The Mirror Prince

by Violette Malan

Overview

Max Ravenhill was perfectly happy with his life as a history professor until he met Cassandra. Told that he was more than a thousand years old and had known Cassandra and her fellow Wardens all that time, that his life as Max was pure fiction implanted in his mind, and that he was being pursued by the Hunt and his only chance for survival was to flee to the realm of Faerie, Max can only assume that Cassandra is crazy-or he is. But soon it becomes all too clear that at least part of what she says is true. And unless he goes with her, he won't live long enough to separate the truth from the lies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440625749
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	08/07/2007
Series:	Mirror Prince Series
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	907,787
File size:	421 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Violette Malan lives in a nineteenth-century limestone farmhouse in southeastern Ontario with her husband. Born in Canada, Violette’s cultural background is half Spanish and half Polish, which makes it interesting at meal times. She has worked as a teacher of creative writing, English as a second language, Spanish, beginner’s French, and choreography for strippers. On occasion she’s been an administrative assistant and a carpenter’s helper. Her most unusual job was translating letters between lovers, one of whom spoke only English, the other only Spanish. She can be found at violettemalan.com.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Blending the timeless enchantment of a Patricia A. McKillip fantasy and the epic narrative splendor of a Tad Williams work, Canadian author Violette Malan's debut novel is nothing short of superb. The Mirror Prince is -- like the Newford saga by fellow Canuck Charles de Lint -- a kind of urban fantasy, taking place simultaneously in the Shadowlands of Earth and the magical realm of Faerie.

Max Ravenhill is a professor of military history living in Toronto. His biggest goal in the very near future is to somehow get closer with Cassandra Kennaby, the sexy little blonde-haired owner of a martial arts dojo with whom he is infatuated. His dreams come true -- but not quite the way he planned -- when Cassandra informs Max that he is, in fact, an exiled Faerie Prince in mortal danger and that she has been assigned to protect him at all costs. Once on the run from the nightmarish hounds of the Hunt, Cassandra (really a Fairie named Sword of Truth) tries to get Max to believe the cold hard facts: that he is the Prince Guardian and Keeper of the Talismans, and without his help, the entire realm of Faerie is in jeopardy…

Although the pacing of The Mirror Prince suffers somewhat in the beginning chapters (as complex characters and intricate plotlines must be properly constructed and put in place), the book's surprising -- and utterly satisfying -- conclusion is well worth the build-up. Fantasy fans should brace themselves: The world is about to discover Violette Malan. Paul Goat Allen

bn.com

In Malan's Narnia-spiced fantasy debut, which also contains dashes of de Lint, Rowling and Tolkien, Canadian Max Ravenhill thinks he's just a young professor of history with a crush on Cassandra Kennaby, a pretty martial arts expert, but he's really Dawntreader, a Faerie Prince Guardian, who lost a war and was exiled to the Shadowland of Earth. And Cassandra is actually his soul mate, Truthsheart, a Rider charged to protect him from the Hounds of the Hunt during the time of Banishment. Cassandra is also trying to keep him far from his evil brother, Dreamer of Time (aka the Basilisk Prince), who thinks Max knows the location of powerful Talismans. The revelation of the identity of the High Prince, whom the Lands of the People have been awaiting, provides the best surprise in a book that suffers from overly complicated world building, fragmentary plotting and lead characters who never really come alive until the end. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Banished to the Shadowlands (the human world) for being on the wrong side of a civil war, Max Ravenhill forgets his true nature until his ancient enemy, the Basilisk Prince, plans an attack on him in the land of his exile. Warden of the Faerie folk, Cassandra Kennaby discovers Max and helps him remember his true self, determining that his only hope of survival is to return to the world of the Faerie, even though his banishment has not yet ended. Malan's fantasy debut straddles two worlds, each detailed in vibrant colors and images. Believable characters and graceful storytelling make this a good addition to most fantasy collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal