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A review by bubblewombat
The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I was supposed to finish this back in August, but personal stuff happened and somehow I never sat down to do so until now, so I must apologise to The Girl With No Reflection for not picking her back up sooner.
Overall I liked this book and found it really easy to read. I was a bit unsure at the start, because of some choices made by the main character, but then I decided to just go with the flow, and not judge it too much.
So, first the pros. Once I really picked this up, I found it hard to stop reading. I needed to know what would happen next, and I kept flipping the pages going "okay just one more chapter". It's a very bingable book.
The mythology included was probably my favourite part, I loved the Fish inclusion in particular, because usually authors pick "better" and bigger animals for their characters to be (or to have been once upon a time), but not our dear Ying, she's a fish. One with special powers, sure, but still.
I was actually left surprised at what she could do when her powers came in, that one scene with the Mirror Prince and Mirror Ying was SO GOOD.
Another aspect of the story I like, is all the mirrors. Mirrors are something I've always found creepy, and I do believe there is a world beyond them, which is something Chow embraces. Ying's reflection tricks her into switching places with her which sets off a chain of events that eventually lead to a war.
This proves my distrust of mirrors is very valid, thank you very much! I know I'd be so creeped out if I had to sleep in a room full of them like Ying had to, before the wedding.
The romance is something that I both liked and disliked. Disliked because it happened SO FAST, both times, that neither one was believable, and liked because they did have chemistry. Well, mostly Ying and the Mirror Prince, but still.
It was just a bit silly how she fell in love with one Prince in the blink of an eye, was wondering if he's actually the one she was meant to be with since he's her husband's mirror image and so much kinder to her, only for a switch to be flipped and for her to fall for the real version instead as if she never loved the other one in the first place. Which...yes, I guess she didn't.
The insta-love definitely bugged me, but it didn't affect my feelings towards the rest of the story.
I also wanted a bit more development from all the characters, but I don't think there was enough time for that, due to this being a standalone. I saw someone say this should've been a duology, and I agree, everything would've been more fleshed out then.
Another thing that bugged me, is that there's this scene that's meant to be traumatic for Ying, she's losing some family members and she's in pain, but she never refers to them by name.
And the way that scene was structured, I felt that the number of family members in it was chosen purposely, so that the important ones would never actually be in danger, and as a result that scene didn't have much of an impact on me.
Language wise, some of the things Ying said felt out of place, more like something someone from a contemporary YA would say than someone from a (somewhat) historical fantasy world. It didn't take me out of the story, but I sure noticed every time it happened.
Similarly, the characters often said words in Chinese, only to follow up with the same word in English, so it felt like reading the same words twice in a row, but I get what Chow was trying to do, translate as she goes, which I can appreciate.
Normally all my criticism would make this a three star read, but I'm choosing to rate this based on enjoyment so it's getting four. I'd gladly read something else by Keshe Chow in the future.
*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Overall I liked this book and found it really easy to read. I was a bit unsure at the start, because of some choices made by the main character, but then I decided to just go with the flow, and not judge it too much.
So, first the pros. Once I really picked this up, I found it hard to stop reading. I needed to know what would happen next, and I kept flipping the pages going "okay just one more chapter". It's a very bingable book.
The mythology included was probably my favourite part, I loved the Fish inclusion in particular, because usually authors pick "better" and bigger animals for their characters to be (or to have been once upon a time), but not our dear Ying, she's a fish. One with special powers, sure, but still.
I was actually left surprised at what she could do when her powers came in, that one scene with the Mirror Prince and Mirror Ying was SO GOOD.
Another aspect of the story I like, is all the mirrors. Mirrors are something I've always found creepy, and I do believe there is a world beyond them, which is something Chow embraces. Ying's reflection tricks her into switching places with her which sets off a chain of events that eventually lead to a war.
This proves my distrust of mirrors is very valid, thank you very much! I know I'd be so creeped out if I had to sleep in a room full of them like Ying had to, before the wedding.
The romance is something that I both liked and disliked. Disliked because it happened SO FAST, both times, that neither one was believable, and liked because they did have chemistry. Well, mostly Ying and the Mirror Prince, but still.
It was just a bit silly how she fell in love with one Prince in the blink of an eye, was wondering if he's actually the one she was meant to be with since he's her husband's mirror image and so much kinder to her, only for a switch to be flipped and for her to fall for the real version instead as if she never loved the other one in the first place. Which...yes, I guess she didn't.
The insta-love definitely bugged me, but it didn't affect my feelings towards the rest of the story.
I also wanted a bit more development from all the characters, but I don't think there was enough time for that, due to this being a standalone. I saw someone say this should've been a duology, and I agree, everything would've been more fleshed out then.
Another thing that bugged me, is that there's this scene that's meant to be traumatic for Ying, she's losing some family members and she's in pain, but she never refers to them by name.
And the way that scene was structured, I felt that the number of family members in it was chosen purposely, so that the important ones would never actually be in danger, and as a result that scene didn't have much of an impact on me.
Language wise, some of the things Ying said felt out of place, more like something someone from a contemporary YA would say than someone from a (somewhat) historical fantasy world. It didn't take me out of the story, but I sure noticed every time it happened.
Similarly, the characters often said words in Chinese, only to follow up with the same word in English, so it felt like reading the same words twice in a row, but I get what Chow was trying to do, translate as she goes, which I can appreciate.
Normally all my criticism would make this a three star read, but I'm choosing to rate this based on enjoyment so it's getting four. I'd gladly read something else by Keshe Chow in the future.
*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*