I love the unique world building of this story with the mirror people added with a prophecy to solved, it really capture my interest at the beginning.
However, there’s so many aspects in this book that I wish for more.

I couldn’t really understand some of Ying’s actions which really frustrated me most of the time then there’s the whole miscommunication with the love interest, Zhang Lin.
I’m also not a huge fan of how the romance started for both main characters.

There are some parts that sometimes took me out of the story especially when they ‘cursed’ in modern language which can be weird considering this was a historical fantasy book.
I also have so many questions for the plot, like how some things came to be. A few events happen so fast with no explanation which left me wondering why.

I had such high expectations at first cause this book had such a high potential to be a great one – the premise sounds promising, the cover looks great, it also had a fascinating world building as well. Unfortunately, this one didn’t work out for me.
I would’ve liked it better if there’s more room for explanation and character growth, maybe making this like a duology.

This was kind of a disappointment. I had been looking forward to this book for a while now (since early 2023) and was so glad to get my hands on it. This started off very strongly, and surprisingly horror-leaning. But it quickly became very tropey and predictable. The love interest and plot twists I could see coming from a mile away. If this book had decided to instead be a horror instead of a romantasy, it would have been a whole lot better. But instead it was your average YA fantasy. Plus the main character pissed me off because she was uncharacteristically stupid and naive. She also gets half her family killed as the consequences of her action and instead of reacting normally to that, she goes and makes out with the love interest, seemingly unfazed about her family's deaths that she caused. It was just poorly written and I probably won't reach for another Keshe Chow book unless it's an adult horror.

A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries

This was fine, I guess. I had high hopes but they fell flat. It's perfectly fine.

I honestly did not enjoy this book. It was really fast paced and enjoyable at the start, but then it went downhill as the mystery of the mirrors was being solved. My girl was so naive and did not have an ounce of suspicion in her, which I found to be really annoying when the truth was so obvious. Anyways you will never see me in front of a mirror again.

A Girl with No Reflection is an action-packed fantasy rich with Chinese Folklore to help Ying fight reflections from the mirror world and stop them from wreaking havoc. It’s dark with monsters creeping out of waters and mirrors, haunting Ying and her loved ones. Although the solution to patch the crack between their worlds sounded easy, her enemies didn’t let it go smoothly. It’s a turbulent journey filled with love, betrayal, and self-discovery.

It doesn't help that I've been in a massive reading slump recently, but I'm sad to say that this book really wasn't working for me. I ended up DNFing around the 25% part. Despite the somewhat mature content, the writing came across as very young to me which was a little off putting. Since I saw that it was being compared to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao (a book I absolutely loved), I think I just went into this with too high of expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was quite the surprise, and I enjoyed this much more than i originally anticipated. This was my first book by Keshe Chow, but she has proven an author to look out for. Full of beautiful writing that is evocative, and at times deeply disturbing, I could hardly put this down once started!

DNF at 35% not for me.

The love triangle was sharp and front and center. She fell deeply in love with one of them after a single interaction and the prince she was “married” to was condescending and EXTREMELY jealous.

Also there was one line that was unnecessary to me: “As she peered at it, her eyes adjusted, and she saw her own reflection sitting astride the real prince, pinning him to the bed. Letting out a short gasp, she averted her eyes. She didn't want to be caught acting like **a biàntài, a pervert**. Whatever was between those two was not hers to see. In a way, it was ironic: she was mimicking her reflection. Or soon would be. She quaked at the anticipation of what was to come.”

I understand it’s historical YA but I didn’t quite like the shaming for something others do enjoy.

2.5 ⭐️

The Girl with No Reflection started strong with Ying, our MC, getting pulled into a Mirror World right before her wedding to the crown prince. At first, the story had a creepy, horror vibe, especially when Ying saw her own reflection in the mirror. I was hooked and couldn't stop reading.

But as I kept going, I started to lose interest and Ying started to irritate me. Initially, I appreciated her fierceness and determination, but later on, she seemed so naive, overly temperamental, and quick to judge other characters (and act on her insubstantial assumptions).

I found the romantic subplot a bit disappointing as well. Ying seemed to fall in love, almost to the point of obsession, with one of the love interests rather quickly. I mean, it felt totally unrealistic for her to be so deeply in love with someone after knowing him for only a couple of days (and having just three conversations with him in total!).

The whole prophecy thing was messy and confusing, with no clear explanation of why Ying was the chosen one or what the path to fulfil the prophecy actually entailed. Everything was taken for granted and I found the whole "fish" thing rather hard to follow.

In the end, the mirror world was the only thing that I found cool, although I would have liked to learn more about the world beyond the mirror and its inhabitants.

I was pulled in by the cover and the synopsis but it also surprised me in more ways than one - especially the creepy/horror vibes at first! I was definitely not expecting that😂 The mirror world and the different characters were quite intriguing and I loved discovering things slowly along with Ying!

Unfortunately, I decided to put this book down at around the 30% mark. I think the general idea was super unique and I was so excited for the potential story. However, the story wasn’t well executed and consisted of a lot of telling versus showing. There were also several developments that felt very out of left field/sudden that didn’t make much sense to me. I think The Girl With No Reflection reads more middle grade rather than YA, except for the seemingly random adult moments thrust upon the reader. I really tried to give this book a chance, but it kept going downhill as I continued reading. This story wasn’t for me, sadly.

Thank you to Delacorte Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

I love a book which finds a foot-hold in mythology and retelling, however I was unfamiliar with the myth or lore behind this particular tale. I have been reading more eastern myths and writings recently but I found this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I do believe the concept was clever but the main character is introduced as being prepped for marriage as the book opens. However, as the book progresses, she seems to stay in this very young, almost naive mindset and does not "grow" a great deal. At times I am not certain if I am supposed to cheer on the brooding prince or just think of him as being "the stoic one". I did enjoy the mirror world where creatures of myth and legend are real and can do real damage.

I understand this book is YA and I love a good YA fantasy, I simply think it was not the type of romantasy I was looking for at the moment and the relationships weren't as well rounded as I hoped. Overall, I do give it 4 stars because I was able to read it quickly and stay intrigued by the story. It was hard for me to stay in the moment with this one but I could see where others could really enjoy it.

✨🪞✨Fantastically Magical, Horrifically Thrilling & Utterly Romantic! ✨🪞✨

Wow!!! This was absolutely fantastic! Combining Chinese Mythology, enemies to lovers romance, horror elements, mystery and magic - Keshe Chow has weaved one of the most unique & badass YA Fantasy tales I have ever read! It had me invested from the very first page and kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire tale!

🪞 Mirror World
🔍 Mystery
✨ Magic
📜 History
⚔️ Battles
🏯 Empire
💍 Betrothal
👑 Royalty
🖤 Romance
🐉 Chinese Mythology

The Girl With No Reflection is a stellar debut novel and I’m so excited to see what Keshe Chow has in store for us next!

Thank you so much TBR and Beyond Tours for the advanced copy!

The Girl with No Reflection is a YA fantasy loosely based on Imperial China.

At the center of the story is Ying, a young woman who was matched to the crown prince and swept away from her home and everything she’s ever known. Ying’s early interactions with the prince leave her wishing for a life elsewhere, and when she’s given the choice, she takes it. Except, some offers really are too good to be true.

Ying’s a strong, independent character, but she lacks depth and can be unrelatable at times. There’s opportunity for the prince to be the more interesting of the two, but he spends so much time glowering that it feels like a missed opportunity.

The best part of The Girl with No Reflection is the mirror world. This is where debut author Keshe Chow shines. She hooks readers from the start, and really sets the stage going forward. The magical world that Chow creates is exciting and clever, and I wish she had explored it more. And it makes me wonder how the story told from the mirror world Ying’s perspective would have played out.

And while Chow’s magical world is, well, magical, I wish she had spent more time with her prose, which feels contemporary in a story that is very much not. There were a few spots where I actually paused and went, “what?”

That said, I still enjoyed The Girl with No Reflection, reading it in less than three days. It’s a decent YA fantasy.

Sensitivity note: violence, gore, swearing, death, suggestive sexual content

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC copy of this book.

This book grabs the reader's attention from the very first chapter as the story becomes unsettling pretty quickly. But unsettling does not mean bad or scary, it's not a scary book just a bit creepy but the interesting kind of creepy. If I were to describe this book in three (3) words they would be: magical, honorable, and intriguing.

The main character is a strong willed princess, Ying, who has to marry a prince she thinks it's not happy about their arrangement. She soon learns that whatever she thinks about the prince is not the worst thing about her new life at the palace. Ying is an easily impressionable character, but I guess she shows her age despite being pretty independent and straightforward with her decisions. The prince, Zhang Lin, is a bit of a softy when it comes to the princess but he's really strong and strategic. I like the prince, he's a nice character to read about.

Overall, the characters were well developed and the story was interesting enough to keep me reading the next chapter. I think the last few chapters could have been more concise to avoid the looking like they were filling the story until the resolution, but maybe I just wasn't that interested in the detailed descriptions of all that was happening.

I really really enjoyed this one! Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a bit of everything! The beginning that’s a bit creepy, the mystery of the mirror people, the love triangle that’s an interesting one for sure and the prophecy. I really loved how all the questions I had through the book were all answered by the end of the story. There were things that were a bit predictable and others that annoyed me a bit (certain character that I’m sure everyone hates lol) but it did not bothered me enough to ruin the story for me.

Also Ying and Zhang y’all!! their back and forth, slow-burn enemies to lovers banter was so good!! I was screaming internally asking myself when were they going to kiss 😂

There was so so much that I was not expecting and honestly the idea of a mirror world was really cool and scary at the same time.

I’m adding KC to the list of autobuy authors!

This baby has been out for a week! If you haven’t read it you should!

4.5 stars

Definitely unique story. Ive never read a book where there is a mirror world with copies of us. The premise was awesome and i really enjoyed that part. The romance was a little cliché but it was also really entertaining to watch bloom. However I still feel like somethings missing for me to give it a 5 star review. Great for a younger YA audience somewhere around 13 to 18 years old wpuld be the best suggestion.

This was such a fabulous debut and I inhaled it so quickly! I look forward to what this author does next.

I absolutely loved this one, it’s a new fave of mine. If you are into Chinese mythology at all this one needs to be a must read for you!

I adored this book from start to finish. It starts out with a bang and made me wonder if this was going to be scarier than I thought lol, but it stays in a comfortable spot with really cool eerie scenes that never get too overwhelming. It becomes a cool blend of fantasy, horror, mythology, and romance!

Ying is a fantastic main character. I really liked how she didn’t follow the trend of closed off FMCs. She was excited for her wedding, until her groom was colder than she was expecting. She loved love and just wanted to have a fairytale romance with her betrothed. Much of the book centers around her chasing the love she deserves. Once she learns that the prince is keeping her at arms length but the Mirror Prince is affectionate, she struggles with where her loyalties should lie.

The Mirror World was fascinating! I loved seeing all the Chinese mythology and creatures. There were so many mysteries, especially as Ying was trying to decide who to trust.

The romance that eventually developed was beautiful, I absolutely loved how they balanced each other. And the ending was perfect.

Thanks to the author for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

Ying knows that her duty is to marry the prince, but her heart doesn’t want to follow what duty dictates. It doesn’t help that the prince is cold and aloof, keeping her locked in her rooms of the palace and never letting her out. Also, the fact that he doesn’t listen to her when she tells him that there is something strange happening in the palace. It’s almost a relief when Ying’s reflection steps out of the mirror, and asks to take Ying’s place. As Ying learns more and more about the mirror world, and the magic that can exist just on the other side of a pane of glass, she wonders just what the right choice is. And as she gets to know the prince’s reflection, she also wonders why she was engaged to marry the prince of her world, when the prince of the mirror world is the one meant for her.
I received an advanced reading copy of The Girl with No Reflection in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl with No Reflection is a young adult fantasy novel by Keshe Chow. It’s a novel that is loosely inspired on Imperial China, but fills that world with magic.
First things first, I absolutely loved the mirror world. I loved the idea of it, of this entire world existing right on the other side of the mirror. I loved how Chow described the different light of it, its rules, and how so many magical creatures existed in this world. I will say that the first chapters of the book has me convinced it would be a scary read, with weird stuff happening in mirrors, but I did appreciate just how much the mirror world was developed, and what we got to see of it.
The book is also fast paced, especially once you get past the halfway mark. Honestly, now that I’m thinking back on these last few days reading this book, I’m realizing just how much Chow managed to fit in here. I’m impressed! Every time that I thought I knew where the story was going, there was a twist (some unexpected, some not), and the story took off in a new direction. It makes for the kind of book where you’re excited to see where it’s going to go next, and how it’s going to affect the overall storyline.
I think my main struggle reading this, though, was Ying herself. There’s a moment in here where she accuses the prince of blowing hot and cold, but she herself could be accused of exactly the same thing. She never seems to know how she feels, which might be why I had a hard time connecting with her, and after a while, I did get frustrated by how much she was angry at the prince. I did understand that she was in a rough situation, forced into a marriage she never wanted, and the prince wasn’t exactly showing off how good of a match he was, but she would keep being angry at him all the time and I began to wonder if it was to keep up the miscommunication trope throughout.
My next comment is getting very much into spoiler-y territory, so please be aware of that before reading.
I loved the mirror world, and in the writing there kept being comments about how they learned to be violent from the people they were imitating (the people in the real world). The reader was told how the people in the mirror world were cursed, and their sun was extinguished, and while many of them were angry and wanted to take over the real world in revenge, I kind of understood why? In the end, when Ying closes the barrier between both worlds and saves her own, I knew she was condemning the mirror world to basically continue being cursed, and so I kind of felt like something was missing. I was really hoping that there would be more, that they would figure something out about the curse, or help the mirror people in some way, rather than condemning them all to continue living in their very trapped existence. But I’m guessing there was no room for that in here. I already mentioned that a lot happened in this book, so that likely would have made everything much much longer, and this is a young adult novel after all. There’s only so long it can get! But still, I wish I’d gotten that.
In the end, I read this whole book in three days. It’s a fun and easy read, and people who love reading about mirror worlds or fantasies inspired on Imperial China will likely enjoy this quite a bit! As for me, I had fun, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it. I don’t know if I’ll ever look at my reflection the same way again!