Lonely Castle in the Mirror: The no. 1 Japanese bestseller and Guardian 2021 highlight

I LOVED this book
super well developed empathetic characters
studio ghibli esque
figured out some of the plot points ahead of the characters and if was both frustrating and gripping to watch them sort it out.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I love how imaginative the book is.

this book was really sweet ! and i found it very engaging as well

while the themes were important, i’m sure they didn’t have the same impact on me as they did in japan (where it was originally written and published). per the end note, it seems like child mental health is not a topic that is widely discussed, or at least not in a way that meaningfully changes their circumstances. of course i wouldn’t know myself, but that’s what the note seemed to say. in which case i think a book like this is so important for adults and children alike to read

i also thought the translation did a good job of explaining the bits that were language-dependent like suffixes after names and their different meanings, or using an english word vs a japanese one

a pretty easy read that has some heavy themes but is overall feel good!!

rating: 4 stars

p.s. i forgot to say, i’m annoyed by one thing—the total inaction of mc in this book to look for the MAGIC KEY!!! wouldn’t you be searching fruitlessly for it if it were you?????? but maybe that’s just her personality. idk