Through a Brazen Mirror takes on the familiar folk tale trope of a young woman wronged who disguises herself as a man and goes to work for the king.
In this case, it’s an evil sorceress that has done the wrong – killing Elinor’s husband and baby son. And so she takes refuge at the king’s court, having taken her husband’s name, and rises to be the Master Chamberlain. She and the king are ultimately able to defeat the sorceress, but with a twist at the end that one would not usually find with this story.
The fun about this book is the really authentic medieval touches to the king’s court, and Elinor’s home before her family is killed. This is a fantasy land, but the author clearly grounded it in the reality of that time period, and it makes for a rich story. Definitely a good read for a different perspective of a classic tale.