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kitkathw871's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Bullying and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
writteninmagic's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Suicide
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Fatphobia, Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Bullying
Moderate: Terminal illness, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Car accident, Death of parent, and Medical content
Misogynistic slursrisemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Cancer, Bullying, Child death, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol, Abandonment, Grief, Sexual assault, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Pregnancy, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
grace_r3ads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, and Bullying
chikin's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
here_only_for_books's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Self harm, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
katiemack's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
The message is heavy-handed, and I wanted more details about how the world worked. But this ends up being an emotional gut-punch of a book despite its lack of world-building, and while I anticipated one of the twists the second was a shock to me. Mizuki Tsujimura also illustrates the importance of mental health (particularly the mental health of schoolchildren, which--as she points out--is suffering in Japan) in an effective way.
Moderate: Child death and Mental illness
Minor: Physical abuse
parchmentdreams's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The day was fast approaching, the key was still not found, and no wish had been granted. But Kokoro was fine about it. Memories were not the only thing she’d take away from here.
Overview
Lonely Castle In The Mirror is a character driven story of 7 junior high students that have chosen - for their own reasons - not to attend regular school. Some still attend classes, others barely leave their rooms. Our main character Kokoro, is one such student. After some traumatising clashes with her classmates soon after starting junior high, Kokoro barely leaves her room except to eat. When her mirror starts glowing one day, she touches it and is dragged into a castle ruled over by the Wolf Queen.
Kokoro and her 6 fellow students are given the opportunity to have one wish granted if they can find the Key to the Wishing Room, however they are only allowed to visit the castle between 9am and 5pm… and only one wish will be granted.
What I Liked
I really enjoyed the premise of Lonely Castle In The Mirror, and the development of the characters throughout the novel. Kokoro was a relatable and likeable character, and the group of “Little Red Riding Hoods” all had their own unique personalities and stories. I loved watching them all grow to trust and befriend each other, even though they struggled to find friends in their own realities.
What I Didn’t Like
The pacing of the novel was a bit off, it was slow for the first 60% then rushed through the end. This worked well with the plot and allowed for a large amount of character development, however it did tend to drag a bit over the first half.
Other Impressions
While I did guess some of the twists, the main one that I didn’t get was the identity of the Wolf Queen, and I was pleasantly surprised! I wasn’t expecting for us to actually see the Wolf Queen’s identity, and the girl behind the mask was surprising yet believable.
Overall I really enjoyed reading Lonely Castle In The Mirror and would rate it a 3.5/5. If you love reading about fairytales, friendships, and finding the courage to be yourself, then you’ll enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Tags
bullying, physical assault, sexual assault (mentioned), mental health, depression, anxiety, suicide (mentioned), violence, friendship, found family, mystery, absent parents, character death, hospitals
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicide, and Terminal illness