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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Dragon Pearl
by Yoon Ha Lee
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Updated Review:
Disclaimer: I bought this book. Support your authors! All opinions are my own.
Book: Dragon Pearl
Author: Yoon Ha Lee
Book Series: Thousand Worlds Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Korean MC and characters and inspired setting
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, sci-fi, mythology, own voice, Chinese inspired and mythology
Publication Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: MG Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 11+ (violence, gore, death, prejudice)
Explanation of CWs: There is some violence, including some explosions and spaceship crashes, and very slight gore. There is also death mentioned, but it is not sad as ghosts can be around and do things. There is also some talk about the prejudice that the MC experiences as a gumiho.
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 310
Synopsis: THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.
Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
Review: This was my first reread of the year and I absolutely loved it! The book is even better the second time around with the twists and so many little details that the author hides throughout the book. The character development is great, the world building is amazing, and the plot is so intriguing it’ll have you on the edge of your seat. Yoon Ha Lee is the go-to author if you’re looking for epic sci-fi books!
The only issue I had with the book is that the pacing is a bit fast and it can get a little confusing, but it’s still a wonderful read.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Original Review:
Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book and then bought my own copy! Thanks! All opinions are my own!
Book: Dragon Pearl
Author: Yoon Ha Lee
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: This is Asian based!
Publication Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: MG Sci-Fi Fantasy
Recommended Age: 10+ (some violence and death, scary moments)
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 312
Amazon Link
Synopsis: THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.
Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
Review: Overall, I really liked this book! It was parts fantasy and parts sci-fi! I loved the combo that Yoon Ha Lee came up with and it was fun to read! The characters were well developed and the writing was well done. The plot was also intriguing and kept me interested all throughout the book.
However, the book felt circular a bit. The pacing was slow and the characters repeated the same info multiple times. The book was a bit too simple for middle graders in my opinion, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The book just felt really slow and I kept wondering when we would get to the point. I also felt like we needed more world building.
Verdict: It was a good book, but had some slow moments.
Disclaimer: I bought this book. Support your authors! All opinions are my own.
Book: Dragon Pearl
Author: Yoon Ha Lee
Book Series: Thousand Worlds Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Korean MC and characters and inspired setting
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, sci-fi, mythology, own voice, Chinese inspired and mythology
Publication Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: MG Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 11+ (violence, gore, death, prejudice)
Explanation of CWs: There is some violence, including some explosions and spaceship crashes, and very slight gore. There is also death mentioned, but it is not sad as ghosts can be around and do things. There is also some talk about the prejudice that the MC experiences as a gumiho.
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 310
Synopsis: THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.
Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
Review: This was my first reread of the year and I absolutely loved it! The book is even better the second time around with the twists and so many little details that the author hides throughout the book. The character development is great, the world building is amazing, and the plot is so intriguing it’ll have you on the edge of your seat. Yoon Ha Lee is the go-to author if you’re looking for epic sci-fi books!
The only issue I had with the book is that the pacing is a bit fast and it can get a little confusing, but it’s still a wonderful read.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Original Review:
Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book and then bought my own copy! Thanks! All opinions are my own!
Book: Dragon Pearl
Author: Yoon Ha Lee
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: This is Asian based!
Publication Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: MG Sci-Fi Fantasy
Recommended Age: 10+ (some violence and death, scary moments)
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 312
Amazon Link
Synopsis: THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.
Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
Review: Overall, I really liked this book! It was parts fantasy and parts sci-fi! I loved the combo that Yoon Ha Lee came up with and it was fun to read! The characters were well developed and the writing was well done. The plot was also intriguing and kept me interested all throughout the book.
However, the book felt circular a bit. The pacing was slow and the characters repeated the same info multiple times. The book was a bit too simple for middle graders in my opinion, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The book just felt really slow and I kept wondering when we would get to the point. I also felt like we needed more world building.
Verdict: It was a good book, but had some slow moments.