A review by bookemkinzo
The Pearl Hunter, by MIYA T. BECK
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
3.25
🐋 Inspired by japanese mythology
🐋 epic journey
🐋 mythical creatures and beings
🐋 sisterly bonds
🐋 bittersweet ending
This is a hard one for me to review. Because on one hand, I really enjoyed the setting, the mythological story inspiration, the magical epic quest, the hint of humor within the writing, and the subtle feminist themes engrained into the story. There were a few things that surprised me as the plot unfolded, as it was a bit unpredictable. It was more gritty than I expected it to be, with the action sequences and (minor spoiler here) the death of one of the horses.
But on the other hand there were a few times where the writing felt a bit choppy... like it needed one more round of edits, some plot items were perhaps a bit too convenient, and the ending was not as satisfying to me as it could have been (I'm a big hea fan). One major red flag for me was at the 25% mark: a casual mention of suic*de. I understand this is set in a time and place were suic*de is not viewed as it is now, but in a children's/middle grade novel I feel like this should be further explained or edited out completely.
Honestly, this could be a duology if it wanted to be. The ending was abrupt and left a lot to be desired.
Can we talk about this cover though? Stunning!
Genre: Middle Grade/Children's Low Fantasy
Age Rating: 13+
Overall Rating: 3.25/5
Big thank you to the author, @harpercollins, and @netgalley for the eARC.
🐋 epic journey
🐋 mythical creatures and beings
🐋 sisterly bonds
🐋 bittersweet ending
This is a hard one for me to review. Because on one hand, I really enjoyed the setting, the mythological story inspiration, the magical epic quest, the hint of humor within the writing, and the subtle feminist themes engrained into the story. There were a few things that surprised me as the plot unfolded, as it was a bit unpredictable. It was more gritty than I expected it to be, with the action sequences and (minor spoiler here) the death of one of the horses.
But on the other hand there were a few times where the writing felt a bit choppy... like it needed one more round of edits, some plot items were perhaps a bit too convenient, and the ending was not as satisfying to me as it could have been (I'm a big hea fan). One major red flag for me was at the 25% mark: a casual mention of suic*de. I understand this is set in a time and place were suic*de is not viewed as it is now, but in a children's/middle grade novel I feel like this should be further explained or edited out completely.
Honestly, this could be a duology if it wanted to be. The ending was abrupt and left a lot to be desired.
Can we talk about this cover though? Stunning!
Genre: Middle Grade/Children's Low Fantasy
Age Rating: 13+
Overall Rating: 3.25/5
Big thank you to the author, @harpercollins, and @netgalley for the eARC.