The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James

☆☆☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 368 pages
Expected publication: March 17th 2020 by Minotaur Books
About the Book:
For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond. In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after Captain Jonathan de Grey’s twin children. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity. In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage.

It is only me, only me who is left, and so immersed am I in the image of the woman in the mirror that I do not see the shadow lurking at my threshold.

Just from reading the synopsis of this book I was hooked. I knew that there would be plot twists, secrets, and loads of drama, but I did not anticipate loving this book as much as I did. The Woman in the Mirror is a masterpiece among Gothic thrillers that you will not be able to put down until you reach the last page. You will delight in its twist and turns, as it leaves you utterly and totally freaked out. You will not want to put it down once you start until you see it through to its conclusion.

Each character of this book was well drawn out and had a clear, unique personality. I was able to put myself into her shoes and imagine how I would react given a certain situation. I was able to feel for the characters and sympathize with what they were going through. Ms. James certainly knows how to amp up the creep factor.

The ending provides the necessary wrap-up but also is very haunting, as you can see outside the picture presented. Questions are answered, but you are left with an unsettling feeling that more questions have developed at the end of the novel. This psychological play makes the story stand out among other books in the genre and elevates it to the distinction of a masterpiece.

Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca James, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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