Lonely Castle in the Mirror: The no. 1 Japanese bestseller and Guardian 2021 highlight

Lonely Castle in the Mirror: The no. 1 Japanese bestseller and Guardian 2021 highlight by Mizuki Tsujimura. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780857527288.

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, Kokoros 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 castles secrets and, tentatively, each others. Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a mesmerizing, heart-warming novel about the unexpected rewards of embracing human connection.