Reviews

She understood the fear. Not knowing what the future would be for her, not knowing how long she’d be like this. Seeing people who were moving on was enough to make her feel an excruciating pain in her chest.

This book hooked me from the beginning, the premise of going to a castle inside of a mirror when they try to find the wishing key is so fun and adventurous. But, as the story goes by the plot gets boring, although I am grateful for the description of each character's back story. the mundane activity that they’ve done in the castle is so boring and doesn’t have any impact on their initial goal.

It took 70% of the book, for the plot to finally move. In this part, I had so much fun and enjoyed every twist and reveal they had.

allyexa's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I don’t know why I picked up yet another book about Japanese middle school kids getting bullied, but here we are. Buckets of tears later, this book has my whole heart.

This book is so unique. I thought it was going to be a kind of fantasy quest thing, with a “friends we made along the way” vibe. But this was so much weirder and better than that.

First of all, the characters are all so instantly knowable, expertly written and real. Considering we’re introduced to seven different kids at once, I was surprised at how soon I could tell them apart and follow their paths. And the first 2/3 of the book is mostly just all of these bullied kids hanging out and slowly bonding, in the rocky fits and starts of friendship between awkward junior high schoolers.

I had almost forgotten about the fantasy quest plot point, but it lurked in the background like a ticking mystery. And when it exploded, I could not put the book down. So many twists and reveals. I loved it all.

Though the book is ultimately hopeful, I recommend having a full box of tissues beside you, especially for the last quarter.

Best book of the year for me so far.

5/8/24