Mist Rising

Mist and Mirrors Series, Book 1

By: Eve Langlais

Narrated by: Carly Robins

The mist is rising so lock your doors and stay inside, for the monsters have returned.

On a dark and ominous night, at the edge of the Abyss, Agathe rescues a baby from a monster that should have been extinct. Gravely injured in the process, the elderly Agathe is rewarded by having her youth restored.

But that's only the start of the strangeness.

The child she saves is far from ordinary. Belle has a unique and wondrous magic that must not fall into the wrong hands. Like those of the King.

Everyone knows the monarch steals those they called the Blessed-those with the purple eyes. Supposedly, they are the only thing standing between the Kingdom and the rising mist.

As far as Agathe is concerned, they're victims of the King's lust for power. What is the King really doing with the Blessed and their magic?

To discover the truth, Agathe must insert herself into the court of the enemy. Unfortunately, things are worse than they seem. Can Agathe embrace destiny and not only save herself but also the Kingdom?

Contains mature themes.

©2021 Eve Langlais (P)2021 Tantor

Part One: there’s something rotten in the kingdom

“You do know I’m perfectly capable of detesting people without murdering them?
Your continued existence is a prime example of this.”

What a fun trilogy of YA fantasy, mystery and romance. This is more Grimm’s Fairy Tales over Disney, with named characters being killed, sex (albeit of the fade to black variety), and adult themes like gender prejudice or same-sex relations. I’d call this part 1 because there isn’t a standalone mystery or story that concludes in ‘book’ 1; instead this part lays down pieces of the story, leaving a lot left to be revealed in the next two parts.

This part is a bit frustrating as the characters’ problems are exacerbated by failures to communicate.
I get the three women (Agathe, Hicks, and Venna) failing to communicate with the three knights
(Meric, Bear, and Zav), at least in the beginning, when they’re on opposite sides of the King’s practice of taking the Blessed women. But, there’s a lot of secret keeping between the women and their charges,
or between the knights and the community they’re supposed to protect. By the end of part 1, however,
I understood that the setup made the twists, turns, and reveals more fun than frustrating.
This is not your typical fairy tale and that’s a welcome thing.

Loved it

Can seem to move slow at times as the author provides details and world building but it is extremely catching nonetheless. Kept me up all night listening. Amazing start to the series and I will definitely be getting the second book.

I need sleep- so good

This was a great listen Eve Langlais at her best. The storyline twisted and turned and had highs and lows. There were parts that felt a bit disjointed, but somehow it was fine.
I was really confused at the beginning of the book because a middle aged/elderly woman seemed to be the heroine - this never happens in stories, elderly women are always depicted as eccentric sidekicks. But not in this story, which just kept turning and surprising the reader.
Probably the only gripe was that the heroine was always angry, would be nice if occasionally she behaved nicely. But can’t wait for the next book.