Book Review: The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow
Title: The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow
Publication Date: 6th August 2024
Publisher: Penguin
RRP: $27.99
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis:
Princess Ying Yue believed in love...once upon a time.
Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.
Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.
This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.
But there is darkness in this new world, too.
It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.
Review:
This book had such an interesting premise! The cover itself is so beautiful and colorful, but if you look closely it's actually pretty creepy! I definitely had chills reading this book at night. Anything to do with mirrors in general always freaks me out >< The start of the book instantly grips you and keeps you hooked throughout. I personally enjoyed the setting and concept a lot, I thought it was refreshing and so vibrant, with all the beautiful nature and traditional themes to frame the story.
I did have some issues with our main character Ying though. She's got a lot on her plate and is obviously very distraught over her arranged marriage with a guy who wants nothing to do with her. But her actions are... questionable. She's constantly flinging herself into trouble and lacks restrain when it comes to... getting physical. I am sympathetic that a lot has been thrown at her in such a short amount of time, but I find her behavior disorientating. She's also stubborn, and I don't mind this in our female heroines, but her stubbornness make her seem very childish. I understand this is a YA novel and Ying is indeed a young princess, but her brashness can be a bit too much.
I found the prince to be an interesting character though. He’s quite morally grey which makes him interesting to read about. You don’t really like him nor hate him. I love that the author chips away at his outer layer and slowly reveals what he's really like inside. It makes him so much more likeable than Ying! Their overall dynamic was alright, but I wish they received more room to get to know each other. The romance surprised me (quite literally sprang up on me) and I really wanted the enemies to lovers element to be fleshed out more.
Overall this was a fast-paced and interesting YA Fantasy novel. The Ancient Chinese themes were prominent and such a treat to read about, and the story had lots of twists and turns, though think I would have liked more fleshed out characters and more showing rather than telling!
Thank you to Penguin for sending over an ARC in exchange for an honest review! :)
