Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Ratings83
Average rating4.3
A popular Japanese YA novel about 7 children who visit a mysterious castle via a portal that suddenly opens in their mirror. The one thing they all have in common - they all are not attending their local middle school.
The main character Kokoro is introduced to us as someone who refuses to leave the leave the house due to anxiety. Although her mother does try at first for her to attend an alternative school, she also seems pretty willing to let her daughter sit around at home all day. (Which works well for the story, since it gives Kokoro plenty of time to visit the castle).
I'm not sure if whether we are supposed to empathise with Kokoro or pity her? But she doesn't start off as much of a likeable character. The book continues along for over 6 months as the children get to know each other and reveal their backstories, while knowing that the castle will close before the next year school year begins.
I read a lot slower in Japanese, and I felt like the middle really dragged on which put me off from finishing it for months, but things finally picked up towards the end and I got through the last third in one day while on a long-distance plane trip. There was one twist at the end which I did see coming, and another one that I didn't - which I feel did a pretty good job of wrapping things up neatly.
I think it's not a bad one for language learning, but personally not something I'd recommend if I was reading it purely for the plot.
Originally posted at www.emgoto.com.
A popular Japanese YA novel about 7 children who visit a mysterious castle via a portal that suddenly opens in their mirror. The one thing they all have in common - they all are not attending their local middle school.
The main character Kokoro is introduced to us as someone who refuses to leave the leave the house due to anxiety. Although her mother does try at first for her to attend an alternative school, she also seems pretty willing to let her daughter sit around at home all day. (Which works well for the story, since it gives Kokoro plenty of time to visit the castle).
I'm not sure if whether we are supposed to empathise with Kokoro or pity her? But she doesn't start off as much of a likeable character. The book continues along for over 6 months as the children get to know each other and reveal their backstories, while knowing that the castle will close before the next year school year begins.
I read a lot slower in Japanese, and I felt like the middle really dragged on which put me off from finishing it for months, but things finally picked up towards the end and I got through the last third in one day while on a long-distance plane trip. There was one twist at the end which I did see coming, and another one that I didn't - which I feel did a pretty good job of wrapping things up neatly.
I think it's not a bad one for language learning, but personally not something I'd recommend if I was reading it purely for the plot.
Originally posted at www.emgoto.com.
What an incredible read to start the new year off! The emotional roller coaster this book put me through was intense. It's so relatable and touching to watch each character devolope. Seeing what each brings to the table and how they grow with each other and become more confident is heartwarming.
The writing is fantastic and kept me wanting to just keep reading and not put the book down.
I found that there is an animal movie based on this book as well and now that I'm done reading this I'm definitely going to check it out!
What an incredible read to start the new year off! The emotional roller coaster this book put me through was intense. It's so relatable and touching to watch each character devolope. Seeing what each brings to the table and how they grow with each other and become more confident is heartwarming.
The writing is fantastic and kept me wanting to just keep reading and not put the book down.
I found that there is an animal movie based on this book as well and now that I'm done reading this I'm definitely going to check it out!
