In a review for The Seattle Times, Wingate Packard wrote "In her excellent second novel, "The Mirrored World," Debra Dean has composed a resonant and compelling tale from 18th-century Russia, based on the historically true story of Xenia, later Saint Xenia of St. Petersburg."[1]The Daily Reporter called it ""a brilliant look at the underbelly of societal expectation".[2]
^Megan Fishmann (September 2012). "The Mirrored World". BookPage. BookPage and ProMotion Inc. Retrieved May 26, 2018. While most will be drawn to the fictionalized account of one of Russia's most holy saints, it is the all-too-human story about the woman behind the saint that truly captivates.
^"The Mirrored World". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. July 30, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2018. For those familiar with the story of St. Xenia, this is a gratifying take on a compelling woman. For others, Dean's vivid prose and deft pacing make for a quick and entertaining read.
^"The Mirrored World". historicalnovelsociety.org. Historical Novel Society. Retrieved June 12, 2020. a truly gifted writer
^Amy Driscoll (Miami Herald) (September 2, 2012). "Novel breathes life into distant religious figure". Missoulian. Retrieved May 26, 2018. Dean ... writes with an internal focus and wistful grace that suit the subject and the time period. In her skilled hands, history comes alive.
^"The Mirrored World". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. August 15, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2018. The novel follows the factual particulars, but Dasha's narration remains at such a formal remove that readers never experience what makes Xenia tick as a saint or a woman.
