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A review by booksofbells
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A massive gratitude to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc ♥️
This is my first time reading a translated fictional book, and I am happily rated this a solid 4 stars! Definitely went beyond my expectation, slow-paced yet gave me a comfy + heart-tugging feelings all over my body.
Content notice: This book contains depictions of bullying, self-harm, death and dying, and sexual assault.
Blurb:
Seven students avoid attending school by sheltering in their gloomy bedrooms, unwilling to actually confront their family and friends, until they unearth a gateway into another world that provides them with a form of escape from their unhappy lives. They gather in a majestic castle after moving through a glowing mirror, which serves as their playground and sanctuary during school hours. The students are tasked with finding a key tucked away somewhere within the castle that will bestow one wish to whoever finds it. The castle will vanish at this point, along with any memories they may have of their expedition. If they do not leave the castle by 5 p.m. every noon, they will be consumed by the castle's keeper, Wolf Queen.
My thoughts:
This book revolves around magical realism/fantasy but rooted in a real world. At first, I thought this book is going to be a general fiction but with a hint of fantasy because of the Wolf Queen and the castle these 7 chosen teenagers discovered after passing through a shimmering mirror on their respective bedrooms. However, things are not quite what it seems as the progress took a turn after 60 or 70% I went into the book. I must admit it was a bit bland to read the first 50% of the book as nothing's really going on there expect for the struggles and trauma each character faces in their reality.
But I feel like it was written in that way to make readers fully immersed and understand that being in a distressing condition takes time for someone to digest what is happening to them. Facing things that make you feel upset and traumatizing do have an effect on yourself, it can turn someone cheerful into a person that harboured gloom and darkness in themselves.
I was once a victim of a bullying when I was in my high school, and even though what I went through isn't as much as the characters inside this book experienced, I truly get the hesitancy and the pain they gulped down their throat instead of figuring how to deal with it properly. So, I respect the author for writing a book that deals with this 'normalized' problem especially in schools. Each character is unique, in their own way. After unearting their true story, I realized that these characters are quite the representation of real people in this world.
I thought this book was going nowhere since the book mostly talked about their playtime together in the castle while slowly unravelling the causes that makes them absent from school, but when I get to the most important part of the book (which was towards the end), I realized all these time, the answer is right in front of me. Everything, I literally meant everything, is connected to the boring bits I read in the first half of the book.
It was comforting to read such book that deals with real issues but mixed with fantasy and magic realism in it. It was fun, easy to read, and very eye-opening. Unexpectedly, the author truly had a way to make this story feels so alive. And I like it.
This is my first time reading a translated fictional book, and I am happily rated this a solid 4 stars! Definitely went beyond my expectation, slow-paced yet gave me a comfy + heart-tugging feelings all over my body.
Content notice: This book contains depictions of bullying, self-harm, death and dying, and sexual assault.
Blurb:
Seven students avoid attending school by sheltering in their gloomy bedrooms, unwilling to actually confront their family and friends, until they unearth a gateway into another world that provides them with a form of escape from their unhappy lives. They gather in a majestic castle after moving through a glowing mirror, which serves as their playground and sanctuary during school hours. The students are tasked with finding a key tucked away somewhere within the castle that will bestow one wish to whoever finds it. The castle will vanish at this point, along with any memories they may have of their expedition. If they do not leave the castle by 5 p.m. every noon, they will be consumed by the castle's keeper, Wolf Queen.
My thoughts:
This book revolves around magical realism/fantasy but rooted in a real world. At first, I thought this book is going to be a general fiction but with a hint of fantasy because of the Wolf Queen and the castle these 7 chosen teenagers discovered after passing through a shimmering mirror on their respective bedrooms. However, things are not quite what it seems as the progress took a turn after 60 or 70% I went into the book. I must admit it was a bit bland to read the first 50% of the book as nothing's really going on there expect for the struggles and trauma each character faces in their reality.
But I feel like it was written in that way to make readers fully immersed and understand that being in a distressing condition takes time for someone to digest what is happening to them. Facing things that make you feel upset and traumatizing do have an effect on yourself, it can turn someone cheerful into a person that harboured gloom and darkness in themselves.
I was once a victim of a bullying when I was in my high school, and even though what I went through isn't as much as the characters inside this book experienced, I truly get the hesitancy and the pain they gulped down their throat instead of figuring how to deal with it properly. So, I respect the author for writing a book that deals with this 'normalized' problem especially in schools. Each character is unique, in their own way. After unearting their true story, I realized that these characters are quite the representation of real people in this world.
I thought this book was going nowhere since the book mostly talked about their playtime together in the castle while slowly unravelling the causes that makes them absent from school, but when I get to the most important part of the book (which was towards the end), I realized all these time, the answer is right in front of me. Everything, I literally meant everything, is connected to the boring bits I read in the first half of the book.
It was comforting to read such book that deals with real issues but mixed with fantasy and magic realism in it. It was fun, easy to read, and very eye-opening. Unexpectedly, the author truly had a way to make this story feels so alive. And I like it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Bullying, and Sexual assault