Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

6 reviews

goldendreams's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective medium-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

5.0

Really liked this one. I wasn't expecting the space opera and I liked that twist on a story about kitsune.  It was a little slow at the beginning, but immersive enough that it didn't bother me. I liked Mein's character development, especially considering how rash she was in the beginning. Consequences followed through on actions, which I really appreciated. Generally an interesting story with interesting characters and I'd like to read more about them!
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translove's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

3.75

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sourryebread's review

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

if you like fantasy, sci-fi, or mythology and folklore elements, this one is for you! I loved this book! The world was so magical and full of adventure. The main character is well written, the book has some unexpected plot twists, and overall I think this is a nice, heart-warming read. Really recommend! <3
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ha1yan's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-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

4.0

Really fun and a unique concept! Korean mythology and sci-fi make for a super memorable combination.
The ghost planet at the end gave me CHILLS. I didn't know it was going to get that dark!!!
 
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tqlikesbooks's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

 
“Seems to me, Min, you make your own luck.”


Dragon Pearl follows thirteen year old min, a gumiho (fox spirit) who wants to join the Space Forces like her older brother Jun. When her family is visited by a man who claims Jun has deserted the forces to track down a powerful item called the dragon pearl, Min is convinced that her brother is innocent and sets out to rescue Jun and clear his name.

This was a great middle-grade adventure that combines coming of age, sci-fi and Korean folklore. I adored learning about all sorts of magical beings and how they operated in this sci-fi world, including: goblin space cadets; terraforming dragon magic; and a wily fox spirt that owns a gambling parlour on a space port. Min is an excellent protagonist who uses her charm and shapeshifting ability in many clever ways in order to find her brother (but inadvertently leaves a trail of destruction in her wake). There is some great representation of non-binary people throughout the worlds in which the story takes place, which I found pretty neat for a children's book!

Overall it's a fun and fast paced story, but something about it fell a little flat for me— the writing was just a little overly simplistic for my tastes. I do love that this kind of children's story exists and I would have adored this as a youngster.

I highly recommend this book for fans of middle-grade fiction. I'm definitely interested enough to check out more of Yoon Ha Lee's adult fiction now.
 
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