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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this amazing book in exchange of a review.
I kind of asked for it without really reading the blurb.
I thought it was going to be an Isekai kind of story when in fact it was even better.
The story is a mix between the Vietnamese lore and the modern world. A battle between sisters. Magic and powers that can be shared.
I just cannot wait to read itβs sequel because when I turned the last page I was just begging for more of it π
I kind of asked for it without really reading the blurb.
I thought it was going to be an Isekai kind of story when in fact it was even better.
The story is a mix between the Vietnamese lore and the modern world. A battle between sisters. Magic and powers that can be shared.
I just cannot wait to read itβs sequel because when I turned the last page I was just begging for more of it π
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Thank you to Netgallery & the publisher for a free arc for review. All opinions are my own.
I made it 4% in and it's just so bad. The writing is just awful. The story has contractions, and multiple times I had to reread pages to even try to read it.
I made it 4% in and it's just so bad. The writing is just awful. The story has contractions, and multiple times I had to reread pages to even try to read it.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book delivered on most of what I expected from the description. I really loved the setting, and all of the references to Vietnamese folklore. The main character, Jolie, experiences a lot of character development throughout the book, and I think her character development is, for the most part, done well.
However, I did feel that the pacing was a little off, and that affected other aspects of the story. The pacing was slower for the first half of the book, and then picked up in the second half. Normally I enjoy books with a quicker pace, but I think the pace change was really to the detriment of plot points. There is a lot of being told what is happening in the second half of the book, rather than seeing those things actually happen. There were opportunities to have more developed side characters, and more character development for them was hinted at, but never actually achieved.
Overall, I enjoyed reading The Lost Queen, and I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy!
However, I did feel that the pacing was a little off, and that affected other aspects of the story. The pacing was slower for the first half of the book, and then picked up in the second half. Normally I enjoy books with a quicker pace, but I think the pace change was really to the detriment of plot points. There is a lot of being told what is happening in the second half of the book, rather than seeing those things actually happen. There were opportunities to have more developed side characters, and more character development for them was hinted at, but never actually achieved.
Overall, I enjoyed reading The Lost Queen, and I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Summary: The start of a Vietnamese-inspired YA fantasy duology follows Jolie Lam, a high schooler with a mysterious past. After saving popular girl Huong Pham, Jolie gains newfound friendship and awakens ancient powers. As the two uncover their ties to legendary Vietnamese queens and goddesses, they must reclaim their immortal elements before ancient enemies return. With dreams, portals, and a looming battle, Jolie must decipher truth from deception to save those she lovesβand the world.
I agree with some of the other reviewers in that this read was "trippy". I liked the world-building and the Vietnamese lore additions that were woven in the story. Aimee Phan also does a fantastic job at emulating teenagers in high school, which is honestly not my thing as I like to age up my characters and couldn't with Aimee's detailed writing (this is absolutely a compliment).
There were a few main reasons I couldn't get into this particular read. I had a difficult time with the characters and the overall character development. I loved the base of Jolie's character as well as Huong's arc; however, Huong's character was so obvious and Jolie had no clue (granted, she really had no clue about everything, starting from scratch). The pacing of the book was extremely slow in the beginning and then picked up to become pretty predictable and ultimately rushed in the end.
Again, I loved the lore, I just had a hard time putting everything together to make it an interesting read for me - I don't think this will be the case for every reader.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Aimee Phan for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
I agree with some of the other reviewers in that this read was "trippy". I liked the world-building and the Vietnamese lore additions that were woven in the story. Aimee Phan also does a fantastic job at emulating teenagers in high school, which is honestly not my thing as I like to age up my characters and couldn't with Aimee's detailed writing (this is absolutely a compliment).
There were a few main reasons I couldn't get into this particular read. I had a difficult time with the characters and the overall character development. I loved the base of Jolie's character as well as Huong's arc; however, Huong's character was so obvious and Jolie had no clue (granted, she really had no clue about everything, starting from scratch). The pacing of the book was extremely slow in the beginning and then picked up to become pretty predictable and ultimately rushed in the end.
Again, I loved the lore, I just had a hard time putting everything together to make it an interesting read for me - I don't think this will be the case for every reader.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Aimee Phan for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Two words: absolutely incredible
Simply put, Jolie Lam is the female Vietnamese American Percy Jackson that I never knew I needed. But she is so much more than that. She is a queen.
πππ ππ€π¨π© ππͺπππ£ by Aimee Phan is an epic coming-of-age story that blends history with myth, present with the past, homeland with motherland, and oneself with the world.
π§π΅πΆπ πππΌπΏπ π΄πΆππ²π ππ ππΌ πΊππ°π΅: a unique family and community, mesmerizing magic, complicated relationships, mystery, suspense, and drama, all revolving around a lonely insecure teenage girl discovering her best self by reclaiming her roots.
This YA fantasy takes inspiration from the Vietnamese lore of Hai BΓ TrΖ°ng (the π§πΏππ»π΄ ππΆπππ²πΏπ), who led the people to protect their land from the Han Chinese. Though they were ultimately defeated and their reign was cut short (41-43 AD), the Trung sisters are considered symbols of Vietnamese nationalism, and their feats are honored and memorialized to this day. Phan presents a version of their story rooted in Vietnamese mythology and reimagines their sisterhood through Jolie and Huong in a way that is more complex than youβd initially think.
My critiques for this book are minor, likely taking more issue with the YA genre than the story itself:
- It would have been nice to see more of the Vietnamese language. Thereβs a whole part where Jolie realizes she understands Vietnamese, but we only see that dialogue in English translation. Iβm not requesting a whole Viet script and translation; it just would have been cool to see. But this may be because Iβm a bit of a nerd and love being exposed to different languages.
- Some interpersonal conflicts were resolved too easily in my opinion. They involved minor characters but still felt too smooth sailing, even though I knew we needed to get past it quickly to change focus to the real villains. That said, itβs possible that the resolution was true to the nature of high school relationships and I simply donβt relate lol
ππΌπ»π°πΉππ±πΆπ»π΄ ππ΅πΌππ΄π΅ππ: If I had read this ten years ago, this would have become my favorite book of all time. My current 27-year-old self will never stop thinking and talking about this book, and I am certain that my future self will want to pass this story down to her kids. Having grown up in Southern California in the heart of Little Saigon, I have so much love for The Lost Queen. Itβs a story that Vietnamese Americans can be proud of. I earnestly wish for this incredible story by Aimee Phan to be spread far and wide so that people young and old from all backgrounds can get a little taste of what it means to be Vietnamese.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Lost Queen tells the story of two sisters, two dragons, from Vietnamese legends. The premise of the story was intriguing, and the bending of time and space was inventive. I enjoyed learning about the myths and prophecies, and how they were woven into our story. I found Jolie and her βfamilyβ to be lovable characters. The first half of the book sets up much of the story to come, but I did find the first part of the second half a little repetitive and predictable. The ending wrapped up some loose ends, but felt a little bit of a let down at the very end. I was clicking on the kindle going whereβs the rest. Overall, I found it intriguing enough to read through to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was pretty trippy, to be honest. It was entertaining enough but...just very confusing. The beginning works fine but once it hits the middle, the author throws a ton of complicated fantastical plotlines and character stuff that it started to lose me. It focuses on worldbuilding...but more fantasy worldbuilding rather than real-world stuff, even though the book is mostly set in the real world.
The school is the big setting but it starts melting away into obscurity as the more fantastical stuff happens and I'm just left wondering what's happening in the real world as all the weird fantasy stuff occurs. I couldn't turn my brain off to stop thinking about these characters (especially her grandparents) since they were already established in the real-world setting.
I also thought the protagonist was especially dumb for not seeing the lying characters a mile away. She's not very smart and I got frustrated at her often throughout the book.
This book was pretty trippy, to be honest. It was entertaining enough but...just very confusing. The beginning works fine but once it hits the middle, the author throws a ton of complicated fantastical plotlines and character stuff that it started to lose me. It focuses on worldbuilding...but more fantasy worldbuilding rather than real-world stuff, even though the book is mostly set in the real world.
The school is the big setting but it starts melting away into obscurity as the more fantastical stuff happens and I'm just left wondering what's happening in the real world as all the weird fantasy stuff occurs. I couldn't turn my brain off to stop thinking about these characters (especially her grandparents) since they were already established in the real-world setting.
I also thought the protagonist was especially dumb for not seeing the lying characters a mile away. She's not very smart and I got frustrated at her often throughout the book.