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sunscour's review
4.0
Looking for more information on Sondok, had a list of resources in the back. Written in diary format.
angelica87's review
3.0
I wish that this book had been written by an author of Korean descent, but it was published in 2002, which was a vastly different time to now. Sondok: Princess of the Moon and Stars is about fourteen year old Sondok who is her father's heir apparent. She has always taken an interest in astronomy and the reading of the heavens. The journal starts when she is given the jade container of her Grandmother. She is to fill it with rice and write out prayers and thus the narrative continues through. I found this to be a very engaging read, and I loved how Sondok pushed for the science of the stars and her own calculations instead of relying upon the flawed method of those who visited her court. There are certain events towards the end which really were heartbreaking, but on a whole everything ended up okay for Sondok at the end of her year long journal.
justkay3's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jgurniak's review
5.0
One of the best Royal Diaries! I loved that it went so far back in history and about a royal figure that I had never heard about before. Because of my lack of knowledge about Sondok, I found this book to be all the more intriguing and I just loved every word of it!
bluestjuice's review
4.0
I'm really enjoying these Royal Diaries books, much more than I expected to. Sondok is written about a princess of Silla, an early medieval kingdom in modern-day Korea, and it is filled with carefully researched details and reasonable inferences about the life of this historical person. Her character's passion for astronomy is based on an astronomy tower she built early in her eventual reign as queen, and serves as an excellent focal point for the tension between Silla's culture and the adjacent Chinese culture that they are delicately exploring. As in The Lady of Ch'iao Kuo, there are romantic threads through the plot but they are definitely subordinated to other plot threads of politics, familial relationships, and culture.
I read this for Nell's Torchlight curriculum, and got through it quite a bit faster in part because it was a little bit shorter, and in part because I realized what a risk it was to get bogged down in it and made a point to keep moving through it at a good clip. It made for very enjoyable reading, though!
I read this for Nell's Torchlight curriculum, and got through it quite a bit faster in part because it was a little bit shorter, and in part because I realized what a risk it was to get bogged down in it and made a point to keep moving through it at a good clip. It made for very enjoyable reading, though!
meaganmart's review
3.0
I loved these books as a child and I've been going through my bookshelves deciding what to keep and what I'm ready to donate. I will keep a copy of Sondok. It's one of the few historical fiction novels that I've found set in Ancient Korea and I think it's worth keeping for that fact alone. I do find this story interesting and appreciate the struggle Sondok feels between the new ways of Buddhism and the old ways where the priestesses and shamans contact ancestors. I think that's a struggle that many young readers can identify with. I would have liked the novel more if resources for further reading and exploration were provided.
marlfox24's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
msmo's review
2.0
This book is written as a diary by a young Sondok, soon to be first Queen of Silla Korea, A.D. 595. Even though Sondok is heir to the throne, her father the King of Silla kingdom disapproves of her study of astronomy, believing that such academic endeavors are not suitable for females. Sondok struggles with this personally, as well as with the discordances between the Buddhist beliefs of her kingdom, the Shamanistic practices of the older generations, and the growing Confucian influence from her kingdom's "Older Brother China."
While this historical figure and period of pre-unified Korea was fascinating to read about, there was something about the voice and language weaved into Sondok's narrative that I had difficulty believing as very realistic. Also, I couldn't help but feel that Sondok had decidedly Western point-of-view of her world even though she was supposed to be a young Buddhist Korean girl. Still, it did feel like the author gave it her best effort and intent to share the culture and perspectives of Silla Korea.
While this historical figure and period of pre-unified Korea was fascinating to read about, there was something about the voice and language weaved into Sondok's narrative that I had difficulty believing as very realistic. Also, I couldn't help but feel that Sondok had decidedly Western point-of-view of her world even though she was supposed to be a young Buddhist Korean girl. Still, it did feel like the author gave it her best effort and intent to share the culture and perspectives of Silla Korea.
bergha1998's review
medium-paced
4.25
Sondok has an unusual hobby for a girl of her time, she loves astronomy. Except everyone thinks her skill & dedication is a bad thing. Especially when she disagrees with the Chinese ambassador.