Smoke and Mirrors by K. D. Halbrook
...making up stories doesn’t make me a liar...It makes me a storyteller
 | Weaving a tale of wonder filled with pain, regret, resolve, hope, and a generous dose of magic is difficult. K. D. Halbrook's words seem to flow effortlessly, creating an illusion that is enchanting, while simultaneously heartbreaking. Sasha and Toddy are children of Cirque Magnifique performers. From infancy, their lives have revolved around the wonder of daring aerial acts and dazzling costumes. People come from afar to marvel at these performances. Everyone, that is, except for the residents on the other side of the island. They will have nothing to do with this strangeness Sasha is devastated when their parents decide that the siblings must attend school with the island children. She believes that she won't fit in. She doesn’t. The Cirque kids were color in a gray world, they were many languages and strange accents, they were children of bizarre grown-ups who didn’t have normal jobs or wear normal clothes or carry the same tired expressions in their eyes, like the other island parents did. |
Then she notices the beginnings of something sinister. Tendrils of acrid gray mist, known as the Smoke are creeping into her world. She is both repulsed and intrigued by this shadowy presence. Then one day in an angry outburst to her mother she declares that she wants to disappear. She wants the Smoke to take them all away from the Cirque. Her fury causes her parents to make a fateful error. High above the ground, without a net, Smoke fills the tent and her father misses grasping the trapeze bar. She watches as her parents plummet to the earth, only to become birds at the last possible moment and fly away.
Stricken with guilt, Sasha takes Toddy and goes in search of the Smoke. To defeat the Smoke they must find the Magician at The Edge of the World, remove his curse, and rescue their parents. Their quest takes them sailing on a ship sprouted from a magic seed.. They encounter King Crab, the Sharp-Beaked Weasel, a Unimoose, and the Grandelion. The fantastical beasts are imbued with distinctive personalities and are a bit reminiscent of characters Alice meets in Wonderland. Like Alice, Sasha must use her wits and summon courage she didn't know she possessed. She makes friends in unexpected places and learns to forgive herself. She heals as she recalls and enumerates the good things in her life.
You remember every nice thing that's happened to you. The people who hugged you when you were sad. The ones who invited you to their birthday party and gave you nicest piece of cake. You think about the most beautiful sights on the island.
Sasha's journey brings closure and peace to her family, the Cirque Magnifique performers, a newly-found friend, a former enemy, and importantly, to herself.
Some book covers resonate with me. This one does. I loved the slightly Art Nouveau graphic design. Note the symmetrical image of the girl. The shapes on each half of the body are the same, but the coloring on each side is different, suggesting duality. What was with the entwined birds? Why was she holding feathers? Smoke and Mirrors had me intrigued before I even cracked the cover. Kudos to the case designer.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: September 4, 2018 Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books ISBN: 978-1534405042
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