Circles of Stone by Ian Johnstone

Title: Circles of Stone (The Mirror Chronicles, 2)
Author: Ian Johnstone
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins (2nd July 2015)
Source: Publisher
Blurb:

Two halves of the same soul, forced to seperate again . . .

Two worlds that must be saved . . .

Sylas has made two monumental discoveries: his lost mother is alive, and he has found Naeo, his Glimmer – the other half of his soul living in the mirror world of the Other. As his magical powers grown, Sylas is desperate to return to his own world and find his mother. Naeo is also searching for her father, captured by the dark lord, Thoth, who is raising an army of unspeakable monstrosity.

As they are pursued by creatures of darkness, Sylas an Naeo must seperate to survive. But to defeat Thoth they will need to come together again . . .

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

CIRCLES OF STONE by Ian Johnstone is the second book in his impressive series The Mirror Chronicles. The book continues the adventures of Sylas as he attempts to be reunited with his mother, and of Naeo who longs to be reunited with her father. Events set in motion in the previous book, THE BELL BETWEEN WORLDS (review), start to reach a head as Thoth begins to make his move.

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The Bell Between Worlds by Ian Johnstone

Title: The Bell Between Worlds (The Mirror Chronicles #1)
Author: Ian Johnstone
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books (6th June 2013)
Source: HarperCollins Children’s Books twitter account
Format: ARC
Blurb:

A glorious epic fantasy in the grand tradition of C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman, and a major publishing event, The Mirror Chronicles will take you into another world, and on the adventure of your lifetime…

Half of your soul is missing. The lost part is in the mirror. And unless Sylas Tate can unite the two worlds, you will never be whole again.

Sylas Tate leads a lonely existence since his mother died. But then the tolling of a giant bell draws him into another world known as the Other, where he discovers not only that he has an inborn talent for magic, but also that his mother might just have come from this strange parallel place. Meanwhile, evil forces are stirring, and an astounding revelation awaits Sylas: that the Other is a mirror of our world, and every person here has their counterpart there, known as a Glimmer. As violence looms and the stakes get higher, Sylas must seek out his Glimmer, and unite the two halves of his soul – otherwise the entire universe may fall… [blurb taken from Goodreads.com]

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

The Bell Between Worlds is the first book in Ian Johnstone’s debut series The Mirror Chronicles. It tells the story of Sylas Tate who lives in a world similar to our own, with his uncle Tobias Tate in a place called Gabblety Row. Sylas seems like an ordinary boy who spends most of his time with his head in the clouds. Through a series of strange events Sylas finds himself in another world, one very different from his own but strangely similar where magic exists.

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