Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

44 reviews

simply_sabra's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Minor: Sexual assault and Terminal illness

soupsoupsoup's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, and Child death

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

catwhisperer's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Child death, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

sarah984's review

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Very sweet story about a group of teens who are struggling in some aspect of their lives and get drawn into a strange magical world. It moves a little slowly but the way it all comes together at the end is worth it for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Cancer, Child death, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

purplepenning's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

The pacing and writing style were difficult for me but it's an important, clever story. A slow starter with a good, portal fantasy hook and great payoff in the last third.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship

hungry_fiend's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This was truly an amazing book, the only issue I had was down to it being a translation so a little hard to read at times but otherwise was so beautiful and hopeful. I couldn’t put it down till I finished it and not because it was a mystery but more because I felt that I was really there, experiencing every moment alongside the characters. Truly a beautiful book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Bullying

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide attempt

ishouldreadthat's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An absolutely beautiful book about friendships, finding yourself, and the effects of bullying. This may be one of my favourite books ever - I can't recommend it more highly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Child death and Terminal illness

vneusc's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lovely story about the hardships of adolescence shared by seven beaten down but hopeful youths with a dash of magical realism. despite crying, it did not particularly resonate with me. i really wish it did. regardless, i definitely enjoyed reading it and finally dragging myself out of my year long reading slump.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Bullying, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Child abuse

honey_b's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Sexual assault

bealmg's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A heartbreaking story about the consequences of bullying, anxiety and trauma on young teens in Japan, a country where children and teens rank really low on mental health surveys. It serves as a cautionary tale in a way, but it also delivers a message of hope.
Although I struggled for tha majority of the book, the ending came together in a really satisfying way, with all the pieces of the puzzle joining each other neatly. However, the first 2/3 of the book were almost painfully slow and a bit repetitive. And although the clues eventually made sense, most of the time I felt a bit clueless as to where the story was going. I did like the growth each character went through as well as the way their relationships grew over time. But I was expecting, maybe due to the blurb or to the glowing reviews, a story with more fantastical elements, even if grounded in reality as this was.
The ending was beautifully written, so sad and heart-warming at the same time, and it was worth the wait, even if I struggled to get there.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child death, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism