You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
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:
No
Did I love it? Hmmm… maybe
Did I hate it? Not really
This book is not my favorite, that’s for sure. It’s an easy and well-paced book, my only issue being some things that were glanced over too quick.. like Ying falling in love too easily. She saw the dude for 5 min and was like “he’s my Pookie”. Girl.
The ending was also a bit cringe for me… well some people might like it but it felt too Disney (minus the cuss-words and implications).
I would give it 2,5/5. With 2 being “I have read the book till the end” and 3 being “It was a good book, but not memorable”.
Alas this book was a nice way to pass time
Did I hate it? Not really
This book is not my favorite, that’s for sure. It’s an easy and well-paced book, my only issue being some things that were glanced over too quick.. like Ying falling in love too easily. She saw the dude for 5 min and was like “he’s my Pookie”. Girl.
The ending was also a bit cringe for me… well some people might like it but it felt too Disney (minus the cuss-words and implications).
I would give it 2,5/5. With 2 being “I have read the book till the end” and 3 being “It was a good book, but not memorable”.
Alas this book was a nice way to pass time
this book was a hot mess.
i could see the author’s vision and i thought that the book had a lot of potential. i liked the concept of the mirror world and its lore which was described by mei po — a side character and my favorite character in the novel, that’s saying something — and why they are forced to mimic the real world. i also liked the prophecy surrounding ying, our FMC, and how it all came together. i thought the message was quite touching. really, it was the mystery and the lore that kept me reading.
where the book fell flat was in its execution. this book had all the makings for a good story, but it was ruined by one dimensional characters, predictable and generic villains, and a forced romance plot that felt too much like insta love. there’s a betrayal scene that happens but because there was no build up or emotional connection, i felt nothing and honestly couldn’t care less.
the writing was also very juvenile it actually bordered on cringe territory. there’s a forced romance plot in the novel and NONE of it worked for me. look, i love enemies to lovers as much as the next person, but this was not done well. the FMC and MMC are absolutely horny for no reason and are written so inconsistently they sometimes act out of character. in one chapter the MMC would be hating the FMC and the next having a full on make out scene with her?? i was genuinely speechless. the romance would also happen at moments that were not appropriate to the story. one moment the scene would be all serious with a character dying and the next the characters would be making out.
its safe to say i didn’t like the FMC nor MMC. i genuinely lost count how many times ying cried and kissed in the novel. i also didn’t like how when things weren’t going her way, things would happen conveniently to her that would move the plot forward and it made her character development feel forced. it was lazy writing and her development was not earned in the least.
this is definitely one of my most disappointed reads of 2024.
i could see the author’s vision and i thought that the book had a lot of potential. i liked the concept of the mirror world and its lore which was described by mei po — a side character and my favorite character in the novel, that’s saying something — and why they are forced to mimic the real world. i also liked the prophecy surrounding ying, our FMC, and how it all came together. i thought the message was quite touching. really, it was the mystery and the lore that kept me reading.
where the book fell flat was in its execution. this book had all the makings for a good story, but it was ruined by one dimensional characters, predictable and generic villains, and a forced romance plot that felt too much like insta love. there’s a betrayal scene that happens but because there was no build up or emotional connection, i felt nothing and honestly couldn’t care less.
the writing was also very juvenile it actually bordered on cringe territory. there’s a forced romance plot in the novel and NONE of it worked for me. look, i love enemies to lovers as much as the next person, but this was not done well. the FMC and MMC are absolutely horny for no reason and are written so inconsistently they sometimes act out of character. in one chapter the MMC would be hating the FMC and the next having a full on make out scene with her?? i was genuinely speechless. the romance would also happen at moments that were not appropriate to the story. one moment the scene would be all serious with a character dying and the next the characters would be making out.
its safe to say i didn’t like the FMC nor MMC. i genuinely lost count how many times ying cried and kissed in the novel. i also didn’t like how when things weren’t going her way, things would happen conveniently to her that would move the plot forward and it made her character development feel forced. it was lazy writing and her development was not earned in the least.
this is definitely one of my most disappointed reads of 2024.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
had a lot of potential but pacing was so strange and FMC was too naive/stupid. concepts were super cool tho
Not very engaging as the plot was repeatedly summarised through FMC's inner monologue and she kept making rash silly choices. Had really high hopes for this one but gave up
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Had a really promising start, I can support women's rights and wrongs, just not a willfully dumb FMC. The fact that she was willing to enter the mirror realm after 1 convo with her alt self after being scared shitless, then not wanting to leave after meeting the mirror prince the LITERAL NIGHT BEFORe - I simply couldn't
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book, unfortunately, was a disappointment for me. I felt that too much happened in too little time, and many elements were overly exaggerated. For instance, spending an afternoon and a half studying in the library is portrayed as an intense and exhausting endeavor into alchemical research—so much so that the characters even complain about it. This felt disproportionate and hard to take seriously.
The main character was overly dramatic for my taste and often refused to listen to those around her, which made it difficult to connect with her. I also didn’t enjoy the miscommunication trope between her and the male lead. It’s a device I generally find frustrating, and in this case, it only served to complicate the plot unnecessarily, without adding meaningful depth or emotional weight.
There are some positive aspects, such as the setting, which is imaginative and well-crafted. However, overall, it felt like the story tried to take on too much, resulting in a narrative that was muddled, messy, and heavier than it needed to be.
The main character was overly dramatic for my taste and often refused to listen to those around her, which made it difficult to connect with her. I also didn’t enjoy the miscommunication trope between her and the male lead. It’s a device I generally find frustrating, and in this case, it only served to complicate the plot unnecessarily, without adding meaningful depth or emotional weight.
There are some positive aspects, such as the setting, which is imaginative and well-crafted. However, overall, it felt like the story tried to take on too much, resulting in a narrative that was muddled, messy, and heavier than it needed to be.