The Dybbuk's Mirror by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

(Found on Alisse's Webpage)

"The silence from her friends was getting unnerving." -Alisse Lee Goldenberg, The Dybbuk's Mirror

Carrie and her friends have adjusted to living far apart from one another. But when Lindsay and Rebecca stop answering Carrie's texts and emails, she becomes concerned. When her fears are confirmed, she finds herself reentering Hadariah in order to save her friends. But the land is different from how it had been when she was first there and she meets new friends as well as old. Will Carrie be able to save her friends? Find the official description on Goodreads.

I found that in The Dybbuk's Mirror I could relate to Carrie a little better.  I did connect with her a bit before but I did so much more in this book as I could understand her feelings a little better. Especially about her friends. That definitely made me think about the past three years. It was great to be able to make that connection stronger with Carrie. It made the book even more enjoyable.

At first the disappearance of Rebecca and Lindsay wasn't made obvious. Just a few little things that you don't think about until it becomes clear that something is going on. 

Again Alisse Lee Goldenberg intrigues the reader, giving them questions that they sometimes are given answers to right away while others they have to wait for. It keeps the reader interested and reading. 

I found  that the description of food/drinks and the taste of those foods and/or drinks was really well done. I could almost taste the things that Carrie was describing and I really enjoyed that. It was really well done.

At times I've found Emilia almost too composed, but seeing her freak out at one point makes me feel like she's a little more easy to relate to.  This made me feel a little less like she was perfect all the time and thus cold or not really feeling anything towards her to melting a little towards her as a character.

The decisions that have to be made are terrible and I'm glad that Alisse Lee Goldenberg made it seem as if the characters were really struggling with these decisions. It made them seem like real people and less untouchable or at a distance from a reader. As well as being more realistic. 

The Dybbuk's Mirror lived up to the first book in the series and if you read and loved The Strings of the Violin than you won't be disappointed by the sequel. 

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The Strings of the Violin by Alisse Lee Goldenburg

(Image found on Goodreads)

"A degree of boldness is required when one considers the gravity of the situation." -Alisse Lee Goldenberg, The Strings of the Violin

Carrie is trying to put off thinking about the future. At least for a few more minutes as she soaks in some sunshine. But when she saves a fox from her dog, Finnegan, she doesn't think it will change her world. But this fox can talk and he needs her help. His home world is cloaked in darkness and only the return of the magical strings of a violin will save it. But when Carrie and her friends enter the world, they'll find they should have listened to their grandmothers stories more. Will they be able to remember enough to save Adom's world? Find the official description on Goodreads. 

The main plot comes out pretty quickly. Or at least the beginning of the main plot. And in a shocking form. A talking fox. It is definitely different than what I'd been reading lately. The writing was well done, and easy to read. It was somewhat easy to get into although it wasn't one of those books you can just jump right into and immediately be completely immersed. It slowly builds up until you find yourself entering the world of Adom as the girls do.

The easy banter between the friends took away much of the danger of their situation until something happened to clearly bring that danger to the forefront. It made things relaxing and a bit like you were replaying conversations you had with your best friends before. It was great, and kept your attention.

Then there was learning about this world other than Earth. It was great to see a new setting and learn more about it. I had lots of questions and got answers as well.

It was very interesting to see how folklore and their grandmothers stories were actually incorporated into the story. The folklore of the situation just made things that much more interesting because you're learning about these stories in bits and pieces, as they're remembering them and it was fun to learn some about their pasts.

I was also happy that Alisse Lee Goldenberg didn't take advangtage of the fact that she is writing fantasy and thus uses it as a free pass to manipulate lief and death. I'm not saying that I don't cheer when that happens but still sometimes it seems that it's used too often or it's used as a way to please your readers. That didn't happen here and I was glad to see it. Even if I was crying and wishing it could happen.

The Strings of the Violin was a good read, and different than the books I've read recently. If you like fantasy and young adult novels than you should add this to your TBR list.

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