Review Detail

Mirror Mirror (Whatever After #17)

Middle Grade Fiction 841

A Fantastic Final Fairy Tale

October 06, 2025 (Updated: July 26, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

5.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

When Abby and Jonah's parents break the news that the family might have to move back to Naperville after barely a year in Smithville, Abby is devastated. Not only would she miss her new friends Frankie, Robin, and Penny, but leaving their current home would mean leaving the enchanted mirror that housed Maryrose. Desperate to find out their fate, the two call on their favorite fairy and are swiftly whisked away to a fairy tale world, still in their pajamas! Things look a bit familiar, and when they meet some of Snow White's dwarves, they realize they are back in Zamel. Snow and Prince Trevor's wedding is in a few days, so Snow thinks they have come for that, but in reality, Maryrose has asked them to help Gabrielle, another fairy trapped in a mirror, this time by her twin, the evil Gluck, who is currently trapped in the story of Peter Pan. Doing their research, Abby and Jonah discover that they have the best chance of freeing Gabrielle if they can assemble eleven fairies from their previous journeys. While they are inviting these fairies to the wedding, the realize that Prince Trevor is acting very oddly. This is just part of an enormous magical problem they have to solve with the help from characters from their past. Will they be able to free Gabrielle and figure out a way to continue their adventures even if their parents move them back to Naperville?

Good Points

This was a fantastic final volume in the Whatever After series, which was first published in 2012. Mlynowski manages to tie together both the siblings' magical and realistic journeys, and to reconnect them with pivotal allies from the past. The parallel construction of Maryrose and Gabrielle's entrapment is clever, and there is a bit of a dark turn where Abby finds herself trapped in the mirror! Prince the dog is a steadfast character, and he gets to stay with the children, which was a huge relief.

The magical elements align nicely, and there are some explantions that are helpful if one has followed the entire series. Revisiting the Snow White tale and having Abby and Jonah help with the wedding is a nice touch, as was having their grandmother's fairy tale book feature them in all of the updated stories.

There isn't as much attention paid to Abby's friends in Smithville, but that's understandable since there are so many threads to be woven together to end this tale. It was heartening to see that not only will the children be closer to their Nana, who has stayed in Naperville, but to watch as they start off on a new adventure with her at the end of the book.

While I am not normally a fan of series that last twenty books (including super special editions), each book is rather short, and the stories move quickly. Fans of Baker's The Wide Awak Princess series, Zahler's fairy tale retellings, or Colfer's Land of Stories books will enjoy Abby and Jonah's fractured fairy tale adventures, and revel in this all inclusive finale.