Reviews - Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze

17 reviews for:

Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze

Maple Lam

4.35 AVERAGE

sayrahgees's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I got to read this out loud in two settings to my four year old and it was a great intro to mythology.

ljrinaldi's review against another edition

4.0

The Monkey King is a wonderful character in Chinese folklore/mythology. A trickster type of not-yet-god, WuKong seeks to become a god, so finds that he must do various tasks. This is an ongoing series, so in other books, there will be other mythological creatures he will fight. In this one he travels to ancient Greece, to battle the Minotaur, with Cerberus, who he picked up when he went to Hades.

Since the monkey king is silly, this whole story is silly, but a good adventure. There is just enough amount of adventure and danger to keep one engaged.

Cute illustrations. Two mythologies for the price of one. What more could you ask for?

einnymydog's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous funny fast-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

kathyellendavis's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

What a fun start to a new graphic novel series! Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is bold, brash, and mischievous, so every kid will love him. He's also not willing to let others tell him who he is just because he's a beast, and gives everyone a chance to tell their story and encouragement to be their true self. I loved the mashup of myths and gods/legends from various cultures! And the illustrations are adorable, engaging, and dynamic. Anyone who loves a good story with adventure, mystery, friendships, and depth will love reading this one. Can't wait to read more in the series as they come out!

sarahcline's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring 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

sagenguyen's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-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

dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, and I definitely will keep up with this series.

Chronicling the adventures of Sun Wukong the Monkey King as he hunts monsters to get rid of the Yao-Qi, Lam seamlessly blends Chinese and Greek mythology in this series opener. The pacing was good and I felt the illustrations was able to convey the story well. But what I really liked was the thematic elements of not letting others define who we are as well as recognizing and celebrating our differences, and I believe that Lam incorporated those themes in a meaningful way that Sun Wukong’s character development.

If you want a middle grade graphic novel that blends mythology from different cultures as well as have great messaging about embracing differences, I would recommend checking out this book.

Content Warnings