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kindredbooks's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan is the retelling of Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology. And so yes, I knew what I was in for when I picked up the book (sort of). I don't know if it's the hopeless romantic in me that still holds out hope that a Romeo and Juliet-inspired book will somehow end up in a happy ending. Hopeless, I know.
This retelling is set in modern day though it does integrate Chinese mythology and things happening in the past to lead to current circumstances. I thought it was quite clever the way the legend of Houyi and Chang'e was integrated into the story with Hunter and Luna as Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Also, those names - how much more perfect can it be? The story was told in so many different POVs that I was a little surprised at first - but I did see how it tied in more depth and details into the story, beyond that of Hunter and Luna. There was a lot of angst and complications that come with being teenagers, much less Chinese/Taiwanese teenagers. I was a little surprised to see the China vs. Taiwan politics play out in this story as well - though it did add a very realistic depth into the resentment between the Yee and Chang families. Overall, I enjoyed An Arrow to the Moon - I don't quite know if I was really convinced of the romance between Hunter and Luna; but it did give me the feelings I always had towards Romeo and Juliet. The idea that teen romance can happen in a moment, without logic or reason, beyond the feelings. You really have to buy into that idea that two young people can fall for each other, for no reason other than seeing one another with the fish tank between them (yes, that iconic scene from Romeo + Juliet, 1996 with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio).
This retelling is set in modern day though it does integrate Chinese mythology and things happening in the past to lead to current circumstances. I thought it was quite clever the way the legend of Houyi and Chang'e was integrated into the story with Hunter and Luna as Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Also, those names - how much more perfect can it be? The story was told in so many different POVs that I was a little surprised at first - but I did see how it tied in more depth and details into the story, beyond that of Hunter and Luna. There was a lot of angst and complications that come with being teenagers, much less Chinese/Taiwanese teenagers. I was a little surprised to see the China vs. Taiwan politics play out in this story as well - though it did add a very realistic depth into the resentment between the Yee and Chang families. Overall, I enjoyed An Arrow to the Moon - I don't quite know if I was really convinced of the romance between Hunter and Luna; but it did give me the feelings I always had towards Romeo and Juliet. The idea that teen romance can happen in a moment, without logic or reason, beyond the feelings. You really have to buy into that idea that two young people can fall for each other, for no reason other than seeing one another with the fish tank between them (yes, that iconic scene from Romeo + Juliet, 1996 with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping
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