A review by amac_reads
Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan, by Hildi Kang
4.0
Chengli and the Silk Road is a work of historical fiction set in seventh century China. Chengli is a young teen who can hear a wind that no one else can even feel. While working for a merchant in a city, he begins to feel the urge to learn about his missing father and to follow the wind he hears. He’s given part of a jade pendant that belonged to his father and joins a caravan looking for answers. What sort of adventures will he have during his travels? Will he learn anything about his father?
This was an amazing work of historical fiction for young adults. The author did a fantastic job describing the setting and the atmosphere of the work. It was immersive and brought a great level of depth to the book. Fascinating cultural lore was also included that added depth. For example, fog rolling off the mountains was explained as a demon who pushed the clouds low over the land. Unique cultural views like this were present throughout the work, adding to its immersiveness.
The author also did an excellent job at writing relatable and enjoyable characters. The protagonist and most of the secondary characters were young teens, and the author managed to give them the voices of teens while still making them relatable to older audiences. While this book is geared towards a younger audience, I found it enjoyable as an older reader. The style was simple but not overly so.
The only thing I found to dislike about this work was that there were several errors throughout. While they were not large enough to detract from my enjoyment of the work overall, the book could use another round of editing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in non-western historical fiction. This work is suitable for young adult readers as well.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This was an amazing work of historical fiction for young adults. The author did a fantastic job describing the setting and the atmosphere of the work. It was immersive and brought a great level of depth to the book. Fascinating cultural lore was also included that added depth. For example, fog rolling off the mountains was explained as a demon who pushed the clouds low over the land. Unique cultural views like this were present throughout the work, adding to its immersiveness.
The author also did an excellent job at writing relatable and enjoyable characters. The protagonist and most of the secondary characters were young teens, and the author managed to give them the voices of teens while still making them relatable to older audiences. While this book is geared towards a younger audience, I found it enjoyable as an older reader. The style was simple but not overly so.
The only thing I found to dislike about this work was that there were several errors throughout. While they were not large enough to detract from my enjoyment of the work overall, the book could use another round of editing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in non-western historical fiction. This work is suitable for young adult readers as well.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.