Short & Sweet Review | The Moth in the Mirror by A.G. Howard

 

Oh, Morpheus, Morpheus, Morpheus.  You gorgeous conniving, beautiful devil, you.

 

While it appeared as though Morpheus may have been possibly taken out of the running for Alyssa’s heart at the end of Splintered, The Moth in the Mirror quickly dispels any such notions.  Determined to know his “enemy” and find something to leverage over him, Morpheus once again crosses over into the morally and ethically dark, dark gray (black) by intruding into Jeb’s memories from he and Alyssa’s time in Wonderland.  

 

Yep.  That’s right, y’all.  We get both Morpheus and Jeb’s perspectives in this fantastic little novella.  Commence rejoicing.

 

Though I love Alyssa & Jeb as well, Morpheus has got to be my favorite character in this series thus far.  He’s a study in contradictions; hard to pin down exactly what he’s like, and yet at the same time it’s not.  He’s tempestuous, dangerous, predictably unpredictable, complex, and he isn’t necessarily bound to any “human” moral code.  He’s an ends justify the means kind of guy.  He’s a master of manipulation and utterly fae, but he also displays a wonderful hint of humanity every now and again —  an internal struggle, a kindness, a genuine love for Alyssa, and a vulnerability —  that makes him such an intriguing and magnetic character.  And this novella only increases my love for him.

 

And Jeb. *smiles cryptically* Well, you can discover for yourself what Morpheus discovers about Jeb from his trip down memory lane.  

 

Overall, The Moth in the Mirror provides invaluable insight from both Morpheus and Jeb, the rare chance to get inside both of their heads, a great behind-the-scenes look at events from Splintered, and features a great little set-up for Unhinged.  It’s pretty all-around fantastic.

– Necessary? No.  But it provides some great backstory and wonderful character development.
– POV?  Morpheus and Jeb
-Where does it fit?  Between Splintered and Unhinged
-Prior Knowledge needed?  Yes.