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!

The beginning of the book was captivating, with a thrilling horror element involving the mirror and the alternate world that truly drew me in. However, I had to stop at the 66% mark. My review is based on what I’ve read so far.

I admired the Ying's bravery, her ability to protect herself, and her determination to right some wrongs. While the beginning was strong, the story began to lose momentum for me as it progressed. Though I had a glimmer of hope during and after the "underwater scene" (no spoilers here), but my frustration grew as Ying continued with her path of poor decisions.

I believe this book is well-suited for a younger audience, maybe tweens and early teens. However, be aware that there is some mild language. It’s a story filled with magic, twists, a strong princess, and a slow-burn (mild) romance with her prince. For now, I’m shelving this book, but I plan to recommend it to my nieces and possibly return to it later.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s Books, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Sadly this book didn't connect well with me. I tried to muster through, but found I couldn't connect with the characters and got lost in the descriptions throughout the story. I'm sure a lot of readers will love it though and I'm glad I got the chance to read it and see how the story unfolded!

Okay so… I’ll break down my review like this:

What I liked-

What a unique idea. I loved the concept, loved the imagery of the fantasy world this character lived in, and throughly enjoyed the first 40-50% of this book. From the very first page, the author hooked me in. And I was desperate to get to my book to read the next chapter.

What I didn’t like-

Ying became UNBEARABLE as the story progressed, right up until the end. She refused to listen to anyone, even when her actions caused herself and other consequences. It was painful to watch her decisions and the lack of plot armor she had. She could do whatever she wanted, and even if something small happened it’s okay because there was answer for that too. Everyone catered to her and gave in. Even if they hated her or didn’t like her it still worked out for her. One minute she was told “no you can’t do that” then she pitched a fit and then she got to do it. Maybe it’s subjective because I despise main characters that pull the “don’t tell me what to do” so blatantly… but it was SO hard to watch.

The plot was predictable, especially the character motives and every move wasn’t a surprise so it was hard to keep me enthralled as the story progressed. And the ENDING???? Plot armor is still working double time on Ying and Zhang 😂

I truly thought the beginning was so enticing, so unique, and I loved Ying. But as the story progressed, the characters and the plot felt weaker. I loved the idea the author imagined, but it didn’t seem to really execute for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Rating: 1.5 stars

I've been so ridiculously excited for this book, which makes the fact that this was kind of a mess that much more disappointing.

The thing is, The Girl With No Reflection had a lot of potential with a unique premise that naturally lends itself to incredible worldbuilding, but Keshe Chow didn't deliver.

Everything about this book was extremely underwhelming. There was absolutely no depth. The worldbuilding was flat and the magic system wasn't developed or explained at all. The writing was stilted and often juvenile. It was an awkward mix between attempts at more formal, flowery language and a butt ton of colloquialisms. The plot was as substantive as a reflection, which is to say, not a lot. From the outset, it's riddled with plot holes, and the story was disjointed throughout. What started out as a horror-fantasy quickly devolved into a steamy attempt at YA romantasy. The romance was essentially insta-love at its worst. (To add insult to injury, we're forced to sit through it TWICE because of the love triangle.) Neither love interest was particularly compelling and had as much depth and dimension as a piece of paper.

If you’re looking for a young adult fantasy romance read that has love triangle, betrayals, Chinese mythology, arranged marriage, and more then check this book out! Ying is an adamant character who can often be stubborn, but she is also young and never expected herself to be the ‘chosen one’. Prince Zhang Lin is a misunderstood character and he definitely has to prove himself to Ying—even against his mirror reflection. The mirror world was a unique and interesting world to read about, and I enjoyed the whole concept of it! It was definitely my favorite part about this book!

Thank you to tbrbeyondtours, negalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

*4.5 stars rounded up

Asian fantasy books have my heart!! The blend of enemies to lovers romance and Eastern mythology was perfection. I loved this debut by Keshe Chow! It’s been a while since a book kept me up so late and I truly found it difficult to put down.

When Princess Ying Yue is selected to marry the crown prince, her fairytale dreams crumble as she is isolated in her chamber by her cold and distant fiancé. Confronted by unsettling rumors of seven vanished brides and eerie reflections in her mirror, Ying accidentally opens a gateway to a parallel realm. There, she meets the compassionate Mirror Prince, who embodies the love she yearned for. However, as she navigates this new world, she uncovers a dark history linking both realms and realizes she holds a pivotal role in their intertwined fate. To save both worlds, Ying must unravel the chilling secrets before it’s too late.

I really appreciated the beautiful world building, which uniquely wove together the real and mirror worlds. The story was so original and I haven’t read anything like it. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat and it was so exhilarating. The blend of court intrigue, Chinese folklore, and a dash of horror made this so incredibly intriguing. While there were a few moments that dragged for me and some juvenile actions by some of the characters, it didn’t stop me from wanting to continue reading. This book surprised me in the best way possible and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Girl With No Reflection is a debut with a unique and original magic system, the secret world of the mirror, at the beginning it is a little creepy without being horror, it's very immersive and spooky, more Coraline style than Alice in Wonderland, but woven with Chinese mythology. 

Princess Ying is not sure about her wedding to the crown prince, on the eve of the ceremony, her reflection appears in front of her and invites her to enter her world, in exchange her doppelgänger will marry the prince, and Ying accepts, at first the other realm is the same as hers, there is even a prince who seems nicer than her fiancé, but soon she will discover that there is all a deception, and they have reasons to hold her inside the mirror.
 
It's an interesting, fast-paced story, with a lot of mystery that keeps you hooked, It has its twists, turns, and surprises, sometimes Ying is not sure what to do, the royal house keeps secrets, and the doppelgangers are escaping and attacking.  She will have help from her fiancé Prince Zhang, together they will discover ancient prophecies, related to the chosen one.

It’s a nice debut, it’s fast-paced, the written style is the perfect mix between horror and whimsical, the world is immersive and the characters are brave and strong, but also a bit stubborn, they act before thinking, especially Ying, it's very YA, in a good way, It doesn't feel childish, it just follows the typical steps of a YA Fantasy story; A girl who discovers a mystery, there is danger and prophecies and she has to save the world, normal stuff in Ya,  and yet it entertains, its fun, you don't stop reading. 

My favorite part was the world that the author created, with mythology and magic everything is more interesting, not only the part of the mirror and the doppelgänger, there are also dangerous creatures, dragons, fish, and other creatures from folklore, it has a fairy tale vibe, without being a retelling. 

Read it if you like
• Chinese folklore inspiration
• Royalty secrets
• Princess & Romance
• Prophecies & Monsters
• The Mirror World

So in love with this! Chinese mythology, horror, romance, strong female lead character. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to Delacorte Press for the ARC!

Princess Ying Yue is set to marry the crown prince, Prince Zhang, but he’s cold and rude and she’s loathing it… not to mention there are rumors that’s the last 7 royal brides disappear mysteriously. She discovers a mirror world with a Mirror Prince who is much sweeter, and decides to switch places with her reflection to see what potential lies in the mirror world.

Gosh I just love a good fantasy debut!!! THE GIRL WITH NO REFLECTION is fresh and unique, easy to understand, and so bingeable. There’s a great balance of mythology and inspiration from Imperial China, as well as romance, fantasy, and even some horror elements. I loved the dragons because I didn’t expect them, the “I don’t want you to be honorable” moment, the way alchemy was woven into the story, and that last moment right at the end(!!!!). This is one you won’t want to miss!

Title: The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow
Genre: YA High Fantasy
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
📖 496 pages

🐉 Arranged Marriage
✨️ Cold Prince
🐉 Chinese Folklore
✨️ Love Triangle
🐉 Epic Betrayals
✨️ The Chosen One

The Girl With No Reflection is a YA Fantasy featuring Chinese folklore and a beautiful journey of self-discovery for a young girl in a man's world.

Mini BLURB + Review:

Princess Ying Yue always dreamt her marriage would be one of love, but when she's arranged to be wed to the cold Prince Zhang and finds herself locked away, her dreams seem like a far away dream.
On the night before the ceremony, Ying is attacked by her reflection and inevitably sucked into the mirrorverse. Here, she learns that reflections are sentient, forced to forever mirror their counterparts in the real world.
Ying watches her reflection interact with the cold prince in the real world and she falls for the Mirror Prince, who is kind and caring, despite the man he reflects. The calm doesn't last long, however, and Ying finds herself caught in the middle of a thousand year war and the only one who can close the portal between worlds.

I was hooked from the beginning. I wouldn't have minded more world building/expanding a little further on the lore (because it's seriously interesting) but I loved it. The pacing was quick, for the most part, and I found myself unable to put it down. I was a little concerned about the "instalove" but everything works out, I swear, push past it. I enjoyed the growth of Ying and Zhang, the misunderstandings being explained, how everything fit together.

⚠️ Recommended Age group: 15+ some sexual content a little too explicit for younger readers. Not super explicit but very suggestive💓

Thank you so much, TBR and Beyond Book Tours and NetGalley, for the digital review copy

⭐️ 4.5/5

#TheGirlWithNoReflection #TBRBeyondTours #KesheChow

Ying will soon find her true role, which could impact the future of the two worlds.

Ying Yue, a young noblewoman, is set to marry the crown prince Zhang Lin and become the crown princess and future empress of the Shan Dynasty. However, Ying is not entirely happy because the crown prince is not very kind and loving. There is also something peculiar about her reflection as if it comes alive in the mirror. On the eve of the wedding, Ying makes a pact with her reflection to help it recover from being weakened when she was young. She enters the world of reflections within the mirrors and finds everything is not as it seems. She soon learns that she is prophesied to play a significant role in the future, with the power to change both worlds, and her choices will determine their fate.

This book's setting is ancient China, and it provided me with insights into the lives of royalty during that time. While the story was engaging, I felt that the book was excessively lengthy, which made it cumbersome to read as I progressed.

The protagonist, Ying, displayed determination and kindness, but at times, I found her demeanor overly submissive and irksome. Conversely, Zhang Lin's cold and enigmatic nature captivated me, although I wished for more depth in his character development. I particularly appreciated Ying's reflection's resourcefulness and admired her as a character.

I recommend this book to individuals who enjoy narratives filled with unexpected plot twists and elements of romance.

Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚
Thank you, @tbrbeyondtours & @delacortepress for sending me a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.