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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
I went in intrigued by the premise — fantasy inspired by ancient China, with occult and folklore elements — but the execution fell flat for me. The main character felt one-dimensional and inconsistent; her reactions often didn’t align with traits the author told us she had (e.g., someone supposedly fascinated by creepy folklore being disturbed rather than intrigued when her mirror image behaved strangely). The writing and world felt shallow and forced, and I never became invested in the characters, story, or setting. After ten chapters, it still felt more like homework than an enjoyable read, so I decided not to continue.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a weird book, but not bad. It was slow until I really got into it somewhere in the middle.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Pros: not offensive or cringe enough for me to abandon it, I guess.
Cons: everything else. Insta-love, flat characters, cringe terrible writing
Cons: everything else. Insta-love, flat characters, cringe terrible writing
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I was unbelievably bored reading this. Main character was dumb as hell and neither side of this literally identical insta-love triangle was interesting in the least. Would never have finished this book if I didn’t need something to listen to on my walks, but even so it was about six hours too long.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
This book felt like two different books in one. The first half was intriguing and pulled me in immediately. I love the concept of a mirror world and was loving this one, until we got to the main conflict of the story and it fell apart. The second half was so different, I completely forgot we were dealing with a mirror world. There were cool concepts being introduced, but those were immediately discarded. All that could be forgiven if the story had strong characters, but that's not the case here. Both the Mirror Prince and real Prince are forgettable, and the main villain of the story all but disappears by the end. But the main problem is Ying, the main character. There are ways to create naive characters, but that is not present here. She acts based on the latest information she gets, no matter how inaccurate or destructive it is. How can she be surprised the gate is opened when she was told it would open if she passed?! There is no forethought with her, and it became aggravating to read from her perspective.
This is a book with a strong beginning, fumbled the middle, and missed the landing.
This is a book with a strong beginning, fumbled the middle, and missed the landing.