This felt like an average YA fantasy read. It was fun and enjoyable, something unique and different, but not one that will stick with me.

One of the facets that was a drawback for me was the modern language. The profanities had a tendency to take me out of the story and at times felt out of place and/or immature. It was a drawback for me and my ability to immerse myself in a pretty neatly built fantasy world.

I also didn't love some of the characters. Both princes were pretty mediocre. There was nothing to draw me in and get me invested in the romance. I also felt Ying fell in love too quickly. I am a huge fan of a slow-burn romance. When the character falls too quickly, it often feels like there's a lack of development and it makes it feel too YA to me. I didn't see the chemistry and the development.

The plot was fun and unique. It was the strongest part of this read and it was enough to keep me engaged and continuing on. Had some of the other facets (character and relationship development) been sufficiently coupled with it, this would have felt like a top notch read.

For me, this was a solid, average read: three stars.

Creepy and swoonworthy with lots of twists and turns! Can't wait for the next book by Keshe Chow!

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte for this ARC!

3.5/5 stars

It's been a long time since I've read a standalone fantasy, and there are good things and bad things about them.

The first good thing is that the action gets started right away because every page is so important and the author doesn't have multiple books to span the story. However, the bad thing is there are only so many pages and certain stories might be better spread across two or three books.

The Girl with no Reflection started off quickly and yet I wish there had been time to build a little more paranoia and suspense into what's happening to Princess Yue in the palace. The whole premise of the story was very interesting and gave an Alice in Wonderland feel with the mirrors, and I think this series would have benefited from a duology to give some more back story and build up. I liked the dynamic between Yue and the two princes, though the twist was a little predictable. (Though that also comes from reading similar stories and understanding the "formula" for drama and story movement instead of anything the author did or didn't write.)

I think she created a wonderful world and, again, would have just benefited from more pages to delve into certain details a little more. Also to really flesh out the relationships between the characters. There were so many people that it was hard to establish these connections with such a relatively short number of pages.

Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Children's | Delacorte Press. for the chance to read a book in exchange of an honest review.

Princess Ying Yue is chosen as a new bride for the crown prince and her dreams of love and fairytale soon fall apart, because her new husband is cold and indifferent, confining her in her rooms without a true reason. And the rumors about seven other women disappeared after their own weddings don't help her being calm and feeling safe in her new life. Left alone with her own reflection, Ying starts to see weird things, movements, lights and on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly open a getaway and she's pulled into a mirror world. There, there are sentient figures, like the Mirror Prince, who, unlike her prince, is kind and lovely and soon they fall in love. Soon she will discover the bloody stories these two worlds share and her role in them, before it's too late like it was for the other spouses.

Mysterious, creepy, brilliant are only a few adjectives I want to use to describe this book. I truly loved it and I felt so involved in the story. I felt for Ying, for her suffocating life and her dreams so shaken and then I followed her falling in love, discovering secrets and I was so proud of her journey. I loved this book so much, very original!

Being so honest, this book wasn't my cup of tea. I believed it to have a lot of potential and was highly intrigued by the premise but it fell flat on every front. The characters, including our lead, were barely developed beyond the surface level. As a reader, I struggled to empathize with and understand their motives. The lead character flip flops back and forth between two guys yet fails to establish convincing relationships with either one. I admit it started off strong with the fear and creepiness convincing enough to send minor chills down my back but from the second the plot began to establish itself, it lost me as a reader. Still, I believe Chow to have potential and this book isn't enough to deter me from completely forgoing another shot at a different publication.

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

A really great example of incredible premise with lackluster execution. I wanted to know more about the world and how it came to be and how it functioned--but there was so much focus on the insta-love, the frustrating inactions of our flighty MC, and the nonstop action that explanations and worldbuilding fell by the wayside.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Growing up I loved Alice Through the Looking Glass, I loved the idea have of having another world beyond the mirror. So when I saw The Girl with No Reflection, I knew I had to read it.

I love the concept of the story, it’s very unique. Plus there is a whole background lore that goes along with it that, I thought that part was well thought out. All of those elements of the story I liked very much.

Honestly I struggled a bit with the main character, Ying. She just made really silly decisions and I was trying to remind myself this is someone who is young and just sheltered I guess. It was hard though when you are like, seriously what’s the difference between this guy you don’t know and this other guy you don’t know. She made it seem like it was obvious. It was not. She was simply naive.

Despite getting frustrated with the MC I did like the story. It was very creative and I enjoyed the book. So I will read what the author has coming out next.

The mirror universe plotline was interesting, but overall there was a lot going on and lack of strong worldbuilding which made it a slog to get through. For readers looking for Asian-inspired ya fantasy, I wouldn't not recommend, but there are definitely stronger titles to recommend first.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't work for me. There were not enough explanations of plot points, world-building, or plot-logic. Things just kept happening and the main character didn't really interrogate anything. I really wish there had been more about the mirror world and it's past. I found it hard to stay invested in the story. The romance felt like its own story in a way and not well-integrated into the main plot problems though I did like the relationship between Ying and the Prince.

This book felt like two different books in one. The first half was intriguing and pulled me in immediately. I love the concept of a mirror world and was loving this one, until we got to the main conflict of the story and it fell apart. The second half was so different, I completely forgot we were dealing with a mirror world. There were cool concepts being introduced, but those were immediately discarded. All that could be forgiven if the story had strong characters, but that's not the case here. Both the Mirror Prince and real Prince are forgettable, and the main villain of the story all but disappears by the end. But the main problem is Ying, the main character. There are ways to create naive characters, but that is not present here. She acts based on the latest information she gets, no matter how inaccurate or destructive it is. How can she be surprised the gate is opened when she was told it would open if she passed?! There is no forethought with her, and it became aggravating to read from her perspective.

This is a book with a strong beginning, fumbled the middle, and missed the landing.

A great debut fantasy based on Asian mythology. A lot of mystery and suspense, but also great tension and romance between the MCs. The royalty aspect and mirror world were great!

I had to DNF this book sole for the fact that I am terrified of mirrors and things coming through them. What I read was so well written and I think it is engaging and a great idea I just cant read it with fear.

This was a really great read--super fun with wonderful world building. Great for fans of fantasy! I highly recommend this book.

This was such a unique concept with a mirror world! The slow build up was so worth it. Loved the Chinese mythology, the action and the romance!!!

(NetGalley froze me out of this at 83% complete. So, I had to wait for it to release, then wait for it to get to me from the library. Ugh, NG, just ugh.)
~4.25*~
This is an alternative history, magical realism, mature YA, romantic fantasy based in ancient China.
~
PROS & CONS
+World building.
+All (but especially the main) characters are believable.
+The plot is creative, weaving entertainment with mythology and history.
+Overall vibe alternates between (justifiable) feminine rage, creepy AF (mirror creatures), and ('just kiss/talk already!') romance.
+Contains a Queer couple (named secondary characters) with the FMC in firm support of them.
+Correct levels of violence and loss portrayed in the war they undertake. (While it may not be the kindest thing to consider a pro, it is rare to have anything touch main characters in stories like this. Though they don't get to linger over losses, because of war, it still occurs.)
++Dragons. Not just any dragons, Asian Dragons. Riding dragons using their manes to hold oneself upon them? Heck yeah.
+'Chosen One' internal mythos that actually works.
-/+ The FMC. This is a hit and miss issue, but especially near the beginning, she chafes. While the FMC is frustrating, she's also completely understandable. She is so out of her depth that her depth feels bad about how out of it she is. Start: being overly naive yet headstrong, nearly getting herself killed multiple times and instead opens a door that gets multiple people killed. Progress: being harsh in all interactions, asking accusing questions constantly, and still being so naive that she gets a bunch of people killed. End: naive but actually self-aware about it, extremely (justifiably) violent, and more mature by bounds.
- The Prince. Yes, yes, he's misunderstood and tortured and blahblahblah. He's also so frustrating. His learned sexism (or concept that safety = confinement) shows regularly, he doesn't explain anything in a way that doesn't sound like an order, his unlearning process is slow, and sometimes his tendency to assume he can handle threats (or challenges to his authority) gets them into just as much trouble as her naivete. At one point the Prince even lectures the FMC about being able to take guards and not needing to do everything herself, but also, he insists on doing the exact same thing.
-/+ The characters are very hormonal and struggle so hard to communicate, YA 'first love' style. These two MCs deserve each other so much; they balance each other's flaws and fit together in a way that reads more chemistry and real than many. (It gets hot & heavy, but after a certain point it fades to black, it nicely straddles the line between spicy and closed door, for YA audiences.)
- The lack of secondary named characters except villains (or key family members, or maids). Royals who run around without any guards, not even a convenient-to-name bodyguard. (When one is the dedicated heir to the Empire and the other is his 'destined bride', thus possibly being pregnant. I'm sorry, but how is there not at least a single guard per character?) The Price apparently has super loyal military unit guys, but we learn no names, and none play vital roles, we just see some die. While the few named secondaries we get... the maids' role rapidly dwindles out of the story and the family's roles are mostly tragic plot pieces. (Example? "The soldier who had given her his cloak"... like why not ask what his name is? Why must we have this poor nameless man referred to this way three times?)
- This is an oddly intermittent issue, as sometimes they're good about it and the rest they're awful, but the way animals are treated by the main characters. The dragons are not thanked, to the point that when one is being maimed the FMC physically and verbally assaults it because it's thrashing unthinkingly, endangering others. I get that the animals are voiceless characters, but 'putting it out of its misery' without communication is still not okay.
~
If you liked the general plot of Twilight* but wanted something better, I'd recommend this one.
*Not the vampire plot, the "normal girl stumbles into nonsense with powerful creatures, her and the guy she is obsessed with save their part of the world because she's actually super special" plot.
~
TLDR: Romantasy book girlies will love this, especially with that cover.

Keshe Chow’s The Girl with No Reflection is a dark, captivating story that blends mystery, fantasy, and deep emotional struggles. It’s a tale about identity, loss, and the search for truth, wrapped in a world that feels both eerie and mesmerizing.

The story follows a young girl, Sable, who lives a strange, isolated life in a world where she doesn’t cast a reflection. As she begins to uncover the secrets behind her condition, the book takes you on a journey full of twists and surprises. Sable is a relatable and flawed character whose vulnerability makes her easy to root for, even as she makes tough decisions in a world filled with danger.

Chow’s writing is beautifully descriptive, creating vivid imagery that immerses you in Sable’s hauntingly magical world. The atmosphere is often heavy with suspense, but moments of warmth and connection balance it out. Themes of self-discovery and facing one’s past are explored in a way that feels heartfelt and meaningful.

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy a mix of emotional depth and dark fantasy. With its unique premise and engaging storytelling, The Girl with No Reflection is a memorable and thought-provoking read.

Rating: 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this book and i can't wait to see where the author goes in the future with their writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for an ARC.

Princess Ying Yue is promised to the king’s son, but her dreams of a fairytale marriage fizzle when the prince treats her coldly and locks her in her rooms with no explanation and no company other than her mirrored reflection. Then one day, her reflection speaks to her and offers a bargain: switch places with her so the reflection can recover from a grievous injury, and the reflection will marry the prince. Ying agrees, and she discovers an upside-down world of danger and mystery, perhaps the most curious element of which is a handsome prince who’s warm and kind unlike his duplicate in the real world.

I really liked how this book brought together familiar elements– eastern mythology, enemies-to-lovers, a mirror world– and told an exciting, interesting story that had me glued to my e-reader. There’s so much suspense and mystery in the first few chapters that made me think this was more of a horror fantasy than a strict c-drama inspired fantasy, which I loved. I also really liked Ying, who manages to be distinct from most heroines– she certainly makes bad decisions, but it’s because her information is incomplete (not because she’s a moron). We also see her take action in real time rather than endless pseudo-lyrical prose that tells instead of shows.

There’s a bit of a McGuffin situation with an ancient book that I found less compelling (99 temples to search) and I found the ending wrapped up a little too neatly, but the ride was a lot of fun.

I learned from another review that this novel is inspired by “The Fauna of Mirrors” from Jorge Luis Borges, which I’ll have to hunt down.

It had an engaging premise but the author, in my opinion, did not have the skill to pull off the premise. In this book, the main character is betrothed to the prince but no longer wants to marry him after supposedly discovering that he’s cold and cruel. She ends up discovering that her reflection is sentient, that a whole other world exists through the mirror. She also makes a deal with her reflection and enters that world, instantly falling in love with the mirror version of the prince.

I have so many issues with this story, the least of which is the insta-love with the mirror prince and later with the real prince. I struggled to understand the mirror world (how it was created and how it became connected to the real world.) The main character was also a bit of a wet blanket that’s also somehow supposed to be a chosen one of sorts. I kept reading to see how the author would ultimately resolve the story, not because I enjoyed it. When I put it through CAWPILE (the rating system created by G at BookRoast on YouTube), it earned a three but I need to rework how I calculate my ratings because this book did not deserve a three star. I have downgraded it to a 2.5 stars.

"The Girl with No Reflection" is a captivating, eerie read that blends mystery with a touch of supernatural intrigue. The premise of a girl who can't see her reflection is super unique, and it really had me hooked from the start. The writing is atmospheric and tense, keeping you on edge throughout. The main character is relatable, and her emotional journey adds depth to the plot. While the twists and turns were thrilling, some parts felt a bit predictable, and I wish a few of the side characters were more developed. Overall, it’s a solid, gripping story that’s definitely worth the read!