I received an early review copy of this book, and with a few little complaints really enjoyed it. The concept of ‘evil twin in mirror world’ has loads of potential that perhaps could have been explored further, but this was still a fast paced and entertaining read.
Would agree with some of the other review comments that a bit more attention could have been paid to copy editing, but have to confess I tend to speed/skim read ‘fun’ titles like this rather than scrutinise every pronoun, so I didn’t really find it detracted from the narrative for me.
Enjoyable way to spend a few hours – pick up a copy ;-) ( )

Book Info: Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: People with a high tolerance for bad editing
Trigger Warnings: murder, violence, assault on women, rape, prostitution

My Thoughts: Okay, wow, where to start? Well, this is a really neat idea. Who hasn't considered ideas of evil twins in an alternate dimension, or going through the mirror into a dark world? But it's sadly lacking in many ways, including Grammar 101. There are multiple places where “lied” is used instead of “lay” (seriously?? Yes, seriously), “vile” (as in disgusting) is used almost every single time when it should have been “vial” (a small container), as well as “beat” for “beet” and “site” for “sight”. And “shined”. Ugh, that is my biggest pet peeve. Whomever started using “shined” instead of “shone” needs to be beaten with a stick, because now everyone is doing it, including this writer and it's just wrong. It drives me crazy! There are also places where a good content editor would have made a world of difference.

Additionally, I was bothered by the fact that Hayley is consistently referred to as “he”; when a transsexual or transvestite is in drag, presenting themselves as a woman, it is considered polite to refer to them as “she”, and that should have been done in this book.

It's distressing that something this poorly done has come from an actual publisher, albeit a small press publisher. I've seen better edited books from self-published and Indie authors. I really wanted to like this story, but in the end of the day, the bad editing made it impossible to rate this any higher. I ended up rating it at three only because I am sort of curious as to where things will go from here, and I did mostly like the characters. However, you need to have a very high tolerance for bad editing in order to fully enjoy this book.

Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this book from Great Minds Think Aloud (the publisher) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: On the other side of the mirror, lies a horrific world where each of us has an image, our violent replica, capable of fulfilling our darkest desires, and only released into our world when we’re unable to follow through with an evil deed. Gabe Cutter, an average paper pusher, has his life ripped out from under him when his image switches places with him, hell bent on destroying the life Gabe knows, and killing his cheating fiancée. Now, stuck on the other side of the mirror, Gabe must join together with a band of stranded survivors and find a way to get back to his world before his image destroys it. Along the way he battles his way through maniacs, monsters, and ultimately his own heart, as he realizes that the woman he’s been trying to save... wasn’t worth the price of admission. ( )

I received this book as a member of the Early Readers Programme.

This book has a great opening that grabs you and immediately draws you into the story.
Whilst the basic premise isn't too original ie 'The dark side of the mirror - parallel worlds etc'. This is a well executed rendition of that theme.
This is a fast paced, action packed horror/thriller. I'm not surprised that it was originally conceived as a screen play.
I will be interested to read the various story lines as the series develops and we learn more about life on the other side of the mirror.
I must also admit that I was thoroughly impressed that Mr Powers had the nerve to kill off almost the entire cast of characters in this first instalment! Good Work! ( )

What can I say? I loved this book! I can't wait for episode 2! PLEASE make it available soon! Im usually not a fan of the genre, but this book has made me a fan. The story had a little bit of everything in it. I loved the romance, the battles, and the adventures. The few passages pulled me in and really had me thinking! I LOVE books that give you something to think about and entertain your wild fantasies at the same time!

The vivid descriptions of everything from the creatures, to the humans, to the images and the parallel world had me captivated til the end. I want to see this movie!! Im glad the author took risks and allowed just as many "good guys" to die in battle as bad guys. I may have read too much into the story line, but some of the narrative had some deeper, religious/spirtual implications that really makes you think. For example, The "Haissem"/Messaih trying to save the world with two "lost" souls, and not the usual "good" people you would expect. I won't share it all. The book is good. I can easily see this as a movie! BTW, I'm so glad the author included the characters "Conductor" and 'Hayley" who brought perfect comic relief to this epic story. Looking forward to the next episode! ( )

I received this book from Librarything.com

Mirror Images (Book One): The Darkness of Man by C. Michael Powers sounds as if it will be good – people are snatched into mirrors and their Dr. Hyde selves step out. Somehow though, the book reads like a very weak draft of a Neil Gaiman novel. As with far too many Smashword offerings, the editing is terrible and the second time someone sniffs drugs from a "vile", I quit. ( )