By Mizuki Tsujimura
SPOILER-FREE
In a tranquil neighbourhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining.
At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives into to a wondrous castle filled with winding stairways, watchful portraits and twinkling chandeliers. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish. But there’s a catch: if they don’t leave by five o’clock, they will die.
REVIEW
THEMES: ADVENTUREOUS, REFLECTIVE, INSPIRING, FAST-PACED.
If you struggled at school this is definitely for you.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror touches on the various reasons students avoid school whether it is bullying, anxiety, academic pressure or other commitments.
The bond created with the students is beautiful and proves that the most unlikely of pairs can relate in unexpected ways.
Tsujimura is able to create an atmosphere of understanding whether through personal experience or second-hand experience, which creates depth and connects the readers on another level.
The only critique would be that one of the characters stories seemed a little rushed and out of nowhere, but that could have been from me being slow and not linking things together.
In terms of recommending, I would be more inclined to recommend it to someone who is struggling/has struggled in school. Whilst anyone could read it, I think it is one of those books that make more of an impact if you can relate.
Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.
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