The day Vida Cruz-Borja’s book arrived at the office, I was at home, unwell both physically and mentally. Confined to my bedroom, I could barely summon the energy to sit up. When I received the message that the book was arriving, I forced myself to respond, giving a colleague’s contact details so he could receive it on my behalf. My eyes happened to land on the mirror sitting on the table. I did not like what I saw: puffy eyes, pale lips, curly hair in a nest that would be a nightmare to untangle later. I immediately turned the mirror to face the wall.

MIRROR MARKED opens with a prologue full of action. Kelly, the protagonist, is a wedding planner managing a crisis involving the mother of the bride and dark magic. Beyond the fantastical elements and the surprise of encountering a mythical Kapre on the very first page, what truly hooked me was the abrupt change in point of view at the end of the prologue. The narration shifts, directly addressing the reader: You. “Have your attention now, do I?” the new narrator asks challengingly.

From there, the story unfolds in a deliberate, non-linear fashion. Reading a story often means taking on the perspective of the main character, whether written in first, second, or third person. But Vida Cruz-Borja takes this further with the way she arranges scenes. As we inhabit Kelly’s perspective, the story told by a mysterious person we have yet to discover, it twists through memories that feel unresolved, incomplete, and hauntingly present. This narrative structure works because Borja trusts her readers. Each memory is rendered with just enough detail to illuminate the moment, never spelling everything out yet never feeling disjointed or confusing.

The mythological and magical elements are used refreshingly. They enrich the story rather than dominating it. Magic, though extraordinary in the world of MIRROR MARKED, feels tangible and within reach—no stranger than Kelly designing a dress for prom or her father directing critically acclaimed films. This quality inspires imagination like a child’s. Once, I imagined being a half-blood in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. In Borja’s world, I imagined having the Sight, or being a lapitin, a witch, or a Gifted one. Of course, these are personal whimsies, because as Borja makes clear, such gifts are more trouble than they’re worth. Who wants to be harassed by upside-down ghosts or controlled by a dark witch through their shadow? And yet, these trials feel compelling because the protagonists are crafted to meet them with capability and resilience.

What I love about Kelly is how fully she is drawn. We see her as a child of a difficult, overbearing mother, an insecure teenager, and finally the woman she becomes in the main part of the story. Her experiences and traumas are not isolated pieces to be dissected. Instead, they are messy, intertwined, and true. The story does not seek vindication or a triumphant “success” moment because it meets Kelly where she is and lets her grow in her own time. Especially at the end, when the surprising narrator finally relinquishes the story back to Kelly, the reader is invited to reflect on the stories we tell ourselves, the memories we hold, and how we remember them. Do we focus on the cracks, the flaws, or do we see the whole?

Because Kelly is presented so fully and accepted as she is (“broken” and all) it becomes easier to accept the other characters she encounters. Even the most skeptical reader can, with intention, step inside a world of Kapre, Sigbin, witches, and (gasp!) queer people. As a queer reader myself, I appreciated that Borja’s queer characters are not included as token representation. They are fully fleshed, multidimensional people whose identities are part of their whole, not the whole of their identity. The book’s themes offer a quiet but powerful message: being true to oneself despite judgment is a journey of empowerment and healing.

I don’t want to give spoilers because the best way to experience the magic of MIRROR MARKED is to read it for yourself and grapple with the reflections you’ll later face when you put the novella down.

I read this book at an auspicious time in my life. After a weeklong rut caused by sickness and the pressure of productivity, it reminded me to be a little kinder to myself and to the person in the mirror—messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and all.

MIRROR MARKED is a hardcover Fantasy/Horror novella written by Vida Cruz-Borja and published by PS Publishing. Only 100 signed and numbered editions are available through the website.