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The Rule of Mirrors

(The Vault of Dreamers #2)

Caragh M. O'Brien (Goodreads Author)

3.83 · Rating details · 1,398 ratings · 166 reviews

At the remote, exclusive Chimera Centre, families of coma patients come from all over the world seeking miracles. When Althea Flores wakes up from a six-month coma, her recovery defies the limits of hope and science—except she can’t remember anything about her own life. Instead, she has all the memories of Rosie Sinclair, the missing Forge Show star, and she’s pregnant.

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Hardcover, 418 pages

Published February 16th 2016 by Roaring Brook Press

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YA Novels of 2016

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The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Dystopian, (post-)apocalyptic and sci-fi YA of 2016

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Average rating 3.83 ·

Rating details

· 1,398 ratings · 166 reviews

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Apr 14, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

so im trying this thing were i attempt to read all of my unfinished series from years ago. and considering i didnt re-read the first book, this didnt go as poorly as i had anticipated!

i dont think ive ever read anything quite like this plot (one girls consciousness in two separate bodies - kind of cool), and it honestly felt like it could be a standalone story. but they did tie in events from the first book, so i appreciated that. im reading the final book tomorrow to finally get this series of ...more

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Aug 14, 2017 Suzanne rated it really liked it

Really twisted, good sequel. I'm looking forward to book three. I was hesitant on starting this series because of some of the stuff I have read and reviewed, but honestly it is a great mixture of psychological thriller & sci-fi. I have really enjoyed the series so far!

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Jan 09, 2016 Alyssa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-releases

Excellent! Very good sequel. I can't wait for book three!

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh O'Brien
Book Two of The Vault of Dreamers series
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: February 16, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

The fast-paced, psychologically thrilling sequel to The Vault of Dreamers follows Rosie after her consciousness has been split in two.

The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinc ...more

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Nov 15, 2014 Heather *Awkward Queen and Unicorn Twin* rated it liked it

Shelves: hot-guys, ya, series, 2016

I'm not really sure how to rate this. It was an exciting read, yet there was a huge plot point I didn't like. Essentially having two Rosies was a strange idea, and something I didn't find very enjoyable. Not to mention the pregnancy thing was completely strange, especially Rosie's quick acceptance of it (while she was in Thea's body).

However, this was fast-paced and interesting, especially for the second book of a trilogy. I still really like the romance—I ship Rosie and Linus all the way. I'm l ...more

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Mar 11, 2016 Michelle rated it really liked it

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
**I have tried really hard, but it is unavoidable. This review will have spoilers of book 1. Do not read unless you have read book 1 of this series**

I LOVED The Vault of Dreamers (you can check out my review of book 1 HERE) when I read it last year, and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of book 2- The Rule of Mirrors. And you know how sometimes you love the first book in a series so much, and you are so exci **You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
**I have tried really hard, but it is unavoidable. This review will have spoilers of book 1. Do not read unless you have read book 1 of this series**

I LOVED The Vault of Dreamers (you can check out my review of book 1 HERE) when I read it last year, and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of book 2- The Rule of Mirrors. And you know how sometimes you love the first book in a series so much, and you are so excited for the second book that you start out with such high expectations, and sometimes the book falls a little flat? That is always the most disappointing thing for me, because I want to love it so bad! Well, that was not the case with Rule of Mirrors at all. I loved this book every bit as much as the first one, and I went into with a very high level of excitement and expectation.

The first book left off at a pretty critical cliffhanger. Rosie had uncovered a major secret of what was happening at her school, and she was expelled. But that is only the start of her (even crazier) journey in book two. The book is told from Rosie's point of view, but it is split between the Rosie we all know and love and the time Rosie is spending in someone else's body. You just have to read it to see what I mean. It is equal parts fascinating and terrifying. Caragh O'Brien is a master storyteller.

One of the frustrating things, but I also kind of loved it, was how much was going on in the book, and how much of it was very very mysterious. It was a confusing atmosphere for Rosie, and for the reader. The Rule of Mirrors still has a lot going on, but a good bit of confusion from the first book was cleared up and explained. The vibe of this book felt a bit different for that reason. Because I already knew and loved the characters, it was easy for me to fall into an addictive rhythm with this story. I really could not put it down because I felt like every time I would want to stop reading (you know, to run an errand, clean or actually get something done.), I would read just a couple more pages and something crazy would happen and I would get right back sucked in again.

Bottom line: if you like dystopians, and even if you are burnt out on them, the combination of dystopian and psychological thriller in this series is a huge hit in my book. I think it is a story that needs to be read. If you have not read the first book, read it now! You will want to dive right into the second book, I can almost guarantee it.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs ...more

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Nov 07, 2014 Shannon (It Starts At Midnight) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016, read-for-review, february-2016

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
4.5*

I really liked A Vault of Dreamers, and it ended on kind of a huge cliffhanger (and by "kind of", I mean freaking definitely) so I was pretty interested to see where the next book would go. The ending was a game changer, so it was either going to get epically amazing, or... not.

You probably guessed by now that I liked the direction the plot took. The first book had almost a straight up contemporary feel to it (well, not exactly cont This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
4.5*

I really liked A Vault of Dreamers, and it ended on kind of a huge cliffhanger (and by "kind of", I mean freaking definitely) so I was pretty interested to see where the next book would go. The ending was a game changer, so it was either going to get epically amazing, or... not.

You probably guessed by now that I liked the direction the plot took. The first book had almost a straight up contemporary feel to it (well, not exactly contemporary, since it's set about 50 years in the future, but other than that, contemporary), while the last 10-20% of the book veered into a more science fiction/dystopian direction. While the first book separated the genres, The Rule of Mirrors blended them seamlessly in a way that made the book very easy to read and keep up with. Without giving anything away, this book could have been messy, but it wasn't at all.

I felt like we got to know the characters on a much deeper level this time around, especially the side characters. There are new characters introduced who added a lot to the story, both in terms of characterisation and plot. I basically flew through reading this book, didn't want to put it down, and cannot wait to see how the story ends.

There's one thing I must mention, and it's really the only reason for my half star deduction: Even though it's supposed to be about 51 years in the future, not much feels different. I mean, they're using laptops and cell phones, and driving gasoline running cars that they still have to stop and fuel up, stuff like that. And if you think about fifty years ago, things looked a lot different, so I kind of assume they will fifty years from now too?

But aside from that one minor complaint, I was hooked on this book. The pace was great, I was invested in the characters and the story, and I need book three!

Bottom Line: This is how you do a second book in a trilogy justice. It wasn't filler, it was full on content, and great content at that. Not only did it clear up the stuff left hanging at the end of the last book (in a very coherent way), but it brought forth a lot of new, thought provoking questions that I think readers will really enjoy pondering.

Copy provided by publisher for review. ...more

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Mar 07, 2015 Lyn *GLITTER VIKING* rated it it was ok

Shelves: cover-lust, a-2-star, arc, young-adult, series, series-second-book, science-fiction, diversity, family, icky-romance

2.5

Strong start, and then the book unraveled into a love-polygon, formula checklist mess. This series has so much to give, and yet, we keep falling back on the same old material again and again. I'm so sick of this series using the romance to get by, and then just rushing around with the rest of the story line. Get off of it!

Also, forcing a girl to be pregnant in another body? Rape.

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Dec 30, 2015 Kathy Martin rated it really liked it

This is the second book in the Vault of the Dreamers trilogy. It is told from two points of view. Rosie who was left behind in her body and the Rosie who became a dream seed and was reseeded into the body of a brain dead pregnant girl in a clinic in Iceland. Both have harrowing adventures.

The Rosie who is still in a vault and being mined of her dreams is let awaken periodically by a creepy attendant who is fixated on her. She uses that fixation to engineer her escape from the hidden clinic outs ...more

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Dec 21, 2015 ☆Stephanie☆ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-science-fiction, ya-dystopian, goodreads-giveaways

I going to go crazy waiting for the last book in this series. It is so intense. Some stuff I figured out on my own, but other stuff just keep surprises me. I love that O'Brien manages to do that.
In her Birthmarked trilogy, she did the same thing, but I was fortunate because all the books had been published by the time I found them. Waiting for a book is frustrating. And I need to know what happens to Rosie. Will she end up with Linus, like I hope? Will she go back to being whole? Will Berg get w ...more

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Mar 10, 2015 Shelley rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-for-review, 2016-release, young-adult-science-fiction, publishers-arc

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5-4

*My Thoughts*

The Rule of Mirrors, by Caragh M. O'Brien, is the second installment in The Vault of Dreamers series. It has been three months since 16-year old Rose (Rosie) Sinclair was expelled from the Forge School and Dean Berg became her legal guardian. Trapped in a vault of dreams, Rosie doesn't realize it but her conscious has split into two. One with the original Rosie, and the other with 18-year old Thea, who has been in a ...more

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May 22, 2015 Lily ☁️ rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, best-romance, reviewed, book-bf-s, science-fiction, book-series, tolino

3.5 stars

While I liked the first installment, The Vault of Dreamers, of The Vault of Dreamers series better, I nevertheless still enjoyed The Rule of Mirrors.

Above all, what sets this series apart from other YA futuristic/science-fiction trilogies is, that although it's very much plot-driven, the development of characters and relationships is still flawlessly done.

Caragh M. O'Brien managed to make me invest in and care for Rosie from the very beginning, and even after all this time (I think I re ...more

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Dec 08, 2015 Morgan rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I think this is the end of this series for me.

I liked the first one okay and the premise was interesting, but this was a hot mess. If Rosie being stuck in a pod and being dream-mined with some creeper letting her wake up for some fantasy of his wasn't squicky enough... Having her consciousness partially split off into another body of a brain-dead, pregnant girl at the same time...

Ugh.

The writing itself is beautiful, but the story was just so fractured ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed-on-blog, arcs

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The second book in The Vault of Dreamers starts from the cliffhanger of sorts O’Brien left off with, though I personally think The Vault of Dreamers should've been left alone as a stand-alone. This sequel might be a little disorienting at first, as Rosa is in another body and it takes awhile to figure out what was going on.

This review was origin ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Nikki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen

Wonderful, fantastic, amazing. The ending is even more frustrating than the ending of "Vault of Dreamers". I need the 3rd book now. Pretty pretty please? I have to know how this series ends.

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Feb 15, 2016 Jenny rated it really liked it

This one was hard to put down! I just love the premise of this series, such an original idea! Can't wait for the next book!!

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Sep 25, 2016 Dark Faerie Tales rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed-by-kaitlin

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A fast paced addition to the series that I enjoyed more than the previous one.

Opening Sentence: When I feel soft, breathy pressure on my lips, I open my eyes and grab the guy’s throat.

The Review:

Spoilers for book one! Rosie is still trapped in the vault of dreamers, her own personal hell, having her creativity and parts of herself mined in order for The Forge School (reality TV series crossed with an arts academy) to have shady undertakings. ...more

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May 07, 2017 faith rated it it was amazing

honestly, this book was a roller coaster from start to finish. it's crazy how Rosie could be in two separate bodies, but I am unsure what happened to Althea. did her brain just- die? it's kind of creepy because essentially, if that's true, Rosie is living in a dead person's body. one part that was interesting was when Rosie (view spoiler) ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 Claire (bookscoffeeandrepeat) marked it as to-read

Shelves: lost-interest, science-fiction-or-dystopian, i-will-never-read-again, young-adult

Yeah, I'm not reading this series anymore.
This 1995 film sounds similar to the concept in this series.
description

"...this visually-striking fantasy film concerns a deranged scientist who kidnaps orphan children in an attempt to slow down the aging process by stealing their dreams."

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Sep 05, 2017 nat. added it

Rosie needs to stop being suspicious of Linus. I get why she would be wary about everything and everyone, who wouldn't be in her position, the damage done to her it's pretty much irreversible but he's been nothing but loyal to her. and what does she do, leave him in the dust ... again. 🙄

also the whole Rosie/Thea was pretty freaky, I don't know if believable yet but definitely weird.

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Feb 10, 2017 Emily Fisher rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

*deep sigh* I feel very disappointed in this book... I loved the first one in middle school, but this one totally did not reach my expectations! I waited so long for this sequel too.... the characters drove me crazy, the way they acted, the "logic" behind their plans. Oh well... I guess I can't love all the books that are sequels to books I used to love....

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Feb 11, 2018 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series-i-want

Nooooooo, why must it be over!! This series = amazing! First book was better but this one was just as great and messed up (in a good way) as the first one. Starting the third book right away! Brillant!

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Feb 27, 2017 Karissa rated it it was ok

Shelves: readin2017

So far The Vault of Dreamers series is pretty bland. The characters have no life to them whatsoever and they're so fickle it makes me crazy. Tom is literally the only character I like so far.
Even though I had to force myself several times to keep reading, I will be reading The Keep of Ages, out of curiosity to see how everything plays out.

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Apr 15, 2019 Carley (ꈍ ᴗ ꈍ✿) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-fav, fav

3.5 ⭐'s

uggghhhh this series gon kill me

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Dec 19, 2015 Erin Arkin rated it really liked it

Shelves: i-have-a-real-book, series, 2015-real-book-challenge, sci-fi

The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O’Brien is book two of the series and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. This book picks up right after book one ends and O’Brien did a wonderful job of pulling me right back into the story. If you haven’t read The Vault of Dreamers, you may want to stop reading here because while I won’t spoil The Rule of Mirrors, I can’t swear I won’t give anything away from book one.

If you recall, Rosie’s consciousness was split into two at the end of the last book The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O’Brien is book two of the series and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. This book picks up right after book one ends and O’Brien did a wonderful job of pulling me right back into the story. If you haven’t read The Vault of Dreamers, you may want to stop reading here because while I won’t spoil The Rule of Mirrors, I can’t swear I won’t give anything away from book one.

If you recall, Rosie’s consciousness was split into two at the end of the last book and now she isn’t fully herself. Thanks to a technician, Rosie wakes up in a sleep therapy and research clinic in Denver months later and she immediately begins to come up with a plan to escape. She knows she is missing pieces of herself and she is worried about her family and friends. I will say that Rosie’s portion of the story has more of the action. As she is escaping getting captured and handed back to the clinic, she is also trying to figure out what Berg has been up to and why and eventually crosses paths again with Burnham and Linus as well as Thea.

One of the twists here is that the other part of Rosie’s mind is now embedded into a young pregnant girl named Thea. This is the part of her mind that holds the memories of her family and Thea wakes up after being in a coma and is surrounded by people she has no memory of and I have to say, she handles it pretty well. The challenge for her is not only adapting to her old life with her parents but also trying to build relationships with people who think they know her. It isn’t easy for Thea because she is more attached to people she doesn’t know and because of that, she reaches out to those who have no idea who she is – like Rosie’s family and Linus. Eventually, she talks her baby’s father (Tom) into taking a roadtrip with her and they head out to see Thea’s family and tour Forge.

Linus is now hosting a pretty popular television show that finds lost children. I wish we would have gotten more information on what happened between now and the end of book one with him but as the story progresses, we learn a bit about what he has been up to and how much he and Rosie still care about each other. He is definitely still the person Rosie still has feelings for and that impacts the relationship Thea has with Tom.

I loved that we got to see Burnham again. I thought it was important to see what happened to him after the close of book one and I loved that he wasn’t letting his injury hold him back. His drive to push through and get better is something I love about his piece of the story. Well, that and the fact that no matter what Rosie feels about him, he will do whatever he can to help her.

Overall this was a great book two. A lot happens (obviously I’m not telling you everything) and I enjoyed how O’Brien essentially took one character, split her up into two, developed 2 stories and brought them both back together. I am excited to see where O’Brien takes the next book as she left things in such a way that I don’t know what to expect next. If you are looking for a Young Adult, Sci-Fi that has some solid characters, a great story, and the creep factor (think hacking your mind and taking your thoughts), definitely consider this series. I for sure am looking forward to the next book of this series.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! ...more

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Nov 17, 2015 Kat rated it liked it

*I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I don't have much to say about this one. . . . I do think it was stronger than The Vault of Dreamers, though I don't remember the first book very well. I reread my review for it and I guess I was frustrated with quite a few things--like the main character, her inner voice, and the ending--but I didn't experience that with the sequel! I just felt a little disconnected towards the end. I clearly wasn't grip ...more

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Jan 26, 2016 Jessie Potts rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, feb-2016

With Valentine’s Day and The Walking Dead‘s return making February my favorite month, we also have so many awesome YA’s releasing that deserve some love! I asked Caragh M. O’Brien (The Rule of Mirros), C.J. Redwine (The Shadow Queen) and Amy Matayo (The End of the World) to talk all things YA and romance.

Jessie: Tell readers about your book.

Caragh: The Rule of Mirrors is the story of one mind and two bodies. Rosie Sinclair, who had her dreams mined in the first book of the series, The Vault of D ...more

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Nov 19, 2015 Lynndell rated it really liked it

Shelves: advanced-reading-copy, netgalley-ebook, science-fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the arc of The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien! I enjoyed this sequel better than The Vault of Dreamers. The story was more developed and explained in a way that I understood the concept better. The Rule of Mirrors continues where The Vault of Dreamers left off and is full of twists and dynamic characters. This book adds another dimension to this series' storyline and the ending left me feeling like I was hanging off the edge of a cliff!

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Apr 16, 2016 Erin Wolak rated it really liked it

This is one of those rare times that the sequel is actually much better then the first one of the trilogy. I really liked that I got both perspectives, the one of Rosie herself and the one of Rosie inside Althea's body. While I felt like the beginning went a little slower than normal I am very glad I stuck with it because the middle and ending of the book more then made up for the slow start. All of the new characters introduced were amazing. I loved everything in this book and cannot wait to re ...more

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Sep 24, 2016 Amy rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 05, 2017 Shannon Telles lisowski rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Caragh M. O'Brien

Caragh M. O'Brien

2,191 followers

Caragh M. O'Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS series, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write young adult novels. For more information, visit http://www.caraghobri ...more