I fell for the pretty cover and alluring title bit this was incredibly boring and painful to trudge through. DNF.

I loved this book, the characters were so well done, the concept and storytelling were perfect and I was lucky enough to get a fairyloot special edition of this too which is exceptionally beautiful ♥️

The Girl with No Reflection has an interesting concept, I was instantly intrigued by the idea of escaping into another world through reflective surfaces. I mean who hasn't wanted to escape at one point or another.
There was drama, suspense, and mystery wrapped in a whimsical sometimes dark fairytale vibe.
It was an enjoyable read.

3.5/5 stars

I find The Girl With No Reflection to be a particularly difficult book to rate and review. On one hand, I did enjoy it and it had several intriguing things going for it. But it also had elements that held it back from being a particularly good story which I do believe it could have otherwise achieved based on the premise alone.

The Mirror World and general idea were unique and intriguing. I also enjoyed the writing, it was neither lyrical nor flowery but I found it crisp and to the point. This also added nicely to the eery undertone - it's probably a stretch to call this horror but there were definitely some unsettling elements and I appreciated the over all atmosphere. It's also great that this was a standalone of which I find there aren't enough around. The author also did well in wrapping this up as it didn't feel rushed or in need of a second book to make this a more rounded story. Another aspect I really enjoyed were the cultural elements included.

Ying is a little tricky as a main character - I want to say she was fine. She won't be ranking among my favourite main characters but I also don't believe she is as unlikeable a main character as I've seen in some other reviews. She is capable both in terms of navigating the new court life and some fighting skills. She also didn't have a bad head on her shoulders, although she did make impulsive decisions from time to time.

One of the biggest critiques I've seen raised for this particular book was the romance or rather how fast Ying falls in love. I can see where these complaints are coming from and, as a lover of slow burn romance, I also felt deprived in that department. That being said, I don't actually think this was poorly done. Ying is still a young girl who dreamed of being in love and having high expectations of her arranged marriage with Prince Zhang Lin. Once she gets to know her husband to be, she is disappointed given rejective and domineering nature of the prince. I don't find it at all farfetched that it wouldn't take all that much for a girl in her position to then find solace in the Mirror Prince; he is the mirror image of the man she wanted to love but, unlike the real prince, treats her in a way that meets her expectations of love and care. From a reader's perspective, yes it feels things develop too fast and we're missing out, but I do also find it hard to blame Ying for it as, when I stop to think about it, I do see how this could have happened.

The main part that let me down was prophecy though. While I enjoyed the Mirror World and the general idea behind it, the prophecy around Ying and also in relation to the Mirror World felt underdeveloped. I don't think the prophecy was ever satisfactorily explained, especially in regards to what exactly The Fish is. I can let slide that Ying simply happens to be the chosen but I just couldn't quite wrap my head around what exactly this all entails and it unfortunately only became more convoluted as the story progressed. I actually feel as though I only have a vague notion of how things were solved in the end.

Despite all, I did enjoy this novel and do see myself reading it again in the future. I enjoyed the writing style and will definitely want to keep an eye on what the author writes in the future. I would still recommend giving this book a chance, especially if you enjoy Chinese inspired fantasy. I would just take it with a grain of salt that it's definitely not as great a book as it could have been, but I think the positives still merit giving it a fair chance.

This book has an interesting concept with the idea of this other world through reflective surfaces, where the beings were acting as reflections. However, it did feel as though it had plot holes which left me not fully understanding how it would work in actuality. The drama, suspense, and mystery all brought intrigue to the story and I was interested to see where the plot would take us. I had some suspicions about certain characters that turned out to be true. Ying seems very impulsive and immature, and not a character that I warmed to, so it was hard to really connect to the story and to feel invested in the outcome. The love triangle element in the story isn't one I enjoy either, nor is the instalove which seemed particularly far fetched. Overall I think the story didn't do itself justice but it was enjoyable enough to see it through to the end so I'm sure plenty of readers will love it.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

A beautiful romantic fantasy story with so much influence from Asian mythology and culture. I can see this being a big hit with my students.

The Girl With No Reflection
Keshe Chow

“As you now know, the mirror world is not like our own.”

This was a lush fantasy read about a girl set to marry the Crown Prince, except he’s cold and indifferent and confines Ying to her room, giving her no freedoms. Then there’s the rumours that swirl around the imperial whispers of seven other royal brides who after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.

Left alone with only her reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the mirror.

‘Her heart hammering, Ying leaned closer, not daring to breathe. A moment passed, deceptively calm. Then her reflection slammed against the glass, face up close, hair disheveled, teeth bared.’

On the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway and is pulled into the Mirror World. The Mirror World is full of sentient reflections including the enigmatic Mirror Prince.

‘Remember who the monsters are.
Who were the monsters? It was getting more and more difficult to tell.’

Ying soon learns that not everything is as it seems, not everyone is playing nice and the Mirror World is full of monsters.

She was to marry a most indifferent husband.
“You foresaw we would have an auspicious marriage, did you not?”

As you’re reading this you question who is good, who is bad and who, if any should you trust. I adored the paradox that there is two of everyone, a duplicate with their own minds. There’s evil and mystery lurking everywhere.

“You want to talk about playing dirty? You’re the one who poisoned me!”

We hit some of my favourite troupes, enemies to lovers, one bed at the inn and forced proximity. This was a fun escapism read.

‘Caught between two worlds. One, her own world, a familiar world, in which she was doomed to loneliness. The second, the Mirror Prince’s world: cold, vicious, full of monsters.’

Thank you so much for this ARC. @hodderbooks @keshwrites.
This was released 8th August, out now!

(REVIEW POSTED 26th AUGUST 2024)

This book was very entertaining for me, it was a quick and fun read and the pacing was really good. However...

The romance aspect was probably the most disappointing part of the book for me, it has some of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication, insta-love, and a love triangle (sort of? I guess we could call it that?) which I usually love, but this time it was annoying because it was mixed with the other two tropes. There's also the fact that the author kept telling us things instead of showing, therefore the chemistry between the characters wasn't something that we could feel, we just had to believe it's there.

The concept was very good: portal fantasy mixed together with Chinese lore and a drop of evil versions of the characters? Yes ma'am, sign me up please. Unfortunately, the execution lacked a bit in terms of character development and worldbuilding. We get bits and pieces about the mirror world all throughout the book, we learn about a prophecy, a song, and some myths which are only mentioned, but the magic system doesn't make much sense until very close to the end. I wish we had snippets of the myths, more thorough research done by the FMC, actual information coming from different sources which would help us understand how the magic works in both worlds.

There are also some small details which should've had that eureka moment, but we're left hanging. For example, the FMC remembers reading something about the mirror world leopards and how to defeat them, but doesn't remember what it was - and she never remembered; I was looking forward to that bit of information.

All in all, this was a fun and enjoyable read despite its flaws, and I'll definitely read the author's next book.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This story is an example of a good idea, but terrible execution. The begining held a lot of promise: I liked the horror/thriller element with reflections and the worldbuilding of the mirror world. Unfortunatly, once romance was introduced, the story went downhill. It felt like the author had a list of tropes that needed to be included - and it was done while sacrifising character development. Usually I like a good trope, especially when it includes twists, but The Girl With No Reflection was so predictable, that I guessed the ending and all the twists at around 40% mark.

1.5 stars

I've been struggling to write a review because I have some mixed thoughts! I don't want to be too serious because at the end of the day this is a YA book not an adult book (I was a bit confused on which it was because it says fuck a lot and people get hung)

I generally really enjoyed this book! The characters were fun to follow, the writing style was brilliant and the story was really interesting. However I did find a glaring issue and that was kind of in the main plot it's essentially the ending that put me in a downer

At the start with Mei Poe it's very "remember who the real monsters are" and "not all mirror people are evil" so in the end when they're all condemned to the same fate I just couldn't feel happy for our main characters. They froze them back into their mirrors when they were rebelling trying desperately to be free from their nightmarish lives forced to mimic those in the real world. I was really upset when they got locked back in there and there wasn't really a well done conclusion to that plot point of "remember who the real enemy is" and every other conversation with Mirror Mei Poe. It felt like a very odd direction for the book to go in given that the rest of it had been like not all mirror people are evil??

I think a way to fix this would've been once her family was hung, our main character goes on a destructive path of revenge and repeats the cycle? I think especially if the deaths of her family had been more directly caused by her mirror self and the mirror prince and their underlings so she condemns them and we get a villain arc!

I just found the ending for her locking them away being a bit underserved for the mirror people because it sounded so rough for them to deal with & I thought our main girl would've helped them and chosen kindness especially after Mei Poe died trying to teach her that and to not act in vengeance or rage.

It felt like the ending was poised as a happily ever after, but I just can't help but feel horrible for the mirror people & would've preferred if it was a villain arc and cautionary tale about violence, generational trauma and revenge.

Thanks to Netgalley and the pubòlisher for providing me with this ARC!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

-----------WHAT I ENJOYED: ------------

- So, I was really excited to get an arc of this book as it was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. I was hoping for a fairytale-esque adventure, that felt sweeping and magical. And, I'm happy to say, I absolutely found that in this book!

- I really enjoyed the ✨vibes✨ of The Girl with No Reflection. It had a very whimsical tone, with the magic and romance just making this story easy to fall into. However, it was also dark and gory in places, creating an atmosphere similar to the original Grimm Brothers' fairy tales! The author also took inspiration from traditional Chinese culture, which was woven throughout the story, creating an environment that felt steeped in history, whilst also feeling completely apart from our world. I thought that the author did a really great job in creating the impression that we were seeing a different version of history unfold - one where dragons and mirror people exist!

- Speaking of the mirror people, let's talk about them. Because, even though there are many versions of the "other self" or "doppelgänger" story (of course, The Vampire Diaries immediately comes to mind), Keshe Chow still managed to make this story feel unique and fresh. And, ultimately, I think that is down to the care with which the Mirror World was created. It was so interesting to uncover the lore and magic behind this world, especially as we learn about it and experience it all at the same time as our main character, Ying. We see her explore this world and find beasts she had never encountered before, and start to understand why we even have "reflections" in the first place. I think that most of these reveals about the world were paced perfectly, and created a depth that made me feel absolutely absorbed by the story.

- I also really enjoyed the romance in this book. Despite feeling slightly less developed on Ying's side, I thought that the romance was just really cute. You could tell how much they both wanted to love each other, whilst also trying to guard their hearts because of their circumstances. As soon as I met the Prince, I knew how much I was going to love his character. A lot of my highlights in this book are from the Prince showing how much he cares about Ying, and man, this man came out with some absolutely swoon-worthy lines. He made me fall in love with the romance, even if it was a little bit cheesy!

---------WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME:-----------

- An element of the book that didn't work for me, however, was the miscommunication between the characters. Ying annoyed me at times in how stubborn she was, and honestly, I felt that a lot of issues could have been solved if our characters sat down and had a single adult conversation. Don't get me wrong, I usually like a little bit of miscommunication but this was too much, even for me.

- However, the main issue that I had was that I think the first half of this book was a lot weaker when compared to the second half as, honestly, I think that the second half is where the book really shined. It was where we saw the action, where we finally understood the full scope of the magic system, and where the romance truly flourished. Whereas, the first half mainly focused on building up to twists that honestly...felt a bit predictable. I had guessed one of the twists from the beginning of the book, and so waiting for that reveal to happen felt like it really slowed the pace of the first half down for me. I think that if this reveal had come sooner, we could have spent more time on other things like developing the romance further, or seeing even more of this beautiful, but devastating, world that the author created.

---------OVERALL THOUGHTS---------

- Even though it wasn't perfect, I still found this to be an overall fun and enjoyable read. The fantasy elements really drew me in, and honestly, I'm super intrigued to see what this author writes next! I would definitely recommend picking this up if you are looking for some pure escapism, especially if you enjoy YA fantasy worlds usually!

Thank you again to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thoroughly entertaining, escapist debut from Chinese Australian author Keshe Chow - who practices as a cat vet in her other life. Chow’s YA novel blends romantasy with elements of other genres including flashes of horror. Her story builds on Jose Luis Borges’s short piece “The Fauna of Mirrors” which tells of a China in which reality is linked to a mirror world peopled by sentient reflections. Chow’s reworking of Borges is set in an imagined version of an Imperial Chinese court, a sprawling compound where 18-year-old Ying Yue’s now confined, reluctantly awaiting an arranged marriage to the Shan Dynasty prince, heir to the Emperor’s throne. But wandering the grounds surrounding her quarters, Ying encounters something terrible and inexplicable, reflections in the waters and mirrors that appear to have lives of their own. Creatures that may be the source of the sinister rumours about the Palace compound, a place where seven previous princesses have already disappeared without a trace. As the time for her wedding approaches, Ying becomes aware that her world has a mysterious counterpart, one that offers the possibility of escape and a means to dodge her fate. But her choices set off an ancient prophecy of war between her people and the people of the mirror world, one in which it seems she has a pivotal part to play.

Inspired by writers like Chloe Gong and Joan He, Chow’s fast-flowing narrative incorporates storylines and imagery from Chinese mythology such as the famous tale of the moon goddess and the archer; and features mythic creatures from dragons to water ghosts. I found the romance aspects, which leans heavily on the enemies to lovers trope, less enticing than other aspects of the plot - but then again, I’m not a huge fan of romance novels. But I enjoyed other aspects, particularly Chow’s variation on a coming-of-age story centred on hapless-but-feisty Ying, who gradually learns to navigate the complexities of her position and the challenges presented by the mirror world – a place that reminded me a little of Star Trek: Discovery’s mirror universe. Although it could be a little clunky at times, it's also carefully crafted with numerous pleasing twists and turns, and features a suitably gripping and dramatic climax fuelled by the collision of the mirror universes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟/5
Unfortunately, this book turned out to be YA in every negative sense of the word. The Girl With No Reflection is a house of cards built upon some of the most frustrating (and my least favorite) tropes without having any element of surprise or good writing to support the plot.

I was insanely excited to read this because of the stunning cover and the mythology that inspired it. I was hoping to find one-just one- YA five star read for 2024. Boy I was wrong.

To begin with, the first 50% was an absolute slog to get through. It was uneventful, mostly. Ying is one of the most insufferable MCs I've ever come across. She's annoying and constantly makes dumb decisions that put her into trouble. The writing style bothered me throughout the book. The prose is juvenile. I get that this is a debut, but it just didn't work for me. The dialogue was cringy and too modern. It stood in stark contrast with the historical-esque setting. The initial 'love triangle' was absolutely terrible. The characters lacked chemistry and it wasn't believable.

The plot itself was very weak. It was very predictable. I could see most of the twists coming and watching Ying fall into such traps over and over again was extremely frustrating as a reader. The concept of a mirror world was very cool and had so much potential but wad totally butchered. There were quite a few glaringly obvious plot holes that were not explained.

****KINDA MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD****
Just as I was starting to enjoy the book a bit more with the high stakes and all, the conclusion was disappointing. In a SHOCKING turn of events, the thing that saves the world from its downfall is *gasp* THE POWER OF LOVE!!! This particular plot device has aged like milk for me. Love that is not even believable saving the world is just incredible.
****END OF SPOILERS****

Overall, I feel like Keshe Chow had all the ingredients for an amazing story got the recipie wrong. The author definitely has potential, though and can definitely put out great stories.

**DNF at 30%**

After making a good effort to read this book, I finally had to accept defeat and move on. The book had an intriguing concept—a bride realises her reflection is moving, and on the day of her wedding is eventually pulled into another world within the mirror.
However, the writing style, characters, and overall plot just didn't work for me.

I felt the plot was rushed and found myself more annoyed than entertained while reading. Despite the promising premise, I struggled to connect with the story and its characters. The pacing didn't allow for enough character development, which made it hard for me to become invested in the narrative.

That being said, this book might appeal to readers who enjoy YA fantasy with unique concepts and who aren't too concerned about character depth.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. A mix of fantasy and horror with inspiration from East Asia.

Set in two worlds, the normal world and the mirror world which you can be locked/stuck in while only able to look through the mirror at your world.

There are mythical creatures, mystery, violence, characters you love, characters you hate and romance.

I read this book very quickly as I couldn't put it down

A very beautifully written books, I loved the imagery and visuals it gave me whilst reading.
The world building and characters were done really well.
I would like to read more by this author in the future!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was a rough one for me. (I hate reviewing ARCs and giving a negative review but wow, this was bad.)
The first half was fine, it felt very classic young adult Asian fantasy. The concept of a mirror dimension where our reflections are real, actual people was interesting.

But my god, this was let down by its writing style, by its long, drawn out plot and its flat characters. Around 50% in, it feels like the author is doing everything in their power to hit some sort of word count. (I hate the miscommunication trope so much, and that was a big part of this.)

The main character… She falls instantly for the character that is clearly going to betray her. She then instantly falls for the other character after the betrayal. She’s very traditional, but then she’ll randomly swear in a way that feels too modern for the story.

Spoilers here: there is a scene where her brothers get hung. Two of several brothers, and she never mentions their names. It’s just her brothers. Nameless brothers, hanging for her perceived crimes. And she seems very upset, and the scene is honestly written kind of graphically. And it felt so out of place? Like it was there just to get an emotional reaction.

This just didn’t know what it wanted to be. I probably have more complains, but yeah, I really didn’t like this. If this was much, much shorter, with much tighter editing, and with actual personalities for its characters, this could’ve been great.

1⭐️

The concept is unusual and sounds promising, two identical but different worlds at war claiming their places. This is a good entry to YA Chinese mythology as it is easy to absorb. It started strong, but with the female lead's naivety and impulsiveness, I became less confident on how this would end. Most revelations unfolded were predictable and the lovers' spat are almost ridiculous, but the book's ending appeased me.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the free copy!

The book has perfect setting, perfect characters and just the perfect amount of spice. I loved the description of two different realms and how the main character had a part to play in both the realms. In one realm, there was a responsible prince in real world while in the other realm, beyond the mirror, there was a charming mirror prince. All the strange happenings consumes Ying Yue and on the eve of her wedding, she accidentally opens the gateway to another realm. The secrets haul off and mystery unveils with romance, curse, prophecy and quest.

Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

Stunning cover and interesting concept, but quickly falls into too many ya tropes that are clunkily executed.