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4.0 

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

By Mizuki Tsujimura & Philip Gabriel
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura & Philip Gabriel digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER! 

A Studio Ghibli-esque work of Japanese translation “that lays bare the anxieties and desperation—and the small triumphs—of adolescence” (Locus), for fans of Mieko Kawakami’s Heaven.

Seven students find unusual common ground in this warm, puzzle-like Japanese bestseller laced with gentle fantasy and compassionate insight.


Bullied to the point of dropping out of school, Kokoro’s days blur together as she hides in her bedroom, unable to face her family or friends. As she spirals into despair, her mirror begins to shine; with a touch, Kokoro is pulled from her lonely life into a resplendent, bizarre fairytale castle guarded by a strange girl in a wolf mask. Six other students have been brought to the castle, and soon this marvelous refuge becomes their playground. 

The castle has a hidden room that can grant a single wish, but there are rules to be followed, and breaking them will have dire consequences. As Kokoro and her new acquaintances spend more time in their new sanctuary, they begin to unlock the castle’s secrets and, tentatively, each other’s. 

Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a mesmerizing, heart-warming novel about the unexpected rewards of embracing human connection.

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3524 Reviews

4.0
“This was a touching and clever story that made me cry at the end. I loved watching how the friendships formed and how lives became intertwined. I guessed some of the plot but not all. I'm sure it was even more beautiful in Japanese.”
Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes“so magical and the end is just so beautiful, everything comes together and it's surreal”

About Mizuki Tsujimura

Mizuki Tsujimura (????) lives in Tokyo and is a well-known author of bestselling mystery novels in Japan. Her groundbreaking novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror combines elements of Japanese fantasy with highly relevant themes of emotional wellbeing and friendship. It won the coveted Japan Booksellers' Award, voted by booksellers as the book they most like to sell, and became an instant no.1 bestseller in Japan, selling over half a million copies. Tsujimura has also won the Naoki prize for her work. Rights have sold across the world.

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