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phoenix2's review against another edition
3.0
The Ghost Bride is like reading a Spirited Away retelling, with a more maturish concept. However, that can only be said about the middle part of the book, because the beginning and the ending were kind of a let down.
But, first things first. The book starts sluggishly, and it takes a while to really commit to the story and for the reader to get engage with it. That is mostly because of the main character, who was a bit of a tabula rasa really, a basic aristocrat girl who is not yet prepared for the real adult world, but she has no opinion, no dreams and no ambition. She is waiting for others to make the decisions for her and her whole personality is near to non. That can easily explain why she got that much hanged up to the first boy who ever smiled at her.
However, things get way way better after that first part. The fantasy part kicks in and the author introduces a fantastic, mystical and imaginary, dreamy afterlife with lots of twists and turns, a few new characters, and some sentimental moments. This part is full of action and it gives the opportunity to the main character to grow and show more of her personality and her own plans for her future, as she finally takes matters into her own hands.
The last part of the book was also good, but not as strong. The ending was somehow open, though there was a conclusion. But not my cup of tea in any case.
Nevertheless, the book was fun and the spirit world was well crafted, including Asian traditions, along with some historical touches.
But, first things first. The book starts sluggishly, and it takes a while to really commit to the story and for the reader to get engage with it. That is mostly because of the main character, who was a bit of a tabula rasa really, a basic aristocrat girl who is not yet prepared for the real adult world, but she has no opinion, no dreams and no ambition. She is waiting for others to make the decisions for her and her whole personality is near to non. That can easily explain why she got that much hanged up to the first boy who ever smiled at her.
However, things get way way better after that first part. The fantasy part kicks in and the author introduces a fantastic, mystical and imaginary, dreamy afterlife with lots of twists and turns, a few new characters, and some sentimental moments. This part is full of action and it gives the opportunity to the main character to grow and show more of her personality and her own plans for her future, as she finally takes matters into her own hands.
The last part of the book was also good, but not as strong. The ending was somehow open, though there was a conclusion. But not my cup of tea in any case.
Nevertheless, the book was fun and the spirit world was well crafted, including Asian traditions, along with some historical touches.
illusie's review against another edition
4.0
From the first page I was hooked. The MC is likable. I was intrigued by the story, since I didn't know the tradition of marrying someone who has already died. It is well written with an interesting plot.
kappafrog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Pros: I loved the worldbuilding. 19th century Malaya was a cool setting, and I appreciated all the little historical details that went with it like the Dutch ghost, all the Malay folklore, and Tien Bai's education abroad. What I liked most about this book was the way Choo built the afterlife world. It was very spooky and atmospheric. All of the rules and restrictions were interesting. The bond between Li Lan and her horse was really nice. My favourite characters in the book were Amah and Old Wong. This was a really cool imagining of what life would be like for someone in her time and place being caught between life and death.
Cons: The plot was really meandering. There was a lot of time spent with Li Lan wandering around aimlessly, and while it showed off the cool worldbuilding, it left her motivations often muddled. She was a very weepy character which was all right but sometimes got a bit repitive. It was sometimes frustrating as a reader how big the disconnect was between what she was thinking and how she acted - she was often very passive in her conversations compared to what she was thinking. It wasn't unrealistic, but it did make her grate on me a bit. I was also never fully sold on Er Lang as a love interest. He was quite misogynistic and while this is true of most of the male characters in the book, which is appropriate to their place and time, it didn't make him seem that appealing.
Cons: The plot was really meandering. There was a lot of time spent with Li Lan wandering around aimlessly, and while it showed off the cool worldbuilding, it left her motivations often muddled. She was a very weepy character which was all right but sometimes got a bit repitive. It was sometimes frustrating as a reader how big the disconnect was between what she was thinking and how she acted - she was often very passive in her conversations compared to what she was thinking. It wasn't unrealistic, but it did make her grate on me a bit. I was also never fully sold on Er Lang as a love interest. He was quite misogynistic and while this is true of most of the male characters in the book, which is appropriate to their place and time, it didn't make him seem that appealing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Body shaming, Murder, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Sexism, Mental illness, Drug use, Classism, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
the_bookish_type53's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
miesebriese's review against another edition
4.0
despite the setting being so unfamiliar to me the feeling of being unable to decide for yourself, being at the mercy of men who have the "right to decide" on how your life will end up rly isn't a foreign concept to me... but that does change quite quickly... i must say i rly liked li lan, she grew immensely within the book and i loved how no one commented on it, usually we get phrases that point it our but she just kept getting more fierce, more daring and more confident through the book, ofc it's due to her rather alarming situation but following her journey was fun!!!
laura1980458's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.25
jrmarr's review against another edition
2.0
This is a strange book. What I thought would be an interesting insight into the life of women in a different culture in a different time, became a strange journey through the spiritual world, full of the ghostly versions of people, cities, animals and houses. I was left feeling a bit 'so what?', which is a very unsatisfying place for me to be!
abrown410's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annashiv's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting book, though unusual. I felt it could have been better. It felt very much driven by the plot and so half the choices of characters didn't make sense and seemed to be on a whim that supported the plot best. It was very clear and spoiled much of it. I really enjoyed the ending though and the character Er Lang. I would have liked him to be even more central and make more appearances, earlier on as well. Overall, I felt I could not trust the author and while I enjoyed her interpretation of the afterlife, I could not figure out the rules of it as, again, it seemed to be determined by what worked best for the plot. Still, I liked the last 60 pages or so. I'd say give it a go if you are interested in Chinese culture and don't mind a wandering story. I was entertained. I just wish it had been better thought out or executed through the middle.