The Obsidian Mirror (Chronoptika, #1)

Sep 19, 2012 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-favorites, arc-2012, favorites, hachette, middle-grade, multiple-povs, surprise-surprise, never-mess-with-time-travel, reviewed-in-2012

I knew very little about Catherine Fisher before reading The Obsidian Mirror, only that she wrote Incarceron, which I have yet to read, so it’s safe to say I went into this with no expectations whatsoever, just the usual excitement over a pretty cover. In a nutshell, The Obsidian Mirror is a Middle Grade adventure that combines Science Fiction elements (time travel, to be exact), with fairy lore. Had I realized this in time, I doubt I would have requested it since I normally avoid MG like the pl...more I knew very little about Catherine Fisher before reading The Obsidian Mirror, only that she wrote Incarceron, which I have yet to read, so it’s safe to say I went into this with no expectations whatsoever, just the usual excitement over a pretty cover. In a nutshell, The Obsidian Mirror is a Middle Grade adventure that combines Science Fiction elements (time travel, to be exact), with fairy lore. Had I realized this in time, I doubt I would have requested it since I normally avoid MG like the plague, but it would have been my loss. Fisher is an excellent writer with a good sense of pacing and wonderful imagination.

Time travel always confuses me a bit, but Fisher didn’t make it too complicated. Many questions were left unanswered, but enough was revealed for me to enjoy the story. The obsidian mirror itself, a time portal of sorts, remains a mystery, but one that will surely be resolved in the next installment. The only piece that simply refuses to fit are the fairies. They might be colorful and deliciously creepy, but they contribute nothing to the story and I can’t for the life of me understand their purpose. Perhaps it will be clearer in the second book, but for now, they’re nothing more than a decoration. (Not for me, though, I’m so scared of them.)

I am not a fan of multiple points of view and I think I would have liked this book more were it told from Jake’s perspective alone, preferably in first person. Third person, multiple points of view is my least favorite narrative choice as it often prevents me from creating emotional bonds with the characters and the entire experience can somehow seem cold and clinical. Switching from Jake to Sarah and back, with a few short chapters with other narrative voices broke the natural flow, and all the diary entries by the mirror’s original owner, although essential, certainly didn’t help.

I did like Fisher’s writing a lot, although it’s nothing like what I usually enjoy. Her sentences are short and clear, her style refreshingly concise, and yet she somehow avoids making it seem stilted. It worked well for The Obsidian Mirror, mostly because it’s a Middle Grade adventure and not very emotional at all, but I’m curious to see how it worked in Incarceron.

The Obsidian Mirror left so many questions unanswered and I simply can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. I will also read Incarceron and Sapphique as soon as I can. Great job, Ms. Fisher!

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Mar 17, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

** This is an ARC review.
Any excerpts and quotes included are from an unfinished copy
and may change before the final print**

In 2010, before I started blogging, I came across Catherine Fisher's book Incarceron in my local library. I remember reading the cover jacket blurb and being completely intrigued. I checked it out, took it home and totally lost myself within its pages. That book had UNBELIEVABLE world building and incredible surprises inside of it. I remember my then eight year old son as...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Dragana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, male-lead, time-travel, fae, tower-teams-read-2013, childrens, magic, mystery, young-adult, urban-fantasy

If I had to describe The Obsidian Mirror in one word it would be: rebel. No, this book is not about some revolution but it simply rebels and defiest to be labeled. I really had problems tagging it. Should it be young adult or middle grade? Where would you put Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling or The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman? Well, put this book right there with them.

If you try stuffing The Obsidian Mirror into one genre only, you would run into similar problems. Is it contemporary? Yes, since...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Jo Bennie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jake Wilde has finally got himself expelled from his exclusive Swiss boarding school. Despite his many efforts this is the one that has suceeded: taking the role of Laertes in Hamlet rather too literally and substituting a sharpened rapier for a blunted one. Like Hamlet he is driven by the desire to avenge the murder of his father, not by an uncle but by his father's best friend Oberon Venn. Venn became Jake's guardian when David Wilde disappeared on his way home from Venn's estate.

Jake's teache...more

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May 17, 2013 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teenage-ya

A Young Adult fantasy that combines time-travel with the world of fairy, The Obsidian Mirror is the story of teenage Jake's attempts to find out what has happened to his father who disappeared when working with his friend, the noted adventurer, mountain climber and recluse Oberon Venn.

Convinced that Venn has murdered his father, Jake gets himself expelled from his exclusive boarding school and makes his way to the isolated abbey that Venn inhabits. Here he discovers that Venn is in possession of...more A Young Adult fantasy that combines time-travel with the world of fairy, The Obsidian Mirror is the story of teenage Jake's attempts to find out what has happened to his father who disappeared when working with his friend, the noted adventurer, mountain climber and recluse Oberon Venn.

Convinced that Venn has murdered his father, Jake gets himself expelled from his exclusive boarding school and makes his way to the isolated abbey that Venn inhabits. Here he discovers that Venn is in possession of an obsidian mirror which acts as an unreliable time-portal. Through this portal Jake's father apparently vanished; now he is lost somewhere in the past.

Although Jake is obliged to accept that his father was not murdered, he still blames Venn for what happened. At loggerheads, the two are nevertheless possessed by similar obsessions: Jake wants to find his father; Venn wants to go back into the past to prevent the accident that killed his wife. So it's not surprising that they eventually establish a working truce in an attempt to make the mirror function reliably.

Their ambition is complicated, however, by a series of factors. The first is the presence of one of Jake's teachers who is determined to see that his former charge is not in any danger. The second is the arrival of a girl from the future who insists that the mirror threatens all life on the planet and must be destroyed but who is herself pursued by an apparently indestructible hunter determined to ensure it survives. The third is the appearance of the rightful owner of the mirror from whom it was stolen long ago and who now wishes to reclaim it.

Add two more ingredients to this tangle of conflicting desires: the jealousy of the queen of the fairy host who resides, along with her fellow creatures, in the grounds of the abbey and who is in love with Venn; and the loneliness of a changeling boy whom the fairies adopted long ago and who haunts the woods that surround the abbey, longing to regain his humanity.

The result is a very complicated plot in which I was not entirely convinced that all the elements had been blended effectively. Fisher's answer to the demands of this multi-stranded narrative is to leave an enormous amount unexplained. While I found this initially compelling it was ultimately frustrating. I sometimes felt as though I was reading the second or third book in a series; so much seemed to exist in the author's head but not on the page.

Nevertheless, it's a novel that offers a great many pleasures. The prose is often delightful, the breadth of the author's imagination is impressive and the audacity of the story’s conception is at times quite thrilling.
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May 13, 2013 (Sara) Through the Looking Glass rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When reading Obsidian Mirror, I was reminded of my love for Catherine Fisher. She is a master of the fantasy craft and it shows. I was so mesmerized and amazed for most of the book. A lot of it was quite whimsical, but at the same time being intense, action-packed, and deep.

Obsidian Mirror switched perspectives between the protagonists. I have no complaints about this style. I think the book would have been excellent either way.

I’m telling you, this book appealed to my love of fantasy/sci-fi li...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Don rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(FROM MY BLOG)
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping
Than you can understand.
--W. B. Yeats

A famous mountain climber, now a recluse living on the family estate -- living, in fact, in an enormous, decaying home, a one-time abbey, surrounded by a deep frozen forest, lying at the bottom of a canyon carved by waters rushing off of Dartmoor. His obsessions: the death of his wife in an auto accident, and an ancient mirror...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

Catherine Fisher is one of my favorite authors – I’ve read several of her books, and enjoyed them, particularly Incarceron. I have mixed feelings about The Obsidian Mirror, though. I enjoyed the blend of fantasy and science fiction, and the intricate plot kept me guessing. There are multiple plotlines, including a changeling longing to leave the fairies, a son seeking his missing father, a husband trying to change the past to prevent his wife’s death, and a girl’s attempt to save the world. Howe...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Mrs. Kenyon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-2013-books

Jake is on a mission. He has done everything he can to be kicked out of school, and now he has been successful. His godfather and guardian, Oberon Venn, has asked for him to be sent to his home, Wintercombe Abbey. Jake’s father disappeared two years earlier while conducting experiments for Venn. Jake believes that he was murdered, but Venn continues to say that he left the Abbey on his own. After Jake arrives at Wintercombe Abbey, he discovers that nothing is as it seems. The experiments his fat...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Erin Huber rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a fan of Incarceron, I wanted to like this book, I really did. And it was decent, but...like Incarceron, it had its issues.

The book starts off with a fascinating premise--a boy out for revenge, a mysterious guardian. The name Oberon (Midsummer Night's Dream, anyone?) is already a clue that there might be some fae magic going on, so when more sci-fi elements get brought in, its a pleasant surprise. I personally always love to see the two combined, and I was also looking forward to Jake as a c...more As a fan of Incarceron, I wanted to like this book, I really did. And it was decent, but...like Incarceron, it had its issues.

The book starts off with a fascinating premise--a boy out for revenge, a mysterious guardian. The name Oberon (Midsummer Night's Dream, anyone?) is already a clue that there might be some fae magic going on, so when more sci-fi elements get brought in, its a pleasant surprise. I personally always love to see the two combined, and I was also looking forward to Jake as a central character, since many YA books are written from the girl's point of view.

Jake initially intrigued me at first, but unfortunately, I quickly became and bored of and disappointed in him. He starts off as a dangerous teenage boy, willing to do anything to get expelled from school. Eager to see why, I read on, only to discover that my questions were answered all too quickly as he immediately opened up to a teacher he barely knew. All of the sudden Jake was a big softy with little spine and a willingness to accept whatever explanation was told to him. Every now and then he went back to that fierce determination, but I saw nothing else of the dangerous boy I glimpsed in the first few pages.

The story was fast-paced, the plot interesting, but I think half the problem with this book is that there are so many plot points and sub-plots that the characters get lost in the story Fisher is trying to tell. I had a similar feeling with Incarceron and Sapphique, where there were so many mysteries that I lost track of them, and sometimes when secrets were "revealed," I still didn't really understand their significance. It's much the same with this book, where big "reveals" don't seem important to me, and all the information I really want to know is still being held out, hopefully for the next book. By the end I started to get confused about which character was doing what, as the POV kept switching so much and I just wanted to yell at them to start asking the right questions!

I obviously got a bit worked up by this book, but part of that is because I did still get into this book. I do still want to see what happens, and find out more answers. So if you're willing to get through the parts where the characters drive you a little bonkers, then I say go for it. In all likelihood, you'll still enjoy the read.

I received this advance ebook copy from NetGalley(less)

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Feb 27, 2013 Cathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

With "Obsidian Mirror" Catherine Fisher has officially been added to my very, very short list of favorite authors. She has written a book that is steeped in magic and mystery and intrigue, with fascinating characters hiding behind their dark secrets and desires. Mortals, immortals, and time travelers all are slowly revealed as the novel flits quickly from one moment to the next building an amazing, amazing panorama of drama. The flow of the novel was tight with the rapidly paced short scenes. Ov...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Natalie Aguirre rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’m a huge fan of Catherine Fisher’s and was thrilled when I received this ARC. Like her other stories, she does a fantastic job here making the Obsidian Mirror feel like the most mysterious, powerful object that everyone can’t help but want. It really says a lot about what an amazing writer she is.

This is told from multiple points of view of Jake, Sarah, Venn, and Wharton, the teacher who accompanies Jake to Wintercombe. Normally, I like stories from one or two points of view, but I could reall...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher
Hodder Childrens Books
ISBN: 978-0-340-97008-9
• Catherine Fisher
Catherine Fisher specialises in complex dark, crowded stories with many twists, turns and betrayals. Incarceron and Sapphique were premium examples of her craft and are two of my favourite YA novels deserving of success.

The Obsidian Mirror is in the same vein but a little harder to get into. The principal boy character, Jake is pretty unlikeable at the beginning and it being set in a Swiss scho...more The Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher
Hodder Childrens Books
ISBN: 978-0-340-97008-9
• Catherine Fisher
Catherine Fisher specialises in complex dark, crowded stories with many twists, turns and betrayals. Incarceron and Sapphique were premium examples of her craft and are two of my favourite YA novels deserving of success.

The Obsidian Mirror is in the same vein but a little harder to get into. The principal boy character, Jake is pretty unlikeable at the beginning and it being set in a Swiss school and about a boy wanting to be expelled by injuring another boy perhaps not the best start. The first chapter smacks of caricature – the real story begins at Chapter Two with the arrival of Sarah who can make herself invisible and finds her way to the spooky Wintercombe Abbey pursued by a huge wolf and a Replicant. There is a mental patient on the loose and she definitely fits the description of the girl. Wintercombe is the home of the famous explorer Oberon Venn – godfather to Jake (arriving that very day in disgrace from his school in the company of his overbearing drama teacher, Wharton).

There is a huge cast list, a sinister wood that one must never go into, Replicants that stalk the Abbey and don’t forget the wolf. The Mirror in the title is a time portal that seems to be have been created at least four centuries ago, or even longer, found in a grave and ends up in the hands of an amateur scientist in London, John Harcourt Symmes, who manages to activate the device. Simultaneously it is in Wintercombe Abbey, where Oberon Venn, who now owns it, is desperate to make it work, to go back in time and safe his wife Leah before she is killed in road crash. Complicated? We are just getting started. Add a marmoset owned by Jake (illegally smuggled in via Heathrow) a girl called Rebecca who is mysteriously helpful when Jake and Wharton arrive in the village and the invisible Shee, who live in the woods and feared by locals.

The whole tale of Obsidian Mirror is infused with melancholia and much like the astonishing 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' by Susanna Clarke, which it resembles, leaves one overwhelmed with sadness whilst you read. This, I must quickly add is not a bad thing and demonstrates the power of the writer. Nevertheless it can be claustrophobic, yet The Obsidian Mirror is an addictive read and one needs to be on your toes as to whom is telling the truth (if anyone) and what is really going on here.

Jake seeks his father who has ‘journeyed’ through the time portal and is lost. Venn seeks his dead wife. Sarah seeks the past, for she is mysteriously connected to the Abbey, we do not know why, and Piers, is a slave, who does all of Venn’s bidding, whether he wants to or not. Add Summer, a malevolent beautiful creature from the woods and young Moll, a street urchin who resides in the past – you will need to read this with much coffee at your side to assist you to keep track of every moment and character, let alone motive. (Perhaps there should be a GCSE test at the end for readers to make sure you got it all.)

In a story where every character is selfish and obsessive and definitely not what they appear to be – trusting your instincts is hard. Rich in atmosphere, lush in description, this is just the first part of the story of the Chronoptika.

© Sam Hawksmoor Feb 2013
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Jan 30, 2013 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Obsidian Mirror kept me interested, but at times a bit overwhelmed.

The premise of the story grabs you right away. Jake purposely gets thrown out of his fancy boarding school because he wants to go live with his "godfather," Oberon Venn. Venn was once famous, but now is a recluse at a remote estate. Jake's father was Venn's best friend and colleague. His father died, and Jake is convinced Venn killed him.

Wharton, one of Jake's teachers, will accompany him to Venn's estate. When they arrive, Venn...more Obsidian Mirror kept me interested, but at times a bit overwhelmed.

The premise of the story grabs you right away. Jake purposely gets thrown out of his fancy boarding school because he wants to go live with his "godfather," Oberon Venn. Venn was once famous, but now is a recluse at a remote estate. Jake's father was Venn's best friend and colleague. His father died, and Jake is convinced Venn killed him.

Wharton, one of Jake's teachers, will accompany him to Venn's estate. When they arrive, Venn knows nothing of Jake's coming. It turns out Venn's assistant, Piers, has been the one communicating with the school.

Additionally, another guest has arrived at the house. Sarah, a mysterious little girl, who is on the run from...well...someone. For some reason she knows a lot about the house.

Throughout the book, we are learning the origin of a mysterious black mirror that is now at the house. It somehow has the ability to take one back in time, but so far Venn has not been able to control it. Jake believes that his father really isn't dead, but is stuck somewhere in the past. Jake wants to use the mirror to go find his father. Venn wants to use Sarah for his experiments in time travel in exchange for keeping her hidden. It isn't clear what Sarah wants -- she is a mystery.

I really liked all of that part of the story. The part about the mirror, and its wild history is intriguing. The part that mucked it up for me was the wood. You see there's a wood around the house that no one is supposed to enter. It's filled with dangerous, fantastical creatures. Once you go in, you may never come out. And of course, some of our characters go in.

Now, some of these creatures do play a role in the eventual resolution, but so much was going on at the end of the book, and things happened very fast. Although I did understand what happened, it was a lot of characters going in a lot of different directions.

So, of course there are people (or creatures) trying to get their hands on this ancient mirror. And that's the main culmination of Obsidian Mirror.

I think the target age group for this book -- 12 and up -- is perfect. I think younger teens will have a great time with this story. Fantasy lovers will have much more tolerance for that part of Obsidian Mirror than I did.

Obsidian Mirror is the first book in a series, and some urgent issues are resolved at the end of this episode, but the "big" stuff is still out there waiting for the next book. While I found some of the details a little too complex, I still very much enjoyed Obsidian Mirror and will happily recommend it to my fantasy fans.
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Jan 23, 2013 Freddie R rated it 3 of 5 stars

Although the story on the whole was okay, most of the book was useless. Nothing happened until I got through ¾ of the book! It was boring and continuously dragged on and on and on. Something needs to happen at the beginning that hooks me in, not so that I have to FORCE myself to continue on reading in the hopes that this God forsaken book will get better.

In all honestly I wanted to throw the book on the floor and stamp on it just so I could perhaps shake some words around so that an actual stor...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Rim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-fantasy

I didn’t have any high expectation as i hadn’t read any of her previous books .However i think it was a well written fantasy series so I am definitely looking forward to read the sequel as the Obsidian Mirror is a first book in a new series.

The plot summary
Jake has been deliberately getting into trouble at school so that he can finally meet his sponsor , his late fathers best friend and alleged killer(according to Jake). Jake (main character) wants to confront his sponsor Venn and find out the t...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Electronic ARC supplied by NetGalley.

I had a difficult time deciding what I thought of this book. The story starts out with Jake, a young teen who has lost his father, and firmly believes that his father's best friend (also Jake's estranged Godfather) is responsible for his death. As the story progresses Fisher adds a device of unknown origin that allows time travel (with a certain amount of mad scientist manipulation), an old English estate where a nearby wood hides a dangerous faerie court, a...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Brandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, netgalley, ya, nook

Jake Wilde is haunted by the disappearance of his father, and he is convinced that his godfather, the infamous Oberon Venn, is responsible. However, he will come to find that the truth behind his father's disappearance is far stranger from anything he could have dreamed possible. At the center of the mystery is a mirror that can traverse the limits of time with its immense power - the Chronoptika. However, the obsidian mirror is desired by others: Venn is driven by his desperation to bring his w...more Jake Wilde is haunted by the disappearance of his father, and he is convinced that his godfather, the infamous Oberon Venn, is responsible. However, he will come to find that the truth behind his father's disappearance is far stranger from anything he could have dreamed possible. At the center of the mystery is a mirror that can traverse the limits of time with its immense power - the Chronoptika. However, the obsidian mirror is desired by others: Venn is driven by his desperation to bring his wife back from death, Maskelyne is driven to reclaim what was stolen from him centuries before and Sarah is desperately trying to save her world in the future.

This was my first introduction to Catherine Fisher, and she is a wonderful storyteller. (Now, I am excited to try out Incarceron.) There are basically 3 storylines woven together into this storyline. Fisher deftly brought everything together in the novel, but sometimes it felt a little unwieldy to me. The inclusion of the Shee and Summerland didn't seem necessary to the plot, and it added a lot of questions that didn't get answered. I'm guessing that maybe it is a setup for future installments in the series, but sometimes all of the different elements just seemed like a bit much to me. Nevertheless, I am intrigued enough to read future installments.

Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.(less)

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Dec 10, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: time travel fans, maybe steampunk too

Recommended to Julie by: NetGalley

Shelves: 2012, advance-reader-copies, ebook, fantasy, science-fiction, young-adult, netgalley-arc

Note: I received this advance ebook copy from NetGalley.

Having recently read Incarceron, I was very excited to find out that Catherine Fisher is starting a new YA series. I think my favorite thing about her books is that the writing is solid - you don't get distracted by awkward sentence structure or poor word choices like in so many YA titles these days. The story and characters take center stage.

The Obsidian Mirror is a book with many, many layers. The story just kept peeling back, and will cl...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Briggsteenscene rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Catherine Fisher book and definitely won't be my last. I've heard Incarceron is pretty awesome and that a movie is in talks so I will have to read that soon. This is the first book in a new series that doesn't come out until April 2013. I'm ususally not a really big fan of time travel books, but this one has so much mystery and intrigue woven in that I couldn't put the book down. There are several characters to keep track of, but they all interact and we get to see from everyone...more This is my first Catherine Fisher book and definitely won't be my last. I've heard Incarceron is pretty awesome and that a movie is in talks so I will have to read that soon. This is the first book in a new series that doesn't come out until April 2013. I'm ususally not a really big fan of time travel books, but this one has so much mystery and intrigue woven in that I couldn't put the book down. There are several characters to keep track of, but they all interact and we get to see from everyone's point of view so it isn't hard to follow who is who.

Summary: The entire book is based on who can possess a magical mirror that allows the owner to travel through time, but at what cost? Three people seek the mirror: the first, Sarah, has been sent from the future to shatter its power; the second, Venn, will protect the mirror at all costs, obsessed with its power; and the third, Jake, needs the mirror to find a murdered father and save his life. But only one can succeed.
When Jake is expelled from his school, he travels to his godfather's estate with one of his teacher's in order to find out what happened to his father, who mysteriously disappeared. Jake believes his godfather, Oberan Venn, is responsible and plans to take revenge when he finds out the truth: his father is lost in time and only the mirror can get him back. Meanwhile, Venn wants the mirror in order to change the past and save his wife from a terrible car accident. Then there is the mysterious Sarah, who can turn invisible and claims to be from the future, a future in which the mirror destroyed everything.

Fisher's world building skills are pretty extraordinary and her characters are complex people. I still don't know who I am rooting for in terms of who should decide what to do with the mirror. At the end we learn this huge secret about Sarah that leaft me shocked and then suddenly I was firmly on team Venn.

I definitely would recommend this to fans of The Percy Jackson series, The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson and just fans of mysteries in general. (less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Melodie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been a fan of Ms. Fisher's since she wrote Incarceron a few years back. She's a solid writer and plotter but her real strength is in inventiveness.

And she doesn't disappoint here. The opening scene features wild child Jake's determination to get kicked out of a Swiss boarding school at all costs...and his success sends him to the gloomy, gothic mansion of his godfather, Oberon Venn, in England. (LOVE that name!) Venn is part-Shee (fairy) with a seeming heart of ice and a ruthlessness to use...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Sheenagh Pugh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, novels, ya, young-adult

Catherine Fisher's many fans will be delighted to hear that her latest, The Obsidian Mirror, is the start of a sequence. Fisher works differently, I think, in standalone books and sequences. The standalones, like Crown of Acorns, Darkhenge and Corbenic, tend to focus on some deep-seated trauma in the young protagonist's mind; he or she will, via the medium of fantasy, find some way of living with reality. The journey is essentially a foray through an individual mind. In the sequences, Fisher can...more Catherine Fisher's many fans will be delighted to hear that her latest, The Obsidian Mirror, is the start of a sequence. Fisher works differently, I think, in standalone books and sequences. The standalones, like Crown of Acorns, Darkhenge and Corbenic, tend to focus on some deep-seated trauma in the young protagonist's mind; he or she will, via the medium of fantasy, find some way of living with reality. The journey is essentially a foray through an individual mind. In the sequences, Fisher can show her immense craft at world-building (as in the two Incarceron novels, where a misguided attempt to halt change and development has resulted in a world of fake surfaces and hidden realities rather like a film set). In these sequences, though the protagonist will still have his/her own issues to work out, there is also a whole universe of equally fascinating minor characters with their own journeys, sometimes parallel, sometimes interlocking. They are already emerging here as they did in The Book of the Crow, her last work on this scale, and I'm already particularly invested in Molly, a Victorian street urchin of immense character and resourcefulness of whom we shall surely see more in the next volume.

The workings of time have always been a fascination of Fisher's; in Corbenic, Cal gets off at the wrong station and finds himself in Arthurian times, while in Crown of Acorns three stories, from different times in history, run parallel. But this is the first book of hers I recall in which the possible mechanics of time travel have played any part. The mirror of the title is a way of travelling in time, and both a man, Venn, and a boy, Jake, are trying to use it for personal ends, while another character, from a different time, is trying to destroy it for altruistic reasons. At least, that's how things seem now; anyone acquainted with Fisher's ability to produce plot twists that are both credible and surprising will be wary of coming to any definite conclusion on motives for some time yet.

Another Fisher signature which I am personally delighted to see reappearing is her fascination with cold. Anyone who recalls the gripping imaginative prose of the Snow-Walker trilogy will be happy to find themselves back in the depths of winter, and these descriptions are among the most memorable passages in the book: the moon "a silver fingernail through the branches", the snow that "fell in slow diagonals, twirling out of the dark". One of the most striking moments is when the wood-dwellers emerge:
The Shee were flocking from the wood. They carried bells and chimes, many beat drums and the deep throbbing rhythm made starlings rise from the trees and call to each other across the sky. The snow had stopped falling; now it lay deep and still and the clouds were clearing. High above, like a dust of diamonds on black velvet, the stars were coming out, sherds and slivers of brilliance, eerie over the frozen Wood and the blue-white hummocks of the lawns.

As usual, the narrative impulse was so strong that I devoured the thing in a ridiculous hurry and will need to re-read. But I'm already completely hooked. The sequence is currently set to comprise hopefully four books, possibly three. The more the better, I say.(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Lucinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Raising the bar high for epic young-adult fantasy, where your imagination will be taken on the most exciting journey; with dreams becoming reality!

The stunning, magical cover of this book that glistens under the starlight really captures your imagination before you even pluck this book from the shelf. I adore the fantasy genre and I know that Catherine Fisher’s work will be a big hit, as there are so many avid readers of the young-adult genre. What I love about this genre is that it is so diver...more Raising the bar high for epic young-adult fantasy, where your imagination will be taken on the most exciting journey; with dreams becoming reality!

The stunning, magical cover of this book that glistens under the starlight really captures your imagination before you even pluck this book from the shelf. I adore the fantasy genre and I know that Catherine Fisher’s work will be a big hit, as there are so many avid readers of the young-adult genre. What I love about this genre is that it is so diverse and you find such breathtaking, original books that are so unique and never fail to impress. The Obsidian Mirror has to be my favorite book of the year without a doubt, with the author’s creativity and inspired storyline just blowing me away; it really did send shivers down my spine it was that good. Intensely gripping, clever and detailed world building make this novel something quite special (in comparison with Phillip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy), as it is so believable and ‘real’. From the author of Incarceron comes another astounding book that will astonish.

The first book of the Chronoptika introduces you to Jake, who after the mysterious disappearance of his father comes to the undeniable conclusion that his father has been murdered. Whilst exploring Wintercombe Abbey Jake then finds something much stranger and more mysterious lurking within the icy, snow covered depths. A hidden diary of lost secrets that was all but forgotten and a black mirror that is both a captivating and mystifying object. There is also a tribe of supernatural beings hiding in shadow that haunt the vast woods nearby, as a girl runs through the trees; being pursued by a wolf of ice. At every turn Jake finds many life-threatening and significant choices that he must make, as he makes a choice that will determine not only his fate but that of others. By continuing his journey into the unknown, seeking out the truth you are taken on the most mesmerizing, exciting and thrilling rollercoaster of an adventure that will leave you completely breathless.

This dark and scary ride had me clutching the pages of the book so tightly as to turn my knuckles white, not dissimilar to when watching a horror film when one is so captivated as to constantly fight the urge to turn away but being unable to. I am mortified for having not read any of Catherine Fisher’s books before, for she is an incredible writer whose characters come to life off the page and although this is technically children’s fiction I would recommend it to the older reader as well. Those of you who love young-adult fiction I urge you to read this book for it is too amazing to miss, being something that stands out from all others as quite exceptional. A plot that is full of twists and turns, keeping you guessing throughout whilst you loose yourself in the quest of a lifetime to find out the truth. Poignant, captivating and totally out of this world I was inspired as a writer by the author as well as delighted as a reader, upon reading this magnificent work. I do not believe that any reader will not be overwhelmed by this book, which is like a chocolate box full of intriguing and wonderful delights just waiting to be explored and enjoyed. The aspect of time travel is fascinating and will have those of you who love anything connected with different worlds, eras and times to be sat rigid in your seat. The messages that the author conveys through the writing is so powerful, thought-provoking and emotional that I was just blown away by it and her passion. The setting of the isolated, mysterious house and the dark wood was just perfect, with the exocentric inventor and Victorian London adding that touch of Sherlock Holmes or historical element to it, taking you back in time through a magical portal.

Full of mystery, hidden secrets and clues this is a story that will remain with you forever. It is just spectacular! *I would like to take this opportunity to thank the author for having her brilliant book as a giveaway on ‘We Sat Down’ book blog, that I concider myself extremely privileged to have won.
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Jun 06, 2013 Jenny Zhang rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2.5 stars

As a longtime fan of Catherine Fisher (ever since I first read The Oracle Betrayed seven years ago, I've been hooked), I'm quite disappointed in this book. Far too many elements crammed into one novel = messy storytelling, as intriguing as those individual elements (Shee, time travel, lost parents, djinn, etc.) may be. Also not impressed with the cast of characters. None of them are very sympathetic or well-developed beyond flat archetypes (brooding male protagonist, mysterious girl, st...more

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May 21, 2013 Sierra B. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, library, ya, time-travel

Catherine Fisher is a pretty good author. I've read Incarceron and I have Sapphique (haven't read it yet) as well as her other series, Relic Master. I had liked Incarceron pretty well and the Relic Master series was interesting. However this book has proved to be my favorite yet!

Jake is convinced that his godfather (who shipped him off to a school in Switzerland) killed his father. Thus he gets himself expelled and sent home. Unfortunately a drama teacher accompanies him. When they arrive to the...more Catherine Fisher is a pretty good author. I've read Incarceron and I have Sapphique (haven't read it yet) as well as her other series, Relic Master. I had liked Incarceron pretty well and the Relic Master series was interesting. However this book has proved to be my favorite yet!

Jake is convinced that his godfather (who shipped him off to a school in Switzerland) killed his father. Thus he gets himself expelled and sent home. Unfortunately a drama teacher accompanies him. When they arrive to the remote town where Wintercombe Abbey, Oberon Venn's home, is they find they are not entirely welcome and many secrets and mysteries are hidden in the Abbey.

Sarah has just arrived and she's being chased by a replicant and his wolf. She takes refuge in the abbey and is only allowed to stay if she helps Oberon with his experiments. By being the test subject to go through the mirror. But she already knows all about the mirror. That's why she's here. A tale of adventure, mystery and magic, these characters don't know all of what they're in for!

Pros:This book didn't slow down pretty much ever! There were maybe two spots but that was it. The rest was non-stop surprises, discoveries, and secrets. As well attacks, eavesdropping and such :D The first chapter certainly got me interested and the ending was really exciting as well. It makes me wish I had the next book...right now!

The characters I all liked mostly well, there were some more and less than others. While they were good they weren't stunning, but I still liked them. This is a wonderful adventure from magic and fey to time travel and replicants from to much time travel being the hunters of time. The writing is really good, it kept me interested and as far as I can remember I thought everything was pretty clear and I don't think I got confused, although there were some complex things going on. As I said, my favorite from this author so far!

Cons:There were a few parts that were a bit confusing or slow but otherwise I didn't really have any problems. The characters weren't super good, but they were good enough. There was a bit of violence, time travel, fey, and language wise there were 21 curse words.

Overall, this was a really exciting and enjoyable book! I would recommend to teens who like fantasy, time travel and adventures. (less)

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May 11, 2013 Katie/Doing Dewey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The many characters in The Obsidian Mirror are all drawn together by one thing – the mirror’s amazing ability to bend time and space, allowing the user to travel forward or backward in time. Jake desperately wants to find out what happened to his father, who he believes was murdered by the mysterious recluse currently in possession of the mirror. Others want to own the mirror to gain power, others to destroy it, and others for reasons yet undiscovered. Unfortunately, they can’t all get what they...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Karissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had read Fisher’s Incarceron series and enjoyed it, so I was eager to read this latest book by her. Thanks to Dial and Librarything for the chance to review this book. There were some interesting ideas in here and the book starts out as intriguing. As the story continued though there were too many POVs and the story became fractured and a bit confusing.

Jake is convinced that his strange Godfather Oberon Venn has something to do with Jake’s father’s disappearance. When Jake journeys to Winterco...more I had read Fisher’s Incarceron series and enjoyed it, so I was eager to read this latest book by her. Thanks to Dial and Librarything for the chance to review this book. There were some interesting ideas in here and the book starts out as intriguing. As the story continued though there were too many POVs and the story became fractured and a bit confusing.

Jake is convinced that his strange Godfather Oberon Venn has something to do with Jake’s father’s disappearance. When Jake journeys to Wintercombe Abbey, he finds the truth is much stranger than even he could have guessed. Sarah is a strange runaway who is not exactly what she appears and she also ends up at Wintercombe Abbey in hopes of finding a mysterious mirror.

This is one of those books that is hard to explain. It involves a lot of people, a mysterious time travel inducing mirror, and a bunch of fey. Initially we mainly hear from Jack and Sarah, but as the book continues the story and the number of POVs kind of spin out of control. Trying to figure out how all these little threads are tied together is tough and maybe something that will become clearer in future books in this series.

I always have a bit of trouble with time travel books because you start thinking about how past and previous activities affect current ones and the whole thing gets a bit convoluted and confusing. This holds true for this book as well.

I also had some trouble with the characters. I didn’t really care for any of them all that much. As the reader you don't really get to spend enough time with any of them to fully engage with them.

I also found the inclusion of the Fey with time travel to be a bit confusing. It is definitely a creative twist to time travel, but by the end of the book I still didn’t understand why the Fey were involved. Again maybe future books in this series will reveal more about this.

The book started out as an excellent read. As the story continued it spiraled out into a million different POVs that ended up fracturing the story, slowing the pace, and making it difficult to follow. By the end I felt that what had started out as an interesting premise was kind of a let down.

Overall an okay read, but not great. The premise is interesting and creative and the book starts out as intriguing. As the story continues the addition of more and more story threads and more and more points of view made things confusing. The jumping through time and jumping from character to character fractured the story and made it hard to follow. I never really engaged with any of the characters and by the end of the book found the plot to be a bit of a drag. This could end up being an interesting series, but I disliked this book enough that I won’t be reading any more of it.

I definitely think Incarceron was a better book by Fisher. I wouldn’t really recommend this book to anyone unless you are a huge fan of Fisher’s work and really want to read something else by her.(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Christina (Ensconced in YA) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: librarything-wins

I have heard of Catherine Fisher before, and I was interested in reading her work, but this is the first book I've read of hers. And boy, did I love it. Now I have to get my hands on the rest of her books! I received this book from the Early Reviewers program on Librarything in exchange for an honest review.

The Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher is an amalgam of different genres, but she does it seamlessly-- we have some paranormal elements with fantasy and faeries as well as some science ficti...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Rachel Webb rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Catherine Fisher book and definitely won't be my last. I've heard Incarceron is pretty awesome and that a movie is in talks so I will have to read that soon. This is the first book in a new series that doesn't come out until April 2013. I'm usually not a really big fan of time travel books, but this one has so much mystery and intrigue woven in that I couldn't put the book down. There are several characters to keep track of, but they all interact and we get to see from everyone'...more This is my first Catherine Fisher book and definitely won't be my last. I've heard Incarceron is pretty awesome and that a movie is in talks so I will have to read that soon. This is the first book in a new series that doesn't come out until April 2013. I'm usually not a really big fan of time travel books, but this one has so much mystery and intrigue woven in that I couldn't put the book down. There are several characters to keep track of, but they all interact and we get to see from everyone's point of view so it isn't hard to follow who is who.

Summary: The entire book is based on who can possess a magical mirror that allows the owner to travel through time, but at what cost? Three people seek the mirror: the first, Sarah, has been sent from the future to shatter its power; the second, Venn, will protect the mirror at all costs, obsessed with its power; and the third, Jake, needs the mirror to find a murdered father and save his life. But only one can succeed.
When Jake is expelled from his school, he travels to his godfather's estate with one of his teacher's in order to find out what happened to his father, who mysteriously disappeared. Jake believes his godfather, Oberan Venn, is responsible and plans to take revenge when he finds out the truth: his father is lost in time and only the mirror can get him back. Meanwhile, Venn wants the mirror in order to change the past and save his wife from a terrible car accident. Then there is the mysterious Sarah, who can turn invisible and claims to be from the future, a future in which the mirror destroyed everything.

Fisher's world building skills are pretty extraordinary and her characters are complex people. I still don't know who I am rooting for in terms of who should decide what to do with the mirror. At the end we learn this huge secret about Sarah that left me shocked and then suddenly I was firmly on team Venn. However, a case can be made for any of the three.

I definitely would recommend this to fans of The Percy Jackson series, The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson and just fans of mysteries in general.(less)

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Oct 12, 2012 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Catherine Fisher is truly an inspiration to follow. I have really enjoyed her previous novels, but The Obsidian Mirror blew me away. A mixture of science fiction and folklore that has been seamlessly blended to create an exciting new series to cherish. It was like reading The Terminator meets Tinkerbell but so much better. The way the author writes is reminiscent of the styles of such greats as Philip Pullman and Cornelia Funke. I will admit to having a bit of a soft spot for Catherine Fisher as...more Catherine Fisher is truly an inspiration to follow. I have really enjoyed her previous novels, but The Obsidian Mirror blew me away. A mixture of science fiction and folklore that has been seamlessly blended to create an exciting new series to cherish. It was like reading The Terminator meets Tinkerbell but so much better. The way the author writes is reminiscent of the styles of such greats as Philip Pullman and Cornelia Funke. I will admit to having a bit of a soft spot for Catherine Fisher as her books played quite a huge part in my very early book blogging days; I read and reviewed quite a few.
I loved the way the story was structured, the story was evenly blended as it moved from one character to another, where you desperately wanted to know what was happening in the background all the time. Each chapter ended with a cliffhanger, which found you desperate to get back to their strand of the story. As you delve further into the story, you find yourself gathering an assortment of facts,which you need to weave together in order to find out the truth about the mirror, which in itself is a character within the book; a strong, dark presence, ominously waiting to create havoc within the lives of the characters. The mirror plays a game similar to Russian Roulette, where you never know if the outcome will be favourable or not.
The characters had very strong personas and even nondescript ones such as Rebecca, who appeared as excess baggage in the story to begin with turned out to be valuable to the plot. The author fooled us with their initial presence; a sign of excellent writing.
The scenery was breathtaking as the characters stood simultaneously in between seasons. I loved the December setting, making this a fabulous contender for a Christmas reading session. The story is extremely well plotted, and it heads off at such a furious pace, you find yourself unable to walk away from the book.
The ending was a bit of a shocker to me! I honestly didn't even twig that things would work out the way they did and yet I should have seen it. On reflection, I could see the subtle hints and signs that had carefully been laid out by the author, I think I was just so engrossed in the whole story I missed them completely.
I only had a tiny little niggle with the book and I am sure it's because I am editing at the moment that I am picking up on such a minuscule point. I couldn't see how Jake successfully managed to smuggle the marmoset from Switzerland to England on an aeroplane; being one of those people who regularly gets stopped by customs (before you ask, I have no idea why) , I felt that this would be impossible to do with the present security system in place. However, looking at it from a different view point, I have never ever flown out of Switzerland, so I don't know if their airport security is as tough as ours. So this could be a completely moot point!
Anyway, regardless of this little niggle, this is an excellent read and I want everyone to read it. I want everyone to be as enthralled with this series as I am. I knew Catherine Fisher was talented, I think I'd just forgotten how much.
An awesome start to the series - I can't wait for Book 2!(less)

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The Obsidian Mirror (Chronoptika #1)

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