The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow
Published by Delacorte Press on August 6, 2024
ISBN: 0593707508
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Format: Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

An arranged royal marriage to the egotistical, cold, and indifferent prince  is the last thing princess Ying Yue wants.  Escape arrives when Ying discovers a magical world living in the mirror.  Her reflection self asks to trade places with her.  In the reflection world, Ying finds the reflection Prince to be kind and compassionate, leading to the love story she had been dreaming of.  Like most fantasy stories, dreams are never what they seem to be.  Monsters, mystery, secret plots, and a war are what begin to unfold.  Ying must untwist a prophecy and try to put a stop to the  horrible path she put into play when she started traveling between the real and reflective worlds.  

This YA novel is a  mix of fantasy, romance (romantasy), mystery, and a little horror.  The author begins with a note stating that inspiration was taken from cultural elements of Imperial China, but are a work of fiction, not historical fact.  The confusing task of determining who are the “good guys” is a huge driving force of the plot. The mirror world feels like an enticing concept for this fantasy story, but the characters and plot just don’t live up to the expectation.  

Reviewed by Heidi Kopishke, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, ME.