The City of Mirrors: A Thrilling Conclusion to Justin Cronin's Passage Trilogy

Donnia Stabler: One of the best series ever written! It is heartbreaking, yet encouraging. It makes you think about your past, present and future in new ways. The characters are remarkable. This series is an absolute must read!!!!

United States on Oct 06, 2023

The Avid Reader: The whole trilogy is just amazing. In this final instalment, we get to know Zero, the first to be infected. The reader has always known about Fanning; he has lain in wait for us, his story waiting to unfurl. The first to be reborn as a demon of sorts: flyer, vampire, drac,. Anti-Christ figure? Perhaps.
Jonas Lear: mad scientist - visionary, narcissist. His claim is that he wants to save his wife, yet the suspicion that he is chasing his own glory is impossible to set aside. Through his determination, his success sets catastrophic events in motion "the twelve" are infected, manipulated, used most horribly.
Amy, just a child, is so different to the rest, though she is used, arguably, even more cruelly than most of the rest. This we already know, but this is the book that builds our knowledge of the genesis of the infection. Carter

Amy is almost sidelined for the first half of the book, which itself raises questions...tension - where is she, when will she come back, how and why did she disappear? Amy exists in a dreamlike existence, protected by Anthony Carter, they are very close companions - the innocent convict and the innocent child/woman, separate amongst the...

United Kingdom on Sep 29, 2023

Lee: Throughly enjoyed this story having read all three books back to back. The characters were well flushed out and you couldn't help but to root them on.

United States on Sep 07, 2023

TK: A must read! It kept me on the edge of my seat from page one to the very last page!

Canada on Aug 27, 2023

Doll Peule: Story 10/5
Narration 10/5

Wow! Wow! Wow!
I hope my review will demonstrate how much I loved this series. To my memory, this is my favorite series, ever.
Usually, when I finish a book, I always have questions. I always want to know what happened to this or that character, but not this time. I’m feeling like I know everything there is to know about them and more. this is how good the character development is. The plot is impeccable, the rhythm is perfect and the ending is magnificent.
I didn’t want the story to end. I’ll miss Amy, so much!
Each book of THE PASSAGE, the series is amazing. When I finished the first one, I started the second one right away, and the third in the same manner.
If you like epic stories, please read THE PASSAGE, THE TWELVE, and THE CITY OF MIRRORS. You won’t be disappointed.
I highly recommend it!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

United States on Aug 08, 2023

Lucy: I'm actually kind of speechless about these books. My boyfriend bought me "The Ferryman" by the same author and I devoured and loved it, which brought me to buy these books also.
From the start I was spellbound.
I've spent all my free time over the last week, reading all three books
I lived it, I dreamed about the characters. Jason Cronin created these amazing people and described them and their journeys so well that they felt like they'd been deposited in my head amd my thoughts.
I dont like to write reviews where I regurgitate the blurb or give a synopsis. I just like to give credit where its due.
I was so invested in the story, so spellbound.
Honestly, just pure brilliance . What a story teller.

United Kingdom on Jun 04, 2023

Aishwarya Saxena: The night is ours again. The vampire apocalypse is finally over. And I apologise in advance for all the lame vampire jokes I’m about to crack.

As survivors know, the bloodletting started in 2010 with The Passage, an engorged thriller by Justin Cronin. A graduate of Harvard and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Cronin had published a couple of literary novels before going to the dark side and selling his projected vampire trilogy for over $3.5 million. Fox 2000 landed the first book — then half-written — for $1.75 million for Scott Free to produce. Originally developed as a feature, the producers eventually determined that the property would be better served as a TV series. Sophisticates may have sucked their fangs, but how electrifying it felt to have a fine writer spread his wings and swoop into this garlic-breath genre. With its blood-slick pacing and sympathetic heroes, The Passage was a killer antidote to the CrossFit vampires colonizing the twilight.

Yes, it’s true: Cronin’s story of a bat virus that destroys human civilization got a bit bogged down in the second volume, The Twelve. But those of us hypnotized by this tale were eagerly awaiting the finale....

India on Apr 19, 2017

Sandra aus Mannheim: I've just finished this final chapter of the Passage journey and what a journey it was! I have been so moved, touched....felt utter fascination with the described world, felt incredibly lucky to know such wonderful characters. The first book amazed me, the second disappointed me so I was kind of .... Weary for the final installment. Yet it was one of the best books this year and brought wonderful conclusion to Amy and her world. I shed tears, I laughed in amazement and wonder and felt betrayed when one of the main characters felt alike. Cronins writing was perfect. You can feel the sensitivity with which he invented every scene. Every character his child. Zero's story answered a much asked question. Amy's love for life and Peter makes me want to become a better person. Anthony finally found his peace and so did I. All questions answered, all life's lived...end of story. Wonderful.

Germany on Jul 31, 2016

Jdog7_29: Is it over? Is this masterpiece of modern day fiction truly and thoroughly over?

But first, a brief summary of events that led us to this eagerly anticipated, yet still emotional conclusion…

Like a lot of people probably did back in 2010, I picked up The Passage on a whim, only knowing about it from a small Facebook ad and a quote by Stephen King, encouraging people to read it. I knew next to nothing about the plot, and even less about Justin Cronin so call it fate or just one of those rare moments of pure randomness, but whatever the reason, giving The Passage a chance was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I instantly fell in love with the book. The plot was amazing. The writing even more so. I can still remember the excitement and sheer enjoyment of that fateful summer, staying up into the wee hours of the morning, totally engrossed in the story, even going as far as bringing the book into work, sneaking glances at its pages when there were far more pressing matters at hand. The Passage was so awesome and such a damned perfect novel in every single facet and I made it well known, loaning out (GASP!) my beloved copy to multiple family and friends....

United States on Jun 06, 2016

N Pfeifer: After six years, Justin Cronin's vampire trilogy - a trio of novels that span a thousand years and almost twice as many pages - finally rumbles to a conclusion. Originally a dare by the author's daughter to craft a story about a girl who saves the world, Cronin has spent a lot of time and imagination sewing together expansive worlds and Hollywood-esque climaxes. It hasn't been the smoothest road for The Passage's characters or even its readers and The City of Mirrors feels like a volume that huffs and puffs as it reaches its final station.

With its far-flung settings in space and time, the most jarring aspect of Cronin's writing is that he ensures each world he builds is planned, laid out to the last brick, then inspected for safety before moving along. He can't escape to a new setting without establishing a pair of new characters (usually more) and delivering their life stories as a sort of sacrifice to the reader to ensure we follow along with motivations. It's a bit of biographic telling and not showing when it comes to protagonists and antagonists alike. Just as we fall in love, it's taken away and Cronin starts again.

Sometimes this approach works. The opening...

United States on Jun 06, 2016