Tag: YA

Just so you know, I’m going to be listening to zither music while I write this review.

Here’s more about Strike the Zither

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.

An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and identity, from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.

Find it on Amazon | Find it on Bookshop.org

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My thoughts

I’ve been really getting into both C-dramas and books inspired by C-dramas. It first started off with Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Iron Widow, but now I’m anticipating some new ones in the new year. And what better way to celebrate this new genre of YA fantasy fiction than with another C-drama inspired story.

Strike the Zither follows Peacock or better known as Zephyr. She’s a strategist for Ren’s army who is currently fighting two other armies for dominance on the land. She’s a bit full of herself and a bit pompous, but you know how much I love an unlikeable female character. She thinks she knows everything, can think way ahead of anyone else and believes she has the best solution for any situation. And with that, she decides to infiltrate the enemy’s army by defecting and joining Miasma’s ranks. However, things don’t go so well for Zephyr and bigger secrets are revealed in the process. As a fan of military fantasies in general, I knew that I would really like Strike the Zither especially as its modeled off the famous Three Kingdoms story. But as someone who doesn’t know much about the tale, I found it to be intriguing, impassioned, and filled with so many of the things I love about military fantasies, except in YA form.

As a fan of C-dramas, this was seriously a play out of the book. I absolutely adored the different tropes Joan He uses to make this story her own. The big reveals just kept getting bigger and while I wasn’t a fan of how quickly the beginning half moved, I understand that it was to start the second half which truly deepened the world, the characters, and the story for me.

The surprises throughout this story were totally unforeseen and totally fun! I absolutely loved that this had that C-drama vibe with its big reveals, romantic entanglements, and battle scenes. I absolutely loved getting into this new book from Joan He and it’s a departure from her usual writing style (but for the better). Unlike her books in the past, this one felt more linearly structured with a clear idea of where the story is going. I absolutely adored The Ones We’re Meant to Find just because of its complexity and puzzle for two sisters to find each other, but I love Strike the Zither to allow He to explore a level of her writing that I personally haven’t explored (yet, Descendant of the Crane is still on my list).

And similarly to TOWMTF, this one has some sisterly love throughout. While they may not be related by blood, the bonds of war truly create a sisterhood that rivals a real one. I really loved the relationship Zephyr had not only with her battle sisters, Lotus and Cloud, but also with her ministress, Ren. It’s obvious by the way they treat and respect each other creating bonds between them that work beyond themselves.

I think the only issue I had is with the romantic elements. It was a little too instant for me and really wanted to see if it would play out similarly in C-dramas, but there are still books in this series to be written so I’m hoping these will develop more in the future.

Overall, this was so good and if you’re a fan of complex military fantasy with tons of subterfuge then this is for you. It isn’t perfect, but it’s truly the beginning of something perfect. I’ll definitely be continuing on with the series in the future.

When I first read Legendborn, I knew that Tracy Deonn was onto something really special. The story of how a young Bree finds out the truth of her ancestry has captured so many readers. People hesitant to read the book absolutely love it by the end. People who don’t normally read fantasy are compelled to read some more. It’s a book that continuously moves across the different things the characters come across and Tracy Deonn takes the Arthurian legend and turning it on its head. And you pretty much get more of that throughout Bloodmarked.

Here’s more about Bloodmarked

The shadows have risen, and the line is law.

All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:

A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.

But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.

When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

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My thoughts

If you haven’t read Legendborn, turn away now! This book starts right where the last one leaves off, so you’ll need to know the events of the last book in order to understand what’s going on in this one. I’m glad to have reread book 1 because book 2 just barrels right into the world and what’s happening.

If there’s one word to describe this book, I think it’s cinematic. I felt like I was watching an action film starring Bree and Sel and the others in the group and every move they made was to escape the villains (of which there are many). It starts off with the memorial for all of Bree’s fallen friends from the final battle in the first book. That leads right into the rite ceremony where Bree will accept her place as the Crown Scion and take up the sword that her family has bled to inherit. Of course, that’s when some big truths are revealed. After that, it is a whirlwind of events that will leave you with your jaw on the floor, a hand balled up in a fist, an inability to pick a proper romantic partner for Bree, and surprise you until the very last page of the book. If you’re planning to read Bloodmarked, then you’re in for a ride.

Much of this book tackles the topic of inheritance and the way Bree inherits her powers. I don’t want to say because that’s giving too much away, but for those who’ve read book 1 there’s a lot of Vera, the rootcraft, and the implications of Bree and her power meaning to not only the Order, but to her ancestors who have been punished time and time again for the misdeeds of one white man. It’s definitely one of the biggest parts of the story and a lot of Bree’s motivation to keep her autonomy especially over her own body. I loved how this is threaded through the book and as the story progresses, it becomes more clearly obvious that Bree needs to find control and power within herself.

Of course, the romance between Bree, Sel, and Nick come to a fever pitch! While Bree and the others are still on the hunt for Nick and his father, Sel takes center stage and the emotions are palatable. Yes, I need more Sel and I need it now! Not only are there those leading moments for us to devour, there’s also the bigger question that we are all dying to find an answer: who will Bree choose? I definitely have a team I’m siding with, but I can’t wait to see how that plays out in the next book.

What I also really loved from this book is the new villains that Bree has to face. There’s a lot of new faces and characters to note including Valec, a broker who trades special abilities for souls. There’s the other members of the Regent that all gather together for Bree’s rites ceremony. There’s Arthur who I was hoping would be a plucky sidekick inside Bree’s brain, but he turns out to be a much different character than I imagined and definitely worth finding out! And then there’s Morgaine, Merlins, and the villain that we are all fighting for. I honestly was on the edge of my seat by the end of this book with how much has happened, how many questions I was left unanswered, and all the possibilities of where this story can go.

And that’s what really opens up the world in this book. What I really loved is how much Tracy Deonn opens up this world. It’s more than just Legendborn and Rootcrafters and I loved that. The journey Bree and her friends take to find refuge and help to defeat her enemies widens the worldbuilding in away I didn’t imagine. It’s so interesting to find different beings who practice different kinds of magic and the new characters introduced in this book really bring a dynamic to the story that I didn’t anticipate. I can’t wait to see how Tracy Deonn incorporates these components into the next book. In many ways, there were bits and pieces that the story introduces but doesn’t dive into more, but you can tell immediately that they’ll be important in future stories and bring a level of excitement for the next stories in the world.

This will definitely a book I revisit in the future. Probably before book 3 comes out, but definitely a story that’s truly captured me and makes me pine to return some day soon.

A fantasy book that uses science fiction elements? Count me in.

Here’s more about Only a Monster

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

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My thoughts

I’m a huge fan of science fiction books that dive into physics theories; quantum physics, dark matter, string theory, etc. I like the idea of these theoretical topics and how they are incorporated into science fiction stories. We’ve seen countless stories of time travel in our lives, but what I haven’t seen in my reading life up to this point is a purely fantasy story use time travel in a way that really defies anything I’ve read before.

Only a Monster starts off with Joan spending her summer vacation with her family in London. She’s been volunteering at a historic home that’s been turned into a small museum with her biggest crush, Nick. When Nick finally asks her out on a date, Joan is ecstatic and on the day of the date, she’s more than ready to meet her crush and have that awkward teenager relationship. For all intents and purposes, I thought this was going to be just another YA contemporary romance where it will be a cute, sweet toothache and nothing more. That is…until she touches an old man on the neck and ends up in the same place 12 hours later.

And then realization dawned on me that this book was going to be entirely different than what I expected. Joan comes from a family of monsters. No, not like the gruesome kind that frighten young children. They look like your average human. Their monstrous ability is that they can travel through time and they do it by stealing time off the lives of humans. You want to go back a day? You need to steal a day off the end of someone’s life.

Crazy, isn’t it?

This book was one of those books where I may not have read the synopsis well enough to really understand what I was getting into. I followed the hype I saw on bookstagram and honestly, I was rewarded. This was the most creative story I’ve read in a long time. Of course it has your typical YA tropes; a love triangle, a grumpy/sunshine duo, a forbidden love aspect, and a whiny teenager who keeps fumbling through all her bad ideas, but it was also written by debut author Vanessa Len, who is now one of my favorite authors.

Joan is a half-human, half-monster born who has been pretty shielded by her monstrous family for her entire life. Her first time traveling through time came to a shock for her and her ignorance about the world, its politics, the people, and the families made it much easier for the reader to follow along and learn from her. While I did wish for the occasional info dump (I know, it’s weird), I did appreciate being kept in the dark and only learning more about the world as I went along. That being said, I do want a better understanding of what’s going on in this world. The book ends at a pretty satisfying ending, but there’s still a few loose ends that I can’t wait to read more about in the next book.

This is one of those books where the twist within itself creating a bigger twist than the twist before. Honestly, I was surprised by how often my jaw was on the ground with each reveal. I think that’s what drove me to read most of this book because one chapter would end with a cliffhanger and then I would need to read the next chapter to see what happens.

The world itself was incredible. I’ve never read a fantasy book that includes time travel the way that Vanessa Len described it. I literally clutched my neck worried that some monster would come and casually steal life from me. It had this interesting moral aspect to it, do you continue to time travel knowing that you’re shortening life or do you not worry about it? I felt like this was something Joan grappled with throughout the book. She’s compelled to travel because of who she is, but she doesn’t feel like it’s right to steal life from humans. There’s some monster families who see it as their privilege, but being brought up in the human world it does become something Joan must face throughout the book.

While most of the book is plot-driven, there was a lot of care given to Joan and the way she handled the grief of losing her family. While I won’t get into specifics to avoid spoiling things, it made sense for her to recall that moment often throughout the story. It really conveys how loss and how grief takes over in the most inopportune moments.

Overall, this was a fantastic debut and it’s made me a fan of Vanessa Len’s work for years to come. I can’t wait to read book 2 and see what happens to Joan and the others in this adventure.

The long-awaited sophomore book from the writer of An Astonishing Color of After. It was beautifully written, deeply discusses themes that young Asian Americans face, delivers a beautiful retelling of Chang’e and Houyi, and even has a cute rabbit.

Here’s more about An Arrow to the Moon

Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.

Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love…but time is running out, and fate will have its way.

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My thoughts

The story first starts off like you’re reading Romeo and Juliet: two teenagers from families that hate each other fall in love and want to be together forever despite their parents’ wishes. But the conflict in the story felt less about being from two warring families and more about the romance between Luna and Hunter, the unexplained happenings in the town, and the eventual ending that both these characters were fast approaching.

While this book is marketed as a Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology retelling, it felt less like Romeo and Juliet and more like a story of Chang’e and Houyi. I actually much preferred it being more about the Chinese myth than the Shakespearean play. As much as I love both, Romeo and Juliet is such an overdone trope, especially in YA so I’m glad it seldom showed up throughout the story. However, the book is most definitely a YA romance story more than it was a fantasy story. To be honest, it felt like a YA romance where the magic just made the love between the two main characters even more special. I found myself fawning over their romance, sighing at the little things they did for each other.

The writing here is just as I remember Emily XR Pan writing. It was lyrical, poetic, and lush in description. I couldn’t get enough of her writing and wished that I could read more! Her writing is always done with a great amount of care, making sure that the reader never worries about how something looks, acts, or require extra explanation. It was subtle and injected the bits and pieces of the Chinese mythology into the story. I loved how she treated Hunter and Luna. Their traits as individuals were well described and executed, but their relationship together was tender and sweet making it the kind of couple you want to root for. In many ways, they complemented each other bringing different parts of themselves into their relationship making it much deeper and sweeter than other romantic YA couples I’ve read.

There are also many themes in this book directly related to the experiences of Asian American teenagers. Not only did she discuss the overbearing nature of immigrant parents, but she also touched on the differences between Chinese and Taiwanese culture, the usage of bound feet as a beauty statement, and being slung between two very different worlds with very little navigation. I honestly felt seen and all the things that I felt as a kid growing up in the U.S. and also being the kid of immigrant Asian parents were spot on.

There were so many different narratives in this story. While the bulk of the story derives from Hunter and Luna, you also get the perspectives of their parents, Hunter’s brother Cody, and a mysterious man named Rodney. I loved the way that this was setup because there was a lot going on and all of it is slowly explained as you progress in the story. You see a little bit of Luna and Hunter’s romance, but then you see the difficult dynamics between them and their parents. Then you see how Rodney fits into this whole story and it definitely pulls you in, begging you to continue reading for that ultimate ending.

As much as I loved reading this story, there were a few things that bothered me. First off, the world building. I know that I shouldn’t be trying to criticize a YA fantasy for not having enough world building, but I felt in the dark a lot of the time. There were a lot of strange things happening in the small town that they lived; cracks in the earth, an indescribable funk that permeated the emotions of people in town, a strange stone with mystical powers being hunted down by a gangster, fireflies that kept following the characters, and money just being found randomly. Maybe it’s because of my ignorance and I don’t know enough about Chang’e and Houyi, so I wanted some explanation about that. It was never explained.

The second part were all the things happening to Luna and Hunter’s families. There was a lot of backstory for both of their families; where they came from, the lives they lived before Hunter and Luna came along, their hopes, dreams, and wishes are also very realized here. However, nothing really came from it. I actually loved these perspectives because they gave you such a deeper look at these families and what they’re going through, but the ending really lacked any kind of resolve and leaving you with a lot of unanswered questions. At the same time, I understand why Emily XR Pan did that. Because destiny doesn’t wait for you to resolve everything; sometimes destiny does what it wants to do and the rest takes its cues from that.

But the legend of Chang’e and Houyi ended the way that it did as both Luna and Hunter relive the tale right at the very end. I absolutely loved that part of the story and I didn’t see it coming to that conclusion. I was so bogged down by all the questions I had about everything else that when it finally did happen, it took me by surprise. It was a beautiful ending for a beautiful book.