I read Guided earlier in the year and really loved it so when she announced her latest YA book I knew I really needed to read it and it also did not disappoint. Once I was hooked by this story I could not put it down and needed to know who the killer was and just how close to the characters they were.
Mirage follows Georgia who lives on a small island off the coast of Northumberland and when her cousin Cindy from the US comes to stay over Halloween, she doesn’t expect anything to be all that different from normal until the teens on the island start dying one after the other.
As I already mentioned once I was hooked I could not put this book down which is a sign of a good mystery and well done plotting. The more I read from Emma the more I see how skilled she is as a writer with how many different books she can write and how the tone can always be so well done but so different. I suspected so many different characters to be the killer at different points, and the reasons why Georgia suspected many of these characters felt reasonable which I also think is a sign of a good writer. I also didn’t expect so many of the different twists yet when I look back they were well plotted and I suspect if I reread it things will all add up before I read the twist.
There were times where I was close to tears which I didn’t expect going into the book, but some of the deaths were heartbreaking and seeing the characters tackle grief and their thoughts around losing people so close to them was so well done and really did almost bring me to tears. I connected to some of these characters and really didn’t want to lose them however you have no idea who is next or how it will all happen and go down.
It was also nice to see all the characters who like previous books I’ve read by Emma felt like real true teenagers who were flawed and still learning but also trying to do what they felt was best even if it may not be the best idea when you are watching on. You also see the characters deal with large feelings and how they can work with those without hurting others or giving others the benefit of the doubt, an example of this being Georgia’s feelings of jealousy towards Cindy.
One of the things I am most excited about when I think about reading Emma’s other YA books is getting to see all of the references to her other books, and in this one we did get one Vibbington reference which was exciting to see and I look forward to seeing more of that character in future books. I wish I could reread this as a physical copy and not know how it will all go down so as someone who will get the chance I really recommend that you take it. Every time I read an Emma Smith book I just want to read more and this being my first five stars from her only heightens these feelings and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for me.
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