Book Review :: The Mirror Chronicles – The Bell Between Worlds, by Ian Johnstone

The Bell Between Worlds by Ian Johnstone
Published by HarperCollins
on January 1st 2015
Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Pages: 512
Goodreads

A glorious epic fantasy in the grand tradition of CS Lewis and Philip Pullman. 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 save you, 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 the nature-influenced magic of the Fourth Way, 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 as to the true nature of the Other. As violence looms and the stakes get ever higher, Sylas must seek out a girl called Naeo who might just be the other half of his soul – otherwise the entire universe may fall…

Last updated on 22 February 2022

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What is The Bell Between Worlds about?

The Mirror Chronicles: The Bell Between Worlds tells of Sylas Tate, a young boy of 12 who lives in Gabblety Row with his Uncle, who is a bit crazy (psycho crazy, not cool-uncle crazy) and tends to avoid the shop owners along the row.

One day Sylas is walking past the other buildings in the row and spots a shop that he had never seen before. Investigating (and being prompted to do so by the voice in his head) he discovers a Mr Zhi is the owner of the Shop of Things. He shows Sylas the most interesting and impossible things, but when Sylas leaves the shop, it’s like the shop never existed: the shop sign is gone, the shutters are still closed and dusty.

“Half of your soul is missing. The lost part is in the mirror. And unless Sylas Tate can save you, you will never whole again.”

Later on, Sylas hears a loud ringing and is swept away to another land by the Passing Bell. There he meets Simia and they journey together into this crazy Other world. Sylas there learns about who he is, why is mother is in a mental institution, and about all things magical.

My thoughts

Despite the back cover having that rather intriguing snap synopsis, the whole idea of being only a part of your soul is only brought up over halfway through this book. The first part was rather exciting, and I liked the descriptions of Gabblety Row, and then when Sylas first ventures into this new place…but after that, I kinda lost interest in it. I didn’t actually really remember that there was supposed to be a soul aspect until it was mentioned nearly 300 pages in. Needless to say, I remembered, and then wondered why I was still reading. But I hate not finishing a book, so I forced myself to continue on.

I love the idea for this book – you’ve lost half your soul! That’s exciting! – and while the characters were quite good, there were a lot of them appearing and disappearing quite suddenly, and if any one of them suddenly imploded or was beheaded then I wouldn’t give a toss. I didn’t relate to any of the characters, none of them really grabbed my attention, I wasn’t rooting for any of them. Perhaps it’s because it’s for a younger audience…? But I think I good children’s book is also enjoyable for adults, so I don’t know. Perhaps it just wasn’t what I expected, and so, therefore, I didn’t really enjoy it.

Like all my reviews of books, by all means, read it for yourself, but just let me warn you it’s not quite like it sounds from the back cover.

Have you read The Mirror Chronicles: The Bell Between Worlds? What did you think?