Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

[wearing_tearing]

Tender, playful, gripping, Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a mesmerizing tale about the importance of reaching out, confronting anxiety and embracing human connection.

Such an odd little book, at first. I had some trouble with the first half as it was a bit too slow-paced and the writing took some getting used to. It ended up being a lovely read, though!

Content warnings for: Bullying. Mental Illness. Sexual assault.

I had some trouble with the first half of this book. It was a bit too slow-paced and the writing took some getting used to. Once I did get into the rhythm of things, Kokoro's perspective was a bit difficult to get through because her anxiety gave me a little bit of anxiety and that's never fun.

The second half, though? It was so good. The character development from every single character was amazing and I loved how they came to realize how they could help themselves and each other. I had figured out the main twist pretty early on, so it was also fun for me waiting for them to get there. It took them all a lot of courage to deal with their issues and it was really touching how they managed to do it.

The final chapters were also lovely. It was a great way to wrap up the story while still giving the reader some closure in regard to what the Castle was and what happened to the characters after it closed. This is going to stay with me for a while.