“It starts innocently enough. Four kids – three girls, one boy – are at one of their houses, playing games. One of them has read about “Bloody Mary” and the idea that if you look into a mirror and say her name thirteen times, she will show you the future. Some legends say she’ll show you your one true love or a skull to mark your death within five years. Others say that conjuring Bloody Mary will bring her into your world.
Both sets of legends are true. The kids go through with the act, saying her name thirteen times. One girl looks in the mirror and sees her longtime crush. One girl looks in the mirror and sees the boy in the group. But she pretends to see something else. One girl looks in the mirror and sees a girl she’s never seen before but can’t get out of her mind. And the boy . . . he sees a skull. But he pretends to see something else. They try to laugh it off. And mostly they forget about it. Or at least they don’t talk about it. Yes, over the next few years, whenever they look into a mirror, it’s like there’s always another figure standing in the background, getting closer.
Just short of five years later, the four of them are no longer friends, having gone on separate paths. The girl whose house it was has always tried to avoid the mirror they used – because she always sensed someone in the background. One morning as she’s passing by, she sees much more than her own reflection – it’s a scary figure taunting her. She startles and breaks the mirror. When the pieces are put back together (barely), the figure is gone.
That day in school, a new girl arrives. Her name is Mary…”
My Review: ☆☆☆
So I was gifted an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
So I went into this book hoping for real horror & it kinda fell flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, the book was great & the plot was one I was intrigued about since I had even heard of the book, but it wasn’t necessarily horrific. 🤷♀️ I do like the creepiness of the “something in the corner of your eye” that the characters see vs. us knowing that there’s a hand reaching out as they leave the room. I was creeped out the original tale of Bloody Mary appearing when you said her name 3 times into a mirror at midnight. Now Sarles put the idea of her coming out of the mirror & I’m never gonna be NEAR a mirror at midnight again!
K-Squared Book Reviews 