HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. CHLOE GONG YOU ARE IN-FUCKING-SANE?!?!?! THAT is how you retell Romeo HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. CHLOE GONG YOU ARE IN-FUCKING-SANE?!?!?! THAT is how you retell Romeo and Juliet. It was so perfectly tragic in a way that was incredulously satisfying, too. Gong creates a picture of Shanghai that is so believably seeped in blood and hatred that the tragic ending is relief, freedom, love, and hope. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time. Thank you for writing this story and peeling back this corner of history....more
And Georgia deserves to have something made just for her. So, this one's for you, Georgia. This is a play about love.
I went back and forth on the And Georgia deserves to have something made just for her. So, this one's for you, Georgia. This is a play about love.
I went back and forth on the rating for a long time, but I think I'm going to settle on three stars. Part of me wants to give it a lower rating, and the other half wants to give it a higher rating, so a happy medium felt right. This book is not perfect by any means. It has its blindspots and at times reifies harmful notions (Maëlys's review is a critically insightful and cutting dissection of Alice Oseman's lack of nuance and regard for a meaningful engagement of QTBIPOC representation). But even as someone who did feel obscured by parts of this book because of these shortcomings, I also felt seen by other parts and ended up loving a lot of it, too.
TLDR this book should be read critically and certainly not as THE singular aroace experience, but there is loveliness, too....more
I know poetry is meant to be enjoyed slowly, simmered and mulled over, but I drank this like fire and water, I could not help myself. I know there wasI know poetry is meant to be enjoyed slowly, simmered and mulled over, but I drank this like fire and water, I could not help myself. I know there was meaning lost in how quickly I read this, but Bright Dead Things is proof you don't have to understand something entirely for it to speak to the lost and unfound parts of yourself. This was beautiful and sad, bright and dead even....more
This book was a letdown after reading If You Could See The Sun. I was really excited to read another book by Ann Liang, and this book didn’t deliver. This book was a letdown after reading If You Could See The Sun. I was really excited to read another book by Ann Liang, and this book didn’t deliver. The protagonists in both books were so similar, it felt like reading the exact same character development through a different narrative device. While it was refreshing and relatable in If You Could See The Sun, it felt reused and repetitive here. The romance between Sadie and Julian felt way underdeveloped and unsatisfying; I feel like there was so much potential with Julian’s story, but we really don’t get to learn much about him or see him grow. There isn’t really a climax in the plot, so the ending where they get together is bland and unexciting.
Some parts of the book still made me feel deeply seen, especially Sadie’s guilt and self-sacrifice for her family, but overall, it was a disappointing read that fell flat of my expectations for Liang....more
A fun read (I sped through it so fast!) with appreciable commentary on class and wealth inequality in China. Deeply resonated with the themes of obligA fun read (I sped through it so fast!) with appreciable commentary on class and wealth inequality in China. Deeply resonated with the themes of obligation, debt, guilt, and the myth of the American Dream. I will admit that I loved Henry Li. Kudos to Ann Liang for writing this as an undergrad! She's definitely on my radar, and I want to read more books by her....more
I anger read this book for the sake of finishing it just to write this review. I cannot believe Elizabeth Lim has dragon-teased readers not once but TI anger read this book for the sake of finishing it just to write this review. I cannot believe Elizabeth Lim has dragon-teased readers not once but TWICE, and with a book titled The DRAGON’S Promise no less. The dragons were genuinely the best part of this entire duology, and Lim does them a gross misservice by using them as narrative pieces who appear briefly at the beginning of BOTH BOOKS only to aid in a chaotic plot about DEMONS. #justiceforSeryu. (view spoiler)[AND THEN TO HAVE SERYU COME BACK INTO THE PLOT JUST TO SAVE SHIORI’S SOUL AT THE VERY END? I was screaming and throwing the book at the wall. Seryu deserved so much more than to be Shiori’s call boy!!! (hide spoiler)]
More seriously, this book was a mess. The plot is literally everything, everywhere, all at once. There are (a loose) “three” quests/parts to this book, and they feel like three separate parts with unclear connection to a greater plot conflict. Each part of the book should have been rising action culminating in the climax, but in this book we almost get three separate conflicts with three separate resolutions, which makes the book feel long, boring, and disorganized. We kinda get the sense that the big question is what to do about magic in Kiata, but Lim does not weave that through the book enough, so it appears in one-liner thoughts strewn about the book and comes back at the end with drama that feels extremely overdone because there wasn’t enough buildup to warrant it.
The writing is cheesy and still as stilted as it was in Six Crimson Cranes, Takkan and Shiori made my whole body cringe more than a few times, and the redeeming factors that made me enjoy Six Crimson Cranes were wholly absent or lacked development. (view spoiler)[When Shiori was about to die, I honestly was so glad because at least it would have been the singular noble feature of the book, but the way the moon goddess randomly descends from the FREAKING MOON to save her life?! It made me dislike the book more. (hide spoiler)]
TLDR: The Dragon’s Promise retains all the flaws of Six Crimson Cranes without the refreshing magic, worldmaking, or character development. Disappointing, and I probably will never read another one of Elizabeth Lim’s books....more
I read the mostly mediocre reviews before starting this book but decided to give it a chance anyways, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by I read the mostly mediocre reviews before starting this book but decided to give it a chance anyways, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by it. This book is a series of vignettes, narrated in Jane and Fiona’s alternating perspectives. They’re different and near opposites but their lives fit together like puzzle pieces and there’s just enough to tie them together, so they hold on to each other. Jane is from a well-off family, estranged from her mother and mourning her beloved father; Fiona and her mother live alone, financially precarious and entwined with each other.
Based on the reviews rebuffing the pair’s lack of interaction, my expectations were on the floor, and I expected completely independent storylines that never crossed. Instead, I didn’t find their interaction (or lack thereof) unsettling or disconcerting. We witness glimpses of the two coming-of-age together, sneaking into bars and parties, before growing apart in their 20s and finally reconnecting as adults navigating marriage, divorce, loss, love, and grief. We come to know each protagonist mostly through the eyes of the other, and more frequently than not, we live in their recollections of each other more than we see them experiencing life together in real time. If anything, I thought the lack of explicit narration on their friendship was a testament to the small, inane, everyday moments that comprise friendships. We get a deep sense that they grew into their own and each other blasting music in Fiona’s car, Shamu; nights at the beach; afternoons in their friend Won’s apartment; watching TV at Fiona’s house. We still understand how deeply they love and care for each other and how intensely they know and see each other, even in adulthood, after years and miles apart.
Something that may bother some is that we don't see a lot of conflict or conflict resolution between the two; in other words, the book jumps forward in time and doesn’t take us through every moment of their lives. In one chapter, they’re at each other’s college graduation. In the next, they’re separated by thousands of miles and haven’t talked in a while. After a few chapters alone, they’re reconciled. We get some dialogue about not being there for each other when the other needed them most, but for the most part, they live their lives independently, and we see them flitting and fitting in and out of each other’s stories. Another reviewer described the book perfectly as “negative space.” Jean Chen Ho understands and perfectly encapsulates the growing pains of growing apart from a “best friend,” to nearly lose each other, but to return and still know and be known by each other anyway. Unlike some books about friends, I actually appreciated that Jane and Fiona are each whole and complete people in their own right, without feeling the need to constantly define or see themselves in relation to the other.
I will admit that the pacing is sometimes off, some of the plot lines are underdeveloped, and their many romantic partners and love interests feel like whiplash, but I think the point was to illustrate the passing of time, the realities of dating as an Asian femme, and through it all, how Jane and Fiona always had each other at the end of the day. I could have done without the time spent developing some of the male characters, but I’m willing to overlook it for the fact that their friendship is what shines through in the end.
OKAY, LAST THING - don’t even get me started on the family plot lines! Why aren't people talking more about it?! I’m not sure why some reviewers complained about the lack of character development, because in my eyes, we see both Jane and Fiona evolve from their youth to adults, especially in their relationship with their families. Jean Chen Ho has painted an exquisite portrait of what it’s like to exist in the 21st century as an Asian femme, in all its chaotic, aspirational, bleak, guilt-ridden, intergenerational, triumphant glory. Trust that there is character development. If you’re a sucker for family stories, like me, this is the book for you. I sobbed about Fi(Ona) and her mother. I bawled like a baby about Jane and her father. This is a book about friendship, but maybe it is also about family and the ephemeral ever-lastingness of it and how we find family, too, in friendship....more
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I quite enjoyed it, actually, and I didn't think I would, based on the abundance of harsh and critical reviewI was pleasantly surprised by this book. I quite enjoyed it, actually, and I didn't think I would, based on the abundance of harsh and critical reviews.
Many have commented on the wordy prose, but I was enamored with Chloe Gong's writing. She has such an effortless and deft command of words - I couldn't help but admire the way her prose flows so seamlessly. (Also, she wrote this book as an UNDERGRAD. I was awed by that fact. To the haters, can we give her some grace, y'all?) I have read books by way more experienced authors where it literally feels like a mental obstacle course because the writing is so stiff, but Gong writes like water.
The plot wasn't the most interesting, but it was enough to keep me reading slowly but steadily over the course of a month. I never felt stuck in any part of the book, so it was a consistent read. The ending was chef's kiss, though. It definitely delivered and did not disappoint. HEAVY on the insects content warning though. As someone extremely scared of bugs, I wish I took that more seriously lol.
My few discomforts with the book include the distance between the reader and the characters, and I recognize that this is probably intentional because all the characters are morally grey anti-heroes of sorts. First, the book is in third person, so there is automatically more distance than a first person narration. Second, from constant incomplete recollections to suppressing thoughts and feelings, readers never fully know Juliette's mind. Again, I think it's intentional, but the result is that I never really felt invested in the characters, and it felt like I was watching the story unfold rather than taking on the protagonist's perspective.
I loved the history in this book. I never (extensively) learned about the colonization of China, so the history was both deeply angering (directed at the West for cutting up Shanghai) and enfranchising (to have this story told). It did irk me that Roma and the Russians are portrayed as West-lite (we must not forget that they are still white...), even though the tie between China and the Bolsheviks was probably historically accurate. I also hated that the protagonists were capitalist drug-dealers who were exploiting the working class; it's giving liberal democratic nationalist politics that I don't care for.
Nonetheless, all in all, solid read. Chloe Gong is a force to be reckoned with....more
It took me a long time to get into this because the book starts painstakingly slow. Things changed for me once I met more characters, and I must admitIt took me a long time to get into this because the book starts painstakingly slow. Things changed for me once I met more characters, and I must admit that the world Elizabeth Lim creates is lovable and enchanting; I was especially fond of Seryu and Shiori's brothers (but I wish novels attempting to center strong female protagonists would surround her with a supporting cast of women instead of men). I'm giving this four stars because the world of magic, legend, and storytelling in Kiata is captivating, and I grew to love the characters.
Some things that bothered me until the end of the book were the pacing, the narrative structure, and, at times, the writing. Readers head into the plot knowing Shiori gets cursed by her stepmother (because it tells us in the book's description), so why does it take almost 100 pages to reach that point? After that, the pacing doesn't get much better. We spend chapters upon chapters stuck in one place with Shiori while the last 100 pages contain more action than the previous 200. The book description leads us to believe the "mercurial dragon" will play a large part in the story, and he's even on the book's very first page, but he feels like nothing more than a narrative piece to set up the next book. The writing was sometimes stiff and stilted, and Kiki's character annoyed me with her random and unnecessary quippy and cheeky interjections that felt like awkward and forced comedic relief.
Still a good read in the end, and if nothing else, the cover is beautiful, and I don't regret judging the book by its cover!...more
I was SO SO CLOSE to putting this book down for good. I struggled for days to get past the first fifty pages — a huge red reading flag for me. HoweverI was SO SO CLOSE to putting this book down for good. I struggled for days to get past the first fifty pages — a huge red reading flag for me. However, I didn’t drop it, and I’m SO GLAD I stuck with it. Part I is a bore; nothing about the Celestial Kingdom intrigued me, the main character was extremely bland, there was no buildup at all to what felt like an immediate and chemistry-less romance, the writing was unbearably flowery and way too descriptive. But keep going! It gets better, I promise!
Parts II and III are simply magic. The mythology, legend, and folklore is entrancing, and the quests and adventures are so exciting. The development of Xingyin’s character and her internal conflict is fantastic; I haven’t felt so empathetic or invested in a protagonist’s emotions in a long time. I thought that I was going to hate the love triangle, and although I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it, I agree with the general consensus that Sue Lynn Tan portrays it with nuance and maturity, and I felt it necessary for Xingyin to grow and realize what love, friends, and family mean to her. There is significant character growth for Xingyin, and it is extremely satisfying as a reader to feel proud of the decisions she makes.
This book reads like a debut novel, not necessarily because it isn’t thematically or stylistically complex, but because the writing gets stronger as the book goes on. By the end, Sue Lynn Tan’s voice is distilled and so much richer (but the book is not without its cheesy, cliched lines throughout, so be prepared for that to remain a constant).
I was surprised at how neatly Tan wraps up so many loose ends in the conclusion. It is exceedingly difficult to fit the amount of content that she does into a singular book without it feeling plotless and undeveloped. Tan not only paces the book perfectly, but the ending is perfection, with just enough cracked open for her to pull through to book two, but it's so whole that the book could stand entirely on its own. I’m eager to read Heart of the Sun Warrior, and I have a feeling Tan will only get better with each project.
P.S. I really do feel like Tan missed a wlw moment . . . (view spoiler)[because why did I feel something between Princess Fengmei and Xingyin?! (hide spoiler)] There was such potential!...more
I LITERALLY CRIED SO MUCH I simply could not love a book more, and a book could not be more full of myth, magic, love, life, friendship, and family. LI LITERALLY CRIED SO MUCH I simply could not love a book more, and a book could not be more full of myth, magic, love, life, friendship, and family. Love forever for Mask, Dai, Miki, Kirin, Namgi, Shin, and Mina....more
Loading...
