A review by miak2
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • 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

 
"You're battling every single day, aren't you?


4.5 stars

Words can't express how much this story touched me. I'm well out of middle school, but I really felt the pain that these students were going through every day. It was such a beautiful reading experience to get to know these kids, especially Kokoro, and watch their friendships and their confidence grow. I'm not a parent but I feel like these are my children. I just want the best for them, they deserve so much better than the hands they were dealt.

It was a quick and easy read. The simple writing didn't always work for me - I'm not sure if that's from Tsujimura or the translator, but I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't mind. Sometimes the book would skip to a different scene and it wasn't super clear (I think because the extra line breaks didn't show up in my kindle version). And Tsujimura sometimes employed flashback sequences that would have made for a great show but could be confusing in book format.

BUT all that said, the story was so lovely and charming that I can absolutely overlook those things. I love books based on fairytales, and this might be my favorite read of those yet. I thought all of the pieces of the story came together really beautifully. While I accurately predicted one piece of the puzzle (although Tsujimura did a commendable job of misleading me), I couldn't have foreseen how she'd weave it into the larger story. It was like knowing where a puzzle piece goes without knowing the image you're trying to create. The ending had me tearing up, it all just came together so beautifully. I love these kids, and I'm so happy they got to meet each other and experience this together. 
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