Holiday Gift Guide: The Mirror Sisters by V.C. Andrews

The Mirror Sisters

by V.C. Andrews

Publisher: Pocket Books

Pub. Date: October 25, 2016

ISBN: 978-1476792361

Pages: 384

Where To Purchase:

Amazon

Walmart

Book Description:

Alike in every way...with one dark exception.

As identical twins, their mother insists that everything about them be identical: their clothes, their toys, their friends...the number of letters in their names, Haylee Blossom Fitzgerald and Kaylee Blossom Fitzgerald. If one gets a hug, the other must, too. If one gets punished, the other must be, too.

Homeschooled at an early age, when the girls attend a real high school they find little ways to highlight the differences between them. But when Haylee runs headfirst into the dating scene, both sisters are thrust into a world their mother never prepared them for—causing one twin to pursue the ultimate independence. The one difference between the two girls may spell the difference between life...and a fate worse than death.

 

About the Author:

One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. Andrews has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of Flowers in the Attic, first in the renowned Dollanganger family series which includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows. The family saga continues with Christopher’s Diary: Secrets of Foxworth, Christopher’s Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger, and Secret Brother. V.C. Andrews has written more than seventy novels, which have sold more than 106 million copies worldwide and been translated into twenty-five foreign languages.

Billy's Thoughts: If you follow this blog regularly, then you would already know I have a big collection of V.C. Andrews' titles. My late grandmother was a big fan up until the "The De Beers" series, which is when she quit reading the books. I ended up with all of the titles my grandmother had owned, and I've continued to read and collect each & every new book, even the the really bad ones.

V.C. Andrews actually died in 1986, but since her death author Andrew Neiderman has been the ghost writer of all the titles in the franchise (yes, it's more of a franchise now). 

The Mirror Sisters is book one in a brand news series. It centers on identical twins Haylee Blosson Fitzgerald (aka the bad twin) and Kaylee Blossom Fitzgerald (aka the good twin), though the story is told from Kaylee's point-of-view. Similar to other V.C. Andrews' titles, the twins have a very controlling mother, who had homeschooled them up until high school. The girls were raised with no identities of their own as their mother made sure they wore the same clothes, had the same toys, and did the same activities; almost as if Haylee and Kaylee were one person instead of two. Of course things start to change once the twins begin high school.

I've been extremely critical of the recent releases from the ghost writer, mostly disappointed with the water down narrative and the missing Gothic feel. As for the actual writing for The Mirror Sisters, it's more of the same; most likely written for teenagers than adults. The narrative from Kaylee's eyes feels too computerized, as if the writer had wrote the story while being half awake and just didn't care about the characters (or the readers for that matter).

Nevertheless, despite the novel's shortcomings, I'm still featuring it as part of my Holiday Gift Guide. As for the plot, it's one of the better written ones written under V.C. Andrews' name. Don't get me wrong, it's not the greatest read in the world, but I was at least entertained for the most part, and I'm somewhat looking forward to reading the sequel, Broken Glass, which is scheduled to be released in early 2017. 

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher for my honest review and they are 100% my own opinions. I received no other compensation for this review and I am not required to give a positive review. I am also not associated with the publisher or author in any way.