story, which centers Mexican and Mexican American traditions and lore, includes a diverse array of gender identities, expressions, and relationships. The author’s note tells more about “The Snow Queen /La Reina de las Nieves” (the novel’s source) and reveals the personal nature of Ciela’s journey, with insight into the often-overlooked experiences of women of color, boys, and queer and trans survivors of sexual assault.

From the May/June 2021 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.