There are some delightful moments in "The Midnight Mirror", but the ordering of the investigation material and the decision to leave out the statblock of a custom creature (especially from non-core material) baffle me. In addition, the adventure requires a DC 25 Knowledge check to defeat the final encounter, otherwise all has been in vain. For such key knowledge, why not make sure the PCs have it?

The best part of the adventure are the NPCs found in the final section, who can provide the PCs with a real moral dilemma as to what to do. A good GM can correct the problems with this adventure ahead of time, but they shouldn't have to.

I greatly enjoyed Sam Zeitlin's module, and I would recommend it to a majority of gaming groups. The storyline neatly pulls off a layered interaction model: the PCs will visit a location and NPCs, the learn more, then revisit them, etc, going a "layer deeper" each time, all without it looking rehashed or stale. It gives the players a chance to get to know the feel of the setting, which is great for immersion.

Also, unlike many Paizo modules, almost of the information in the module is learnable by the adventurers playing through the quest. This is exciting, as they peel back the layers of mystery and care more-and-more about what's going on. However, all of this is done very elegantly, so as not to feel overwrought, nor too complicated, nor risks the PCs getting stuck.

The module is a bit light on combat, which is how I prefer it, and is also how a mystery module should be. Even more impressive is how the pacing is managed: unlike most modules that have "interaction in the first half, slay-em-all in the second half" this module keeps the play types interwoven, and thus fresh.

I greatly enjoyed the thematics and the visuals. I want to keep this review spoiler-free, so I won't elaborate. I will only say this: few d20 modules capture the same mystique that World of Darkness modules manage to, but this is one of them. The weirdness hits all the right notes without being overdone, and leaves just enough of an unsettled feeling. Put another way: the story manages to be within the horror genre, but is almost G-rated (at least, the plot does; the setting is another story).

After all this lofty praise, why only 4 stars?

I hated the fact that it was set in Nidal. The town is located in the backwater of a country that worships the god of sadomasochistic torture. Various (otherwise sympathetic) NPCs have ritualistic scarring. The town cleric requires that he "extracts pain" from his congregants before he helps them (not to mention is pierced like a heavy metal star). The main NPCs keep an iron maiden in their basement as a worship device. The whole overt "our religion is evil" thing really detracts and distracts from the otherwise subtle and insidious plotline that is going on.
I know that the Nidal-aspect was something that was added on afterwards, and wasn't part of the original vision, and it shows: it doesn't feel well integrated with the whole. I would recommend GMs drop it, and transplant the city to somewhere more palatable. Otherwise, you run the risk of the PCs killing the town priest and not wanting to help out "those sickos."

On the whole, this a great module. I left it wanting more. The author alludes to some other plots in the book, and I want to know more about them, and follow up with them. While the story wraps itself up nicely, I still feel like I want a sequel. Basically, the meal was so delicious, I'd like a second course. Really, what better endorsement could you ask for?

I must say I do enjoy this one quite a lot. Some of the pros/cons of The Midnight Mirror:

-Good opening scene to establish the mood in Karpad. DM should probably play it up a bit more as the PC's investigate, but a lynching is something that stays in people's head. Would have been nice if there was a concrete way for the PC's to learn about the fetchling uprising, but it is something they'll probably ask of their own accord.

-No new monster, but we do have a new disease, Wondrous Item and Minor Artifacts that could be great plothooks for future adventures.

-Investigation section is just about right for this PC level. It flows well, with no need for the DM to fill in gaps that I could spot.

-NPC's have decent characterization. Might need to improvise a bit for some, but a decent DM shouldn't have any trouble.

-Stats for Stepan would have been nice, especially if the PC's decide to fight him. I would personally give him a level of cavalier, but that's just me.

-Good dungeon with 2 great boss fights. Very good descriptions, very thematic, and good encounters all around. Throwing in a haunt wouldn't be amiss, but I am be perfectly happy with The House of Night as it is.

I really did not think I would like this one when i started reading it. Some of it at first seemed a bit too "done before" or "been there, done that" kind of thing. There is a bit of that for sure, but some of the other aspects of the module were so awesome that i can overlook them. Really dont want to elaborate much more, since this could easily be ruined by spoilers, so will just say, Good Job!