I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general. In Elizabeth Lim’s debut novel Spin the Dawn, a young woman named Maia disguises herself as a man to …
Tag: Asian culture
Book Review | The Magnolia Sword (ARC)
I received an advance reader's copy (ARC) of The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won't quote directly and will keep my comments general. In The Magnolia Sword, Hua Mulan has grown up learning how to fight in preparation …
Book Review | The Poppy War
The flowers are pentas, not poppies, but oh well. The Poppy War, R. F. Kuang’s debut fantasy novel, follows Fang Runin (known as Rin) living in the country of Nikan. She grows up poor, in a foster family that treats her poorly. However, she decides to take a near-impossible exam in an attempt to get …
Book Review | Stargazing (ARC)
I received an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Stargazing by Jen Wang. Therefore, the version I read is just a proof and not the final version, so I won't quote directly and will keep my comments general. Stargazing is Jen Wang’s first middle grade graphic novel about two young girls, Christine and Moon, who become …
Book Review | An Ember in the Ashes
An Ember in the Ashes is Sabaa Tahir’s debut, the first in the Ember Quartet. It tells the story of a girl, Laia, a Scholar living under the violent, oppressive rule of the Martial Empire. After her brother is arrested for treason and her grandparents are killed, she finds the shadowy Scholar Resistance, a group …
