Dark Mirror

The Lackland Abbey Chronicles: The First Adventure

By: M. J. Putney, Mary Jo Putney

Narrated by: Siobhan Waring

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Her exile becomes her destiny.

Sixteen year old Lady Victoria Mansfield is the cherished youngest child of a lord, and she is destined for a life of wealth and privilege. But Tory has a shameful secret - a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory's blood is tainted...by magic.

When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised power for all to see, she's immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for aristocratic young men and women who are cursed with magical power. There she can be cured of her deplorable talents and maybe, if she's lucky, be able to return to society.

But all Tory has known and believed will be challenged at Lackland as she discovers friendship and love with fellow students who call themselves Merlin's Irregulars, and are pledged to defend Britain whatever the cost. Even if that means traveling through time to face the guns of Dunkirk.

This audiobook includes Fallen from Grace a bonus short story set in the Dark Mirror world.

M. J. Putney is the YA alter ego of New York Times best-selling author Mary Jo Putney. The winner of numerous awards for her romances, M. J. is fond of reading, cats, travel, most of all, great stories!

The Lackland Abbey Chronicles:

• Dark Mirror
• Dark Passage
• Dark Destiny

©2021 Mary Jo Putney (P)2021 Mary Jo Putney

Critic reviews

Nominated by YALSA as one of the best YA novels of 2011

"Absolutely riveting...Putney creates a vivid historical fantasy and delivers a page turning read." (RT Book Reviews)

a delightful adventure

Magic plus historical setting times two and a time-travelling mirror provides a delightful adventure for a mage from 1803.
I was struck by the details in this story that mold the experience such as excessive amounts of debris floating in the Dunkirk waters interfering with the boats. Also, the exhaustion, extra food needed, and physical plus mental burnout that occurs while trying to maintain favorable weather conditions adds realism to the story. Tori shows her confliction between being what her family wants her to be versus embracing who she is while losing her family and previous friends. Her strength of character breaks through when the life of one in her family is more important than her becoming an outcast.

Tori starts off a privileged daughter ready to face the world and it all comes tumbling down around her when she uses her magic to save her nephew's life. Unfortunately, it was in the middle of a fait. Suddenly, almost everyone gives her the cut and she is shipped off to Lackland. The school is more oppressive than she could have imagined. Then hope is found with an underground (literally) group of mages training to protect England. This band of magelings is desperately needed to provide good weather and cover in order to help evacuate troops from Dunkirk in 1940! So, off they go and work to exhaustion repeatedly to shift bad weather away from the English Channel. Then some help their host family to attempt rescue of their father and take a boat to the shores of Dunkirk to ferry sailors to bigger boats.