Dark Arthurian series finale stresses friendship, courage.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Mostly in the fantasy realm, attacks from fantasy creatures describe biting, punching, ripping skin, and cutting swords, knives, axes, and arrows. Blood, pain, and injuries are described in some detail. Gore is described in brief detail several times, describing blood, entrails, exposed broken bones, and the smell of blood. A group of men kill a teen by stabbing him multiple times as part of a magic ritual. Characters in danger from scary fantasy creatures, and lots of tension and suspense from dark atmospheres and locations. A character remembers being verbally molested when she was seven.
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Several passages take place in a pub where beer, wine, and hard alcohol are mentioned along with equipment like barware and kegs. None of the characters drink in this setting. A teen remembers drinking from bottles in his father's liquor cabinet. An older teen has some whiskey but doesn't drink much of it. An adult drinks ale while telling children a bedtime story. Partygoers are described as "drunk as skunks." An adult magical being has whiskey.
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A few kisses, one mentioning tongues, caressing, and taking a shirt off. Sex is implied by a hand on the top jeans button and asking for and giving consent.
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Tamsin, her three friends, and Emrys all model courage, teamwork, and perseverance. They each have different strengths they bring to the group, and they're all extremely loyal. They also model good communication skills by talking through disagreements and exploring options when they need to make a decision.
Positive Messages
some
If you open your heart to someone, you risk getting hurt, but if you close yourself off to avoid getting hurt, you just get left alone. Life isn't random; we create paths for ourselves to follow by the choices we make.
Diverse Representations
a little
Most characters read as White and cisgendered. A minor character's described as having rich, brown skin and uses "they/their" pronouns. There's a slow-building, same-sex romance. A character with "ink-blue" hair is half human and half naiad (a mythical creature). Tamsin and Emrys grew up in very different economic and family circumstances: Emrys's family is extremely wealthy; Tamsin is an orphan surviving without a caregiver from the age of 10.
Parents need to know that Alexandra Bracken's The Mirror of Beasts picks up shortly after the events of Silver in the Bone. Now five older teens have to find a magical artifact that will stop Lord Death from opening a portal that will allow evil spirits to enter the real world and destroy it. Violence is mostly in the fantasy realm. Attacks from fantasy creatures describe biting, punching, ripping skin, and cutting swords, knives, axes, and arrows. Blood, pain, and injuries are described in some detail. Gore is described in brief detail several times, including blood, entrails, exposed broken bones, and the smell of blood. A group of men kill a teen by stabbing him multiple times as part of a magic ritual. Characters are often in danger from scary fantasy creatures, and lots of tension and suspense from dark atmospheres and locations. A character remembers being verbally molested when she was seven. Several mentions of vomiting, especially after seeing violence, and a brief description of a fantasy creature's entrails and stomach contents, which the characters have to search through. A few kisses, caressing, and taking a shirt off. Sex is implied by a hand on the top jeans button and asking for and giving consent. Language includes "s--t," "t-t," "hell," "bloody hell," "a--holes," "ass," "damn," and "bitch."
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What's the Story?
THE MIRROR OF BEASTS may be the only way for Tamsin and her friends to stop Lord Death from opening a rift between realms that would be the end of the world as they know it. Still stinging from their failure to save Avalon, Emrys's betrayal, and Cabell's turning to Lord Death, the four friends set out to find the magical mirror and trap Lord Death in it forever. Along the way they'll have to make an uneasy alliance with the Bonecutter, avoid Lord Death's ongoing brutal hunt for more human souls, escape from sorceresses, and decide whether they can put their trust in Emrys again. And they've got less than two weeks to do all this and more.
This dark spin on Arthurian folklore brings an exciting conclusion to the two-volume, epic story. The Mirror of Beasts explores friendship, found family, courage, and more against a compelling backdrop based on the legends of King Arthur and his court. Favorite old characters are back along with intriguing new ones. Tamsin becomes a better, stronger version of herself who won't abandon her loved ones no matter what. Alexandra Bracken uses shifting perspectives that allow readers to explore various points of view, and all the important characters have generous story lines and chances to learn and grow. Teens who can handle the violence with some mild gore will enjoy rooting for the friends to find themselves and save the world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Mirror of Beasts. Is it too much? Does it matter if it's in the real world or the fantasy world? Is reading about it different from seeing it in movies, games, or other visual media? Why or why not?
How do the four friends and Emrys work together as a team? What strengths and weaknesses does each bring to the group? How do their communication skills help them make tough decisions? What different kinds of courage do they show?
Why do stories, legends, and lore about King Arthur remain popular over so much time? What do we love about them?
Available on:
Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
August 28, 2024
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By Andrea Beach
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