The Girl With No Reflection: The stunning #1 Sunday Times bestselling dark romantic fantasy

By Author / Illustrator

Keshe Chow

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Hodderscape

ISBN

9781399733779

Format

Hardback

Published

08-08-2024

Synopsis

A princess. A portal. A prophecy... Ying Yue believed in love . . . once. Yet when she's chosen to wed the Crown Prince, Ying's dreams of a fairy tale marriage fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won't explain. And whispers swirl: of seven other brides who mysteriously disappeared after their own weddings.

Left alone with only her reflection for company, Ying begins to see strange things in her mirror. And on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway and is pulled into another world. The realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. He is kind and compassionate, unlike his real-world counterpart, and before long Ying falls in love.

But soon she discovers that the two worlds have a blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in both. And the brides who came before her? By the time they discovered their roles, it was already too late . . .

The Girl With No Reflection is a lush romantic fantasy debut - perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns. 'Enthralling ' Chloe Gong; 'Enchanting' Amelie Wen Zhao.

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Reviews

The concept for The Girl with No Reflection is brilliantly thought through. There are two alternate universes with 'mirror people' who, as punishment for starting a war years ago, are imprisoned and forced to live their lives having to mimic humans. In the real world, we have a cold-hearted and reluctant groom, Prince Zhang, and new bride Princess Ying Yue, who are preparing for their upcoming wedding day. The personalities of the mirror people do not necessarily reflect those in real life; these are sentient beings who are plotting their escape!

Kenshe Chow can certainly create a unique fantasy world. I hadn't read a book quite like this before and found the Chinese mythology elements really intriguing. It also features mythical creatures and monsters which add to the element of surprise whilst reading.

This book would appeal to an older teen/young adult who enjoys reading fantasy, romance, mythology or mystery. The Girl with No Reflection is action-packed and full of plot twists and surprises, although the surprises came more in the form of the fantasy element than finding out who the villains are, since those are pretty obvious.

I love the eerie atmosphere that the author creates at the beginning of the book, with the shifting reflections in the mirror and hands reaching out of ponds and mirrors to pull people in. The female lead character is strong and does not shy away from the action. The bad language, although not used often, detracts a little from the fantasy world for me. Would they have sworn like that in an Imperial Palace during that era? I found it a bit jarring.

I think my main criticism would be that Princess Ying was a little too trusting and fell in love very quickly, seemingly without spending any time whatsoever getting to know her partner - although, this didn't ruin my enjoyment of what is a brilliantly crafted romantasy.

Content – Some sexual content, Bereavement, LGBTQIA+ side characters

496 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian