In any given debate its natural for us to side with a party whose point of view is as close to us as possible. In Mirror empire however, its very easy not to get involved and watch the whole thing as a bystander. Hurley doesn't hold back any punches when she delivers brutality, sexuality, violence, rape, racism, cannibalism and murder. With a compelling storyline taking place in a world where rules of magic are firmly integrated with politics and everyday life. Religion is as important as politics and in one country, the leader is a unifying factor of both religion and politics. Mirror Empire stands out in its own regard in this very aspect where (in this world) we it isn't the case. Most of the magic is driven by nature - be it weapons or healing. 
 The war is two thousand years coming. It has the capacity to tore the world that's already knee deep in aftermath of wars and on the brink of a civil war. Hurley's usage of different world theory is deep rooted in classical science fiction but having intertwined in a story like Mirror Empire, it adds a different dimension to the already complex narrative. A same character may exist in different universe with same / different name and reading about them with a slightly different voice did threw me off a little. But my wonderment through out the book was never dissipated. 
 Its very easy to detach from the characters and that for many it doesn't work. I personally enjoyed this observe-closely-without-getting-involved vibe that was consistent during the course of book. It made them all seem like people with their own agendas to serve and make decisions as it suits their propaganda along the way. They aren't given any special treatment as they go on about their lives to the point where handful of characters start converging. 
 The story runs through multiple view points. The key players and their posse start building the story from different directions offering different perspectives to the same story; a reluctant leader, an army general, a young novice priest who wants to be an assassin and an orphan whose life takes a different turn following the events in the temple where she works. Hurley covers multiple diaspora with this tactic and more about the world gets exposed with this exercise. All this view points aren't objective or are these characters any heroic or have moral superiority. They all represent several factions of the society - both good and bad. 
 Gender is another huge theme in mirror empire where the gender identity can be self realized and changed several times. 
 There are times when characters like Zezili, the army general, for example took actions without any forethought which is surprising given her role in militia. But few chapters later it becomes evident that it was a convenient plot point for her to be that way. The characters lacked the agency and motivation to act but they did so anyway for the sake of plot. It doesn't happen very often but it does crops up few times in the book. 
 Having said that, it was an enjoyable read. At times the pace seemed both lazy and fast at the same time given how the characters react in a situation.