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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purplepenning's review against another edition

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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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hungry_fiend's review against another edition

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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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ishouldreadthat's review against another edition

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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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vneusc's review against another edition

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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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honey_b's review against another edition

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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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bealmg's review against another edition

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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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parchmentdreams's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful mysterious 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

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

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