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bluejaybooks's review
I enjoyed following our tricky fox spirit protagonist. I do wish that the supporting characters had been more present, it seemed like we spent a lot of time in our protagonist's head but an overall enjoyable read.
danielled75's review
4.0
When I first saw the cover for this book and found out that it was a space opera and that there is a shape shifting fox, I knew I wanted to check it out.
Min is from a family of fox shapeshifters who try to hide what they are the best that the can, since fox shifters are seen as sneaky and untrustworthy. One day a stranger appears at the door looking to speak to Min’s mother about her son Jun. Min wasn’t supposed to overhear the conversation, but of course curiosity got the best of her. Seems that Jun had deserted his post to search for the Dragon Pearl and this stranger is trying to see if Min’s family has any clues as to why or where his is.
Min at this point decides that she of all people will find out what is going on and why, so she runs away from home and goes to the nearest port city to try to make her way onto a ship to get close to the Pale Lightning to find out more about her brother, and to try to get her hands on the Dragon Pearl to save her own planet.
One Min is aboard the Pale Lighting I found this part of the book slow and confusing, like why she suddenly changed her plans just to help someone that she just met. How she was able to keep up her disguise even while she slept, how the other shapeshifting cadets didn’t notice her magic. I was losing
interest at this point since you weren’t really following Min anymore, you were following a cadet she was pretending to be.
I found the story picked up again once Min was discovered and she is forced to show her true self, and at that point Min is also back on track to find out what happened to her brother and he search for the Dragon Pearl.
I was a bit surprised to the end of the book, wasn’t expecting half of what did happen the way that it did, and I found that to be decent, since some books can be a bit predictable.
There were times where I did forget that this is a MG book, since Min doesn’t come across as a 13-year-old girl, but someone who is at least 17. This did read more as a YA book at times and I found it to be a good read.
Min is from a family of fox shapeshifters who try to hide what they are the best that the can, since fox shifters are seen as sneaky and untrustworthy. One day a stranger appears at the door looking to speak to Min’s mother about her son Jun. Min wasn’t supposed to overhear the conversation, but of course curiosity got the best of her. Seems that Jun had deserted his post to search for the Dragon Pearl and this stranger is trying to see if Min’s family has any clues as to why or where his is.
Min at this point decides that she of all people will find out what is going on and why, so she runs away from home and goes to the nearest port city to try to make her way onto a ship to get close to the Pale Lightning to find out more about her brother, and to try to get her hands on the Dragon Pearl to save her own planet.
One Min is aboard the Pale Lighting I found this part of the book slow and confusing, like why she suddenly changed her plans just to help someone that she just met. How she was able to keep up her disguise even while she slept, how the other shapeshifting cadets didn’t notice her magic. I was losing
interest at this point since you weren’t really following Min anymore, you were following a cadet she was pretending to be.
I found the story picked up again once Min was discovered and she is forced to show her true self, and at that point Min is also back on track to find out what happened to her brother and he search for the Dragon Pearl.
I was a bit surprised to the end of the book, wasn’t expecting half of what did happen the way that it did, and I found that to be decent, since some books can be a bit predictable.
There were times where I did forget that this is a MG book, since Min doesn’t come across as a 13-year-old girl, but someone who is at least 17. This did read more as a YA book at times and I found it to be a good read.
magikspells's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. It was unique and interesting and just what I needed right now.
staernli555's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
sunandaj's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amd_'s review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
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
kcrawfish's review
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a fantasy/sci-fi mashup with an emphasis on Fox and Dragon Spirits living in a sci-fi confederation of planets. The combination of magic and ghosts and futuristic planet-hopping was creative fun, and I loved the world.
The plot was a similarly funky quilt of random occurrences and odd characters you could truly enjoy spending time with. From space pirates, to dragons and goblins, and even a spaceship-hopping ghost, the writer cleanly fused the worlds of space and magic.
I will say that this book felt a little young for my taste, and there were missed opportunities for raw character moments or realistic consequences and struggles. That’s not a true criticism of this book, I think it was geared toward a younger audience, but I wish I could have read a more mature rendering of this plot and world.
So I recommend it for those who love space and dragons. Read it for the fun and the world, not for depth.
This was a fantasy/sci-fi mashup with an emphasis on Fox and Dragon Spirits living in a sci-fi confederation of planets. The combination of magic and ghosts and futuristic planet-hopping was creative fun, and I loved the world.
The plot was a similarly funky quilt of random occurrences and odd characters you could truly enjoy spending time with. From space pirates, to dragons and goblins, and even a spaceship-hopping ghost, the writer cleanly fused the worlds of space and magic.
I will say that this book felt a little young for my taste, and there were missed opportunities for raw character moments or realistic consequences and struggles. That’s not a true criticism of this book, I think it was geared toward a younger audience, but I wish I could have read a more mature rendering of this plot and world.
So I recommend it for those who love space and dragons. Read it for the fun and the world, not for depth.
dreadspawn's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Grief, and Death
alex_watkins's review
4.0
Yoon Ha Lee has created another convincing mash-up of sci fi and fantasy, this time for young readers. It was entertaining for this adult. This is the type of book children should be reading. Representation of gender, difference, pronouns, it's all in here.