Sisters of Glass by Naomi Cyprus (review)

Magic is forbidden in New Hadar, which makes life dangerous for twelve-year-old Nalah, whose awakening power keeps making itself known in inconvenient ways. Meanwhile, in the Magi Kingdom, a mirror image of Nalah's world, her double, Princess Halan, struggles to prove that she's a worthy heir to the throne despite her lack of magic. Nalah and Halan meet after Nalah crafts a magic mirror between the two worlds, and she's lured through it when someone kidnaps her father. While Nalah tries to save her father, working with rebels that seek to challenge the royal family's control of all magic, Halan comes face to face with her father's cruel excesses. In chapters that alternate between Nalah and Halan's perspectives, Cyprus crafts a suspenseful narrative in compelling, detailed worlds that come together in unexpected and satisfying ways. Nalah and Halan are recognizable as alternate versions of one another, but rather than simple opposites, both are fully realized, multidimensional characters shaped by their contrasting environments. Despite their innate sense of connection, it takes believable time for the girls to cultivate enough trust to work together to save each other and the worlds on both sides of the mirror. The final showdown sends the villainous king packing and wraps up the main plot but leaves possibilities for a sequel, which will please readers hoping to see Nalah and Halan team up again. SS