Keshe Chow
Delacorte Press
6 August 2024
322
eBook - EPUB
YA Fantasy
ARC via NetGalley
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 palace: 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.
The Girl with No Reflection was one of those books (of which I've sadly read a few this year) where there was an amazing and intriguing premise but the execution let it down. The concept of the mirror world was great and was one I was excited to explore, but sadly the book didn't completely come together for me. Ying Yue was a difficult character to get behind, especially due to her switching-back-and-forth insta-love between the princes. Meanwhile, the two princes and the rest of the cast of characters were not fleshed out enough to hold my attention. The prose could have done with some tightening, especially in the dialogue, which at times made me cringe. However, as a plus point, I did enjoy the mythology elements and, as stated at the start, the plot idea was strong. I am therefore giving this book 3.5 stars overall. This is a debut novel, I believe, so I would like to see this author continue to grow. This book isn't perfect, but it you are a fan of YA Fantasy with an Asian-myth focus and you don't mind some insta-love and clunky dialogue, you may still find something to enjoy here.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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