This book was not as enjoyable or page-turing as Wicked, which is probably an unfair comparison..but there you have it. While the characters were interesting, and the plot line is very clever..The book moves so slowly you find yourself losing interest to the point where the words become meaningless. Then you have to go back to re-read what you missed, and even after the re-read you are unimpressed.

I enjoyed "Mirror, Mirror" as much as I did Maguire's other books, having read them all. His treatment of the dwarves as stone demigods brought to solidity by Bianca's attention is masterfully constructed. Likewise his synthesis of the magical side of the story with the hard reality of 16th Century Italian politics is nothing short of miraculous.

My only criticism regards the choice of the historical Lucrezia Borgia as the "Wicked Queen". Modern scholarship seems to suggest that Lucrezia's unsavory reputation is in reality a fiction, initiated by Borgia enemies, and maintained over the centuries by the affection of folks for true personifications of evil; that she was in fact a rather gentle, kind, and generous person by nature, certainly the victim of dreadful life events and family ties; and, even if not totally innocent (Who is?), then certainly the least wicked of her family. I believe this woman has been maligned enough by innuendo and rumor, and deserves better than Mr. Maguire's treatment.