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A review by thewordsdevourer
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
this is def a mindboggling case of "what the hell went wrong???" i should be all over lonely castle in the mirror but im simply not, despite its fantastical elements and supposedly high emotional impact of friendship and empathy.
ultimately it boils down to a few things. first, the writing: nothing wrong w/ sparse language normally, but im not a fan of how tsujimura uses it in the novel. it feels like sth's missing, and the overuse of short sentences and the start of new line breaks rly irritate me, as more often than not there's literally no reason for that and it cheapens the impact of moments that truly warrant it. i dislike the translation thats riddled w/ typos, frequent awkward phrasing, and inadequate copyediting as well.
the book feels too long for me too; some scenes could def be cut out or shortened. the first half is hair-wringingly slow and i almost dropped the book. i also feel a puzzling disconnection w/ the characters. we spend so much time in kokoro's head and only learn abt the others at the story's climax. moreover, the scenes we see of the young ppl who spend time in the castle dont rly do much, often theyre repetitive and dont further the characterization. each of them keeps up such high walls over themselves it's hard to connect to them - tho it doesnt render one immune to their plight - thus what we see of them is an incomplete picture that doesnt fill itself in until the very end, and thats way too long of a wait.
as a result of said disconnection, this story has little emotional payoff for me despite the huge potential. this book def has very relevant and important themes, and each piece of the puzzle comes tgt nicely in the end, w/ the last scenes of rion + the wolf queen, him + kokoro, and her w/ aki being well-plotted and a lil touching. the problem is, i wouldve been touched so so so much more if only what precedes those scenes thru much of the book were better. it's like what shouldve resulted in a beautifully flowing fountain turns out to merely be a few measly drops of water from a tap.
tldr: im not surprised this book's liked by many, but its deficient execution leaves me unsatisfied and bemoaning over its wasted potential.
ultimately it boils down to a few things. first, the writing: nothing wrong w/ sparse language normally, but im not a fan of how tsujimura uses it in the novel. it feels like sth's missing, and the overuse of short sentences and the start of new line breaks rly irritate me, as more often than not there's literally no reason for that and it cheapens the impact of moments that truly warrant it. i dislike the translation thats riddled w/ typos, frequent awkward phrasing, and inadequate copyediting as well.
the book feels too long for me too; some scenes could def be cut out or shortened. the first half is hair-wringingly slow and i almost dropped the book. i also feel a puzzling disconnection w/ the characters. we spend so much time in kokoro's head and only learn abt the others at the story's climax. moreover, the scenes we see of the young ppl who spend time in the castle dont rly do much, often theyre repetitive and dont further the characterization. each of them keeps up such high walls over themselves it's hard to connect to them - tho it doesnt render one immune to their plight - thus what we see of them is an incomplete picture that doesnt fill itself in until the very end, and thats way too long of a wait.
as a result of said disconnection, this story has little emotional payoff for me despite the huge potential. this book def has very relevant and important themes, and each piece of the puzzle comes tgt nicely in the end, w/ the last scenes of rion + the wolf queen, him + kokoro, and her w/ aki being well-plotted and a lil touching. the problem is, i wouldve been touched so so so much more if only what precedes those scenes thru much of the book were better. it's like what shouldve resulted in a beautifully flowing fountain turns out to merely be a few measly drops of water from a tap.
tldr: im not surprised this book's liked by many, but its deficient execution leaves me unsatisfied and bemoaning over its wasted potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Bullying
Moderate: Chronic illness and Mental illness
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt