I hate reviewing a debut novel this low but reading this book felt like a chore. I found the main character to be almost unreadably whiny, and hated every bit of the romance in this book. I felt like I had nothing to root for, and by the time it felt like there were any real stakes to this conflict, I was so far into the book that I'd already gotten frustrated with it and just wanted to put it down and never pick it back up again. So much of the plot relies on the main characters just suddenly realizing crucial information without ever receiving the pieces used to put those conclusions together as a reader. Unfortunately this was just a frustrating read for me. I really hope this book finds its audience and finds people who absolutely love it. I really wish I'd fallen into that group, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me at all.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Girl With No Reflection follows Ying Yue, who falls into a mirror world the night before her wedding to the crown prince.

I didn't go in expecting this book to be quite as horror-esque as it was, but the horror elements were a pleasant surprise. Those horror elements really elevated this romantic fantasy for me in a way I found pretty compelling. I did struggle with some other elements, most notably the romance -- it didn't feel particularly earned to me, at least not at the outset -- and the pacing. I felt like there was a distinct difference in vibe from the first half of the book to the second, and would've loved a more even pace or even just a better balance between the slow, mysterious first half and breakneck speed second half.

Overall, this was a really solid debut for me that managed to execute some solid elements and ultimately had me curious and invested for the entire read. I'll definitely look forward to whatever Keshe Chow has in store next.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
Happy Book Birthday Keshe Chow!!!

Wow! Sometimes I feel like I read novels that just all begin to read the same (mainly because of the tropes and I especially feel like this with romance novels) but this was something new entirely! I was very intrigued by the whole reflection aspect (I have been since a particular Doctor Who episode I watched when I was in HS that creeped me out) and the Mirror Realm really met my expectations. I thought Ying would spend more time there in that world but I can understand why she didn't. I also throughly enjoyed how the plot moved. The prophecy and Ying's powers were a bit confusing at times but I followed along eventually.

Part of the reason it's four stars is because Prince Zhang was a little too hot and cold for me, especially in the beginning. I understand his reasoning but he still could have been nice and closed off from her. All around though I really liked both him and Ying and never really trusted their mirrored versions. I knew Mirror Prince was a little too nice lol

What a stunning debut novel! I love the idea of the mirror world being a whole different dimension with living people that have been forced to copy the movements of people on Earth. And the concept is executed so well in this story. Another thing that worked well, but I sort of saw coming was how Ying ran from the arranged marriage with the prince and thought she was going to be happy in the mirror world with the Mirror Prince over returning to the actual Prince, yet everything is not as it seems there. And while I saw some of what happens coming, I thought that it was written so well.

The world and the creatures are so interesting and magical that it was easy to get sucked into this book. Ying grows and evolves so much in the story and so does the Prince. Their character development is a strong point in this story full of so many good things.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @PenguinTeen and @netgalley for the eARC of the book. All thoughts are my own.

DNFed @ 32%

I was captivated from the start because of how dreamy the writing is and how the plot just grabs you by your jugular and doesn't let go. However, it all just went downfill from there. The concept was so damn cool and I was really looking forward to a more plot centric story, and while it did live up to its more thrilling compoments, I wanted more character action, not... the romance.

I'm normally the first person looking forward to the romance of any book, however, if it's not done well, I just prefer if it's just left out entirely (cough cough *stormlight archive, definetly not looking at you). At that point, I started losing interest.

2 stars

this is such a hot mess and i’m trying so hard to be more critical about it then just straight up mean

- it relies on so many tropes and none of them were executed well, enemies to lover, lover to enemies (with another character), chosen one, fated prophecy, “strong” female character. it’s like they all got tossed in with the plot a stirred around a bit
- the amount of plot twists that had zero alluding to them had me almost crying like “of course *eye rolls*”
- the dialogue, its historical fantasy. i expect the characters to at least talk to one and another with that hierarchy from historic time period, not throwing around the word fuck that many times. it’s just so modernize and completely takes me out. along with that, the chinese words and integration is so poor. i don’t understand the choice the author makes choosing the chinese word over the english (and they cuss in chinese too a handful of times), if it’s integrated well i wouldn’t have an issue, but there’s multiple time where its “(chinese pingyin of word) (english word of the same meaning)” right next to each other. if you’re gonna use chinese term in the book, the reader should be able to infer the meaning by context after the word. because as someone who knows chinese, in my brain i just read the character saying the same word twice.

i’m not gonna even going to speak on the actual plot and characters cuz i will probably end up tearing it to pieces

3.25 stars.

A high fantasy adventure full of danger, intrigue, and romance for fans of young adult romantasy.

I was really excited to get an ARC The Girl with No Reflection. The cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded intriguing. However, now that I've finished it, I'm conflicted about how to review this book. It's a debut young adult novel, and that shows throughout the book, especially in the characters' dialogue and the dynamics between characters. There were a lot of moments where I was thrown out of the story by the modern use of language and the way the main character acted towards others, especially the royal family, and the way emotional elements were handled felt overly juvenile and unrealistic at times.

That said, since it is a debut, I was willing to forgive all of that and I genuinely did enjoy the first half of the book. The first couple chapters especially hooked me completely, and the author did some interesting things with the world building and setting the stage for the major conflict. The tension of the impending war also added a nice element of suspense and drama. However, then the mid point (and the first "Big Reveal") hit, and I started losing my enjoyment. In the second half, the romance plotline took front seat, and it got frustrating for me. The romance felt rushed and forced, and I did not like the dynamic between the romantic leads. Had more of the focus stayed on the action and the war plotline I probably would have had a better time, but instead I found myself rushing to the end.

As for the end, it was fine and very on-point with many young adult fantasy novels, but I did feel like it was too rushed, and a bit trite for my liking.

While I enjoyed many aspects of this novel, I lost interest in the second half since the way the romance element and the emotional scenes were handled felt off and unrealistic to me, especially from an adult perspective. Despite that, an actual young adult fantasy romance reader would likely enjoy this book!

What I liked:
- The premise and the overall plot was entertaining.
- The world building was interesting and lovely.
- The conflict was built up well.

What I didn't like:
- The romance elements didn't work for me.
- The main character also started frustrating me in the second half as the romance took a more central role and she was forced to react to more tense and emotional events.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Plotline: 4/5
World-Building: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Tropes: F/M Romance; Arranged Marriage; Fate; Chosen One

Themes: 4.5/5
Romance: 4.5/5
Spice Factor: 1
Enjoyment Factor: 4.5/5

Review: This was such a unique concept, and it was executed phenomenally! I loved the mirror world aspect was so cool, and I wanted more from both worlds as I was sucked into the book like the MCs were sucked into their mirrors. I love how everything was a flip and how the magic worked in both worlds. I was worried it would be too convoluted of a concept to keep track of, but this was far from it. Ying was such a formidable character, and I really enjoyed her character arc as she really came into herself and her magic as the story progressed, which was amazing to see. I did find the twists to be pretty obvious, but I didn't really care.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why the cover of this book kept giving me Snow White vibes?

The Girl with No Refleciton by Keshe Chow is a YA fantasy novel about 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. 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 characters were cool. the story was meh. Overall I wasn't overly impressed at this book. If anything, it's just another title to add to my ever-growing Goodreads goal total.

I really enjoyed The Girl with No Reflection! The premise captivated me from the beginning and I was excited to follow Ying through her journey into the mirror world. One criticism I have is that often the language the characters used was more reflective of the modern era and I would have liked to see the language fit the setting more accurately. However I did enjoy the worldbuilding and court intrigue!

I'm not gonna lie: I couldn't make it through the first few pages of this. It's such an interesting premise but my brain has no desire to read this. Maybe I will try again later.

I really enjoyed this! The premise sucked me into the story, and it was fast-paced, so I finished it in less than two days! I loved the mirror concept; it was so cool. and the plot twist was everything. I loved Ying, she was really cute! Zhang Lin had me swooning.

Ying Yue is a princess, by virtue of her recent marriage to the crown prince. Around the time of her marriage, she began to see odd things around the corners of her vision, flickers and oddities in mirrors - things that turn out to be real, when she accidentally shifts through the mirror to the world of reflection on the even of her wedding. Thus begins an adventure with mirror image doppelgangers who are dependent upon whichever person or animal they reflect for their ongoing existence, due to a curse put upon them by an ancient emperor.

Ying Yue is an interesting character, raised to be a proper member of the Chinese elite; the only daughter in her family, she was given far more leeway than was normal, including learning fighting skills alongside her 4 older brothers. This left both uniquely qualified to fight the mirror beings, and somewhat unready for her new life as a wife of the crown prince. This novel is a blend between fantasy and mythology, with some romance thrown in as well. Intrigue and politics - issues common to any story with royals at the center of it - are evident within the story, along with family issues in Ying's new home. This novel did start a bit slowly, but it got better as it went, so bear with it if you have trouble getting into it at the start. Recommended for teens and adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read the first chapter of The Girl with No Reflection and decided to not finish it. I rarely read young adult mixed with adult fiction books but decided to give this one a chance since the summary seemed captivating. I do not like adult fiction because the ones I have read suffer from the same downfall: the descriptions are infinite, the plot is absent, and the writing is off. I struggled through the first chapter and the enervating descriptions as Ying washed her face in a pond, battled with seeing something concerning beneath the water, and unloaded an unnecessary description of how she ended up at the palace. I would rather have seen the info dump be included throughout conversations with her and the palace residents instead of a huge inclusion in the first chapter. Thank you for giving me the chance to read this.

A girl caught between to two worlds with a blood-soaked history and she has a role to play in the future of both.
We meet Princess Ying Yue. She believed In love, once. But when she is chosen to wed the crowned prince. Her dreams of a fairytale marriage are quickly blown away like ash on the wind.
Left alone with nothing with her own reflection. Ying begins to see things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights dancing upon its surface.
And when in the eve of her wedding she unwittingly tears open a gateway into a mirror world. This world is everything she expected from its counterpart. A mirror Prince who is kind and compassionate. She quickly falls in love and is enamored with motor world.
But like every pretty shiny place, there is a darkness.
And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was too late.
I honestly really enjoyed this book. The twists and turns had me unsure of how this book would end. The main character was one of those characters you just enjoyed seeing her find her own voice and be the bad B you knew she could be. And the concept of a mirror world and being at war with it was for sure a unique concept that I was enraptured by.
And the romance! Don’t get me started. I had a feeling Ying’s mirror romance was a little suspicious and would end up being a twist.
Overall this book was absolute delight that had me gasping in shock, delight and horror. Which is a sign of a good book in my personal opinion.
I would for sure recommend this book if you are looking for a unique and engaging read that will be one of your top reads of the year
4.5 ⭐️
Thanks to the amazing folks at NetGalley for a ARC of this book. I’m so appreciative and my review is an honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

The book reads like a Chinese historical fantasy drama but condensed. Which is one of my favourite genres. But because it is condensed it leads to questions about the worldbuilding and lack of depth in the characters. I do like the worldbuilding overall, the history of the mirror world and its ties to real world were interesting and well thought out. However, there were times where it felt flimsy. For example, the prince and Ying take off in the middle of the night and I was confused as to why everyone just let them go off alone. Not only that, they stayed out for a long period of time and no one was looking for them.

The characters were two dimensional. Ying spends most of her time making the wrong decisions convinced she is right. When it is revealed how wrong she was, there is a a brief moment of doubt and then she is off making decisions convinced she is right. The antagonists were more interesting and drove the plot forward. Their overall motives were very understandable but because they were going up against the protagonist they were labelled as evil.

The ending felt a little short and unsatisfactory. What Ying does to win and the result of it made it seem like history was going to just repeat itself.

I loved learning about Chinese mythological creatures that were previously unknown to me. The concept of a mirror world was also interesting – especially regarding their energy source, coldness, life cycle, and abilities. The world-building was vivid – for both sides of the mirror. While their world is a reflection of ours – that doesn’t mean it is the same, just like its inhabitants.

“I’ve lived over a thousand years, child. I’ve seen what war does. I’ve seen how many lives it destroys.” For the first time ever, Mei Po sounded tired. “It’s not just those who die in battle. It’s also the ones left behind. The trauma amplifies through generations, and neither your people nor mine ever learn.”

Ying was a great character – she was dedicated to her family, loyal, and kind. She owned her flaws (most of the time) but sometimes she would have a little epiphany about her behavior or someone else’s but then sometimes also continue doing it. That was mildly frustrating but didn’t heavily detract from her character. Ying and the Prince(s) posed the most intriguing love triangle I have experienced to date – bonus points for that even though I’m not a fan of them. Mei Po was one character that I would have loved to learn more about, I would read a story about her.

This book’s twists were nothing I could predict and it was the best – it’s been a while since a fantasy book achieved that. I learned a lot about foods, mythological creatures, and traditions from this book. I only wish that my Scribe had been able to successfully translate some of the things that I wanted to know more about – had my copy not been an arc I don’t think that this would be an issue, it was just an extra step to pull out my phone and search around.

Many, many thanks to TBR & Beyond Tours and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read this stellar debut fantasy novel. Keshe Chow is one to watch going forward – I am excited to see what story she crafts next. The Girl With No Reflection reminded me of Mulan and The Bone Witch. Ironically enough, my daughter was in a whole phase of listening to Mulan on her Toniebox at the same time I was reading this book & I could draw similarities in personality between Mulan and Ying. Rounded from 4.5 stars.

There were so many things about the book that I enjoyed! I loved the premise of a dark mirror world with sentient reflections and hidden motives. I loved the tender moments between Zhang and Ying. I loved the beautiful imagery of the palace, woods, and dragons. The book also had great pacing which made me want to continue reading.

I do think that some of the dialogue felt very two dimensional and simplistic. And though I appreciated Ying's character, there were times she was unbelievably naive and her actions didn't make sense. She was so hot and cold with the real Zhang and it felt like whiplash. Also, his lack of compassion for servants was very cruel and nearly made him unlikable. As a reader, I am also growing tired of the trope that love is the answer and the solution to a problem.

But for a debut novel, this was wonderful! I enjoyed the romance, high stakes, and sweet moments.

I enjoyed this book well enough, but it wasn’t my favourite read. I liked the idea of the mirror world and the history with the old emperor, I liked Ying and her fearless character. I liked the dragons and the phoenixes and the fish.

But what really put me off, was how controlling the love interest was. Although they handled it very well, with it being something that the prince had to change and it did end up with a much healthier relationship because of it, this is just one thing that just squicks me out.

I really enjoyed the ending. I enjoyed Ying’s role in the final battle and how it all came together. I honestly just enjoyed Ying a lot: how she wasn’t willing to let anyone tell her what to do. She was a really strong character.

All in all, I don’t think I’ll be re-reading this one, but it’s worth a read if you can get over the love interest being a dick.

Ying is a soon-to-be princess awaiting her wedding when abruptly finds herself in the mirror world. Immediately she meets her reflection and the reflection of her betrothed. Kind-hearted Ying agrees to help her weakening reflection and this monumental decision has consequences for the entire empire.

Ying finds herself thrown headfirst into a complicated world with alchemy, prophecies, and love.

This story has insta-love, a mini-love triangle, dual worlds, and a lot of mythical creatures.

I wanted more and less from this book. More chemistry between Ying and her love. Less time in Ying’s head.

Altogether this book is fantasy and shares an intriguing new world with the reader.