MARCO SWIFT AND THE MIRROR OF SOULS

A middle-grade fantasy novel about a young boy who finds the courage to go on a quest in an otherworldly realm to help his struggling mother.

Cunningham’s debut novel features an 11-year-old protagonist named Marco Swift, who’s grieving the recent death of his father, Dante, and feels responsible for caring for his younger sister, Sophie, and mentally ill mother, Naomi, as they all try to come to grips with their new life. A powerful, magic-wielding woman named Illustra visits Marco in dreams and in a mirror’s reflection; she offers to heal his mother if he goes on a magical quest and retrieves a sword for her. Marcus bravely leaves behind the world he knows and travels through the mirror portal into a land of royals, dragons, and magic that originates from gemstones. Marco learns that his dad has ties to this realm, and the boy is tasked with a quest that will eventually lead him to don his father’s armor. Along the way, Marco meets several new, well-developed characters on a journey that features polished, believable, and immersive worldbuilding. Marco is a relatable and lovable character who comes across as honest, with heartfelt motivations. However, although Marco’s mother’s bipolar disorder makes sense within the story, the fact that it turns out to be the result of magical soul poisoning may strike readers as problematic. The author’s use of foreshadowing effectively injects some doubt as to which characters are on Marco’s side and creates anticipation. The truth about the identities of Marco’s companions, and the boy’s connection to the fantasy world, is revealed and resolved in a tidy manner.

An often engaging but unevenly executed exploration of the meaning of bravery.