The Mirror Books in Order

The Mirror is a four-book young adult fairy-tale quartet about one family and the curse that follows it through generations. Each installment is written by a different author, and each moves to a different time and place, but the stories are tied together by family history, inherited magic, and a mirror that carries more than reflections.

Julie C. Dao opens the series with Broken Wish. Set in Hanau, Germany, it follows sixteen-year-old Elva Heinrich, who hides the visions and strange powers that could make her a target in a village fearful of witches. When she sees a terrible future, Elva decides she has to stop it. That choice leads her to a magical mirror and the feared Witch of the North Woods.

The past does not stay buried.

Elva’s story begins with a broken promise made before she was born. Her family has lived with the consequences, where good fortune is shadowed by loss and tragedy. As Elva learns more about her own magic and the people her family has been taught to fear, the book asks what a person owes to the past, and whether doing the right thing can still come too late.

The larger quartet follows later members of the same family as the curse reaches across continents and eras. Shattered Midnight, Fractured Path, and Splintered Magic continue the connected story with new protagonists, new settings, and more pieces of the family’s history. The changing points of view make the series feel broader than a single quest, while the ongoing mystery gives readers a reason to keep going.

The tone is darkly magical rather than relentlessly frightening. There are witches, old bargains, missing pieces of family history, and plenty of uncertainty about who can be trusted. The books use familiar fairy-tale materials, but the characters must deal with consequences that feel personal, especially the weight of choices made by parents and ancestors.

Start with Broken Wish. It introduces the curse, the mirror, and the first branch of the family story. From there, read the remaining books in publication order to see how the mystery unfolds across generations. The series is a good fit for readers who like magical family sagas, shifting timelines, and fairy tales with secrets under the surface.