Lonely Castle in the Mirror review

 TW: Bullying, predatory relationships, terminal illnesses are all mentioned here. 

This book had been on my TBR forever, and I am happy to report that this book was a great one!

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura follows Kokoro, a 7th grader who's been avoiding going to school after getting bullied. One day she discovers the mirror in her room is glowing! She then finds herself on the opposite side of the mirror in a castle run by the mysterious Wolf Queen. Several other kids her age are there, too, and they've all been skipping school for similar reasons. They are tasked with finding the Wishing Key, which will grant them a single wish, and they must complete the task by March 30th before the castle vanishes. However, if any of them choose to make a wish, all their memories of each other and being in the castle will be erased. 

Kokoro ends up forming close bonds with each of the other kids there while dealing with her own problems back home (mostly working up the courage to attend school regularly again). The kids all soon discover the one thing that they all share a connection with, which is also the reason why they were summoned to the castle. There are some more shocking reveals, but I won't get into them here! 

Yes, this book was a huge page-turner. It was such a cool blend of fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery, and great commentary on how bullying can impact us in the long run. It also discusses the importance of the support of your communities.

I gave it 4.5 stars, but that was just because of some details in the story that made me kind of uncomfortable. For part of the story one of the characters, named Aki, has a boyfriend that definitely should not be dating her (he's 23. I know, ick!). Luckily they don't end up with each other. The same Aki unfortunately also gets SA'd by her stepfather in one chapter, too. Luckily she is able to get away from him and never deal with him again. Another character, named Rion, also lost his older sister due to a terminal illness (it's never stated what it is, but I think it might be the disease that shares its name with a zodiac sign). It's sad, but I know terminal illnesses can be a trigger for a lot of people. So keep all of this in mind and proceed with caution if you choose to read this book.