The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson is a fantasy novel that begins with Terisa, a young woman living in the modern world. She is naive, passive and constantly in a state of ambivalence. She has no purpose in life and her only wish is to prove to herself that she really exists. As such, her existence is not fulfilling or adventurous. That all changes when a strange figure emerges from her mirror and tells her that only she can save his homeland. When Terisa decides to go against the odds of her life and follow the stranger through the mirror, her life changes forever.I really loved The Mirror of Her Dreams. It is a long novel that spends a great deal of time developing the characters and the world around them. There is action and there is treachery. There is war and there is romance. That said, it is a slow moving book and it takes its time. If you aren't in the mood to read that type of novel, you may not enjoy The Mirror of Her Dreams.The world building and magic system is really unique. There is a great deal of backstory to the kingdoms that make up this realm and there is a real history behind everything that happens. All of the events feel real and inevitable. The world feel like it could truly exist. The magic system itself is the most interesting part of the book. In this book, magic is done through mirrors. Mirrors are not used to look at reflections but to bring in figures or items from other realms. In fact, looking at a mirror that shows your own reflection will make you disappear or, in the least, lose your mind. This is the function that brings Terisa to Mordant from her world. She is chosen through mirror magic to be the champion for Mordant and is transferred to the fantasy world. For Terisa, mirrors are just looking glasses, so the entire idea is strange and confusing to her, as well as the readers.Speaking of Terisa, she is an infuriatingly passive character. Her whole life has centered around appeasing the people in her life and sitting back and letting the world go on around her. She is plagued by the feeling that she is fading and will disappear if she doesn't focus on her own existence. She is a depressed, naive character who is not used to making any real decisions. She grows throughout the book and the entire point is for her to realize that she exists and can make a difference. She begins to come into her own but it takes some time. At times you want to reach into the book and shake her. If there weren't other characters who were more likable, the book would be very trying.Fortunately, all of the secondary characters are fantastic. I love many of them and I despise others, which is a sign of good writing. They are all fully fleshed out and feel very distinct. Geraden, the male lead who brings Terisa through the mirror, is lovely. He is adorable and totally endearing. His brother Artagel is hilarious and strong. Master Eremis makes me want to slap him every time he comes into the story. All of the characters are fantastic. The story ends on a huge cliffhanger, so I'm going to be reading the sequel as soon as I can!If you enjoy sprawling fantasty worlds with a focus on magic and character growth, definitely grab this one!