Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura (Trans. Philip Gabriel)

Gonna start off with yes, every time I read a translated book from a language I don’t speak to English, I will 100% include the translator because they deserve the spotlight as much as the original author does because hey, translation isn’t easy. It’s not just about translating it word for word, but it’s also about conveying the same emotions, the same themes, and the same movement. Some words just don’t exist in English whatsoever so it really is up to the translator to convey the message they understand in the original language but we, as non-speakers of said language, don’t. So yes, translators, where known, will always pop up in the title of my book reviews. Rant finished!

Anyways, to start off with the review, I will say this: PLEASE READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS SO GOOD!

This one was way out of my comfort zone when I requested it on NetGalley because I don’t read translated fiction very often never mind Japanese-translated fiction. I flew through this book and oh my gosh, it was one of the best books I’ve ever read.

This one follows a young girl who, after an incident at school, has refused to continue going to school. A good thing to note before starting the book is that if you’re not aware, the school year in Japan begins in April and ends in March and not in September like many countries in the world. So our young protagonist refuses to go to school and also refuses to tell her parents why - one day, her mirror starts glowing and when she goes through said mirror, she ends up in a castle but she isn’t there alone - in fact, there are 6 more students, ones who have decided they will not go to school, and they are greeted by the mysterious “Wolf Queen”.

The Wolf Queen announces that the castle is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Japanese time and is open until March 30th. She also tells them that there is a key and a door that they can find and whoever does find it will be granted a wish. Our main character has a wish that she doesn’t disclose to the other characters but soon enough, she starts enjoying her time with the other students and even becomes friends with them.

I can’t really say anything else without it being extremely spoiler-filled. That being said, this is a really good book and I really enjoyed reading it. The translation was really fluid and it didn’t seem out of place and flowed nicely even though I don’t speak Japanese, there are very many times where you can really tell how good the translation actually is.

I really liked this one as well because it showed the consequences of not only bullying but of a harsh education system. The main character’s parents let her not go to school which was surprising because they didn’t even know the reason why she didn’t want to go to school because she refused to tell them. Even after, once she does tell them, they come to her defence and are understanding. They let her take the outside world in a few steps at a time and are overall very kind and loving parents.

Overall, I think this is a great book for those that want to start with Japanese-translated fiction but aren’t sure which books to pick up and for those that are already familiar with this side of fiction and want a quick read. This one definitely also pulled me out of a reading slump because it was so good and very short.

I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions in any way.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Love,

Mila