Shattered Mirror

Starred review from July 28, 2003

In this third installment in the series that began with In the Forests of the Night, teen witch (and vampire killer) Sarah Vida gets more than she bargained for when she befriends vampire siblings. "Fans of the goth writer will likely find plenty to feast on here," wrote PW. Ages 12-up.

September 1, 2001
Gr 8 Up-Fans of vampire fiction will really sink their teeth into this one. A fifth-generation witch who is a vampire hunter finds herself challenging everything she's been brought up to respect and defend when she meets two charming vampires posing as high school students. Instantly attracted to the male, Sarah Vida finds it harder and harder to carry out the duties she and her family have sworn to do. When it's revealed that Christopher is really Kristopher, twin brother of one of the most hunted vampires since the 1800s, Sarah's loyalties are even further divided. Though the ending isn't necessarily a big surprise, readers will be racing to reach it as they devour this compelling tale. Atwater-Rhodes does another fine job of building a suspenseful mood and sustaining it throughout. Characters are likable-both the heroic hunters and the beguiling hunted. The portrayal of a fantastic subculture that lies just beneath the surface of normal suburban teen culture is lurid in its attention to each tempting detail. By the end, one feels as torn as Sarah in deciding which life to choose. Readers will be swept away by the seductive world of good and evil and find themselves lusting for just a few more chapters.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2001
Gr. 6-10. Teens who prefer their vampire fiction unencumbered by complex emotion or logical plotting will feed greedily on teenage Atwater-Rhodes' third novel, a bloody, action-packed thriller, replete with teenage angst. Vampire hunter Sarah Tigress Vida moves to a new high school, only to find two vampires in her class--one of whom, Christopher, starts sending her roses and poems. Against her better judgment, she becomes involved with Christopher and also with his twin brother, Nikolas, a powerful, clever vampire who prefers turning his prey into "blood bonded" slaves rather than corpses. Picking her way through a small town positively strewn with supernatural creatures, Sarah survives several encounters with Nikolas on her way to the shocking discovery that vampires are as capable as mortals of love and loyalty. Next to Annette Curtis Klause's " Blood and Chocolate" (1997), this "sucks," but Atwater-Rhodes owns a readable prose style and a vivid imagination; polish will come with practice. Fans of TV's Buffy and Angel will clamor for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)