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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
About a young woman propositioned with marrying the spirit of a dead male heir, the story follows a Li Lan as she navigates the spirit world, family politics and young love. She is thrust into the realm of the supernatural that is rich in Chinese mythology about the afterlife. The narrator's voice is soothing and animated when necessary. 10 out of 10! This books gives intrigue, romance and a bit of humor as well. The turn of events toward the end did blindside me a bit as a particular couple had been pressed throughout the book, and it seemed to suddenly change. BUT it is explained later and does make more sense. I could have missed some cues of romance because I was so engrossed in the worldbuilding, but that's my fault. I wish either I had seen the blossoming of this particular love match OR that I had been given more clues as to the change of heart. Either way, I genuinely liked this book and wish there was a sequel!
This being a book set in 19th-century Malaysia, I'm glad the author did not try to give Li Lan modern sensibilities or "westernize" her in any way. The former would be a cop-out and the latter would be a lot worse since we don't get many stories about the women living in this part of the world during this point in history (colonial era). Li Lan is very much a product of her time and culture, she's sheltered and unsophisticated, obeys her elders and generally lives a quiet life. Too quiet in fact. I also like that even though she respects her father, she doesn't sugarcoat the fact that he's negligent and irresponsible and really could have ruined her future by not cultivating her marriage prospects with business contacts. There is not doubt in any one's mind here that Li Lan has to marry, there is no other way seeing as they're on the verge of bankruptcy and marriage would take care not only her future but the household's dependents, notably her aging amah.
The initial attraction/romance with Tian Bai is a bit too abrupt for my liking although it is not completely unreasonable since Li Lan basically has no friends, let alone any male acquaintances her age. Tian Bai is kind and a decent prospect, the fact the he's easy on the eyes doesn't hurt either. As for Tian Bai, yes, I can buy his attraction to Li Lan once he finds out who she really is. That said, I couldn't really get behind their love story at first until, well, something else happens. The synopsis is a bit misleading in this respect but I'm happy to be misled. The ending to the love story is definitely earned, it could not have been possible for the Li Lan at the start of the story to make the choice she did at the end. But when we get to the last chapter, the author has already convinced us that Li Lan would have been miserable with the safer choice. I'm just disappointed there isn't more of the ending, such a wasted opportunity for more banter!
Going back to Li Lan, the author did a really good job with her. She's able to accomplish her ends without suddenly acting out of character, she's strong without being anachronistic. There are a couple of instances where she's a damsel in distress and needs a man to help her out of a tight spot. In her defense, the only person she knows who could possibly be of any help to her her happens to be a guy. But on the other hand, the author could have made use of the other female characters (it wouldn't be too much of a stretch since half the story is set in the Afterworld and as ironically commented in the book, women tend to hold the power in the world of the dead). This is my biggest issue with the book, the other female characters are not so well developed as Li Lan, being only a little better than stereotypes. There's the loyal and ever-dependable amah, the gossipy maid, the sainted mother who died too young, the vain backstabbing "friend", jealous concubines, etc. These characters have their moments but they're far too few. Given a bit more time on the page I think they could've been as well developed as Li Lan or the other male characters and I think there was definitely some wasted opportunity to develop these women.
(Disclosure: I got my copy of the book from a giveaway hosted by the author)
The initial attraction/romance with Tian Bai is a bit too abrupt for my liking although it is not completely unreasonable since Li Lan basically has no friends, let alone any male acquaintances her age. Tian Bai is kind and a decent prospect, the fact the he's easy on the eyes doesn't hurt either. As for Tian Bai, yes, I can buy his attraction to Li Lan once he finds out who she really is. That said, I couldn't really get behind their love story at first until, well, something else happens. The synopsis is a bit misleading in this respect but I'm happy to be misled. The ending to the love story is definitely earned, it could not have been possible for the Li Lan at the start of the story to make the choice she did at the end. But when we get to the last chapter, the author has already convinced us that Li Lan would have been miserable with the safer choice. I'm just disappointed there isn't more of the ending, such a wasted opportunity for more banter!
Spoiler
And c'mon, who doesn't want to meet Er Lang's family?Going back to Li Lan, the author did a really good job with her. She's able to accomplish her ends without suddenly acting out of character, she's strong without being anachronistic. There are a couple of instances where she's a damsel in distress and needs a man to help her out of a tight spot. In her defense, the only person she knows who could possibly be of any help to her her happens to be a guy. But on the other hand, the author could have made use of the other female characters (it wouldn't be too much of a stretch since half the story is set in the Afterworld and as ironically commented in the book, women tend to hold the power in the world of the dead). This is my biggest issue with the book, the other female characters are not so well developed as Li Lan, being only a little better than stereotypes. There's the loyal and ever-dependable amah, the gossipy maid, the sainted mother who died too young, the vain backstabbing "friend", jealous concubines, etc. These characters have their moments but they're far too few. Given a bit more time on the page I think they could've been as well developed as Li Lan or the other male characters and I think there was definitely some wasted opportunity to develop these women.
(Disclosure: I got my copy of the book from a giveaway hosted by the author)
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An interesting intersection of Chinese cultural beliefs, history, and fantasy worlds
I didn't like this as much as I wanted to or thought I should have. Somewhere around the middle, it seemed like it was going to be entirely predictable, and I realized I just wanted to get to the end and find out that yes, she did get together with the man she fell in love with after seeing once. In the end, it was not quite so predictable, and it did get a little better. I can't put my finger on why I didn't completely love this, but I didn't.
Spoiler
I did like the fact that she decides to go with Er Lang - although I think it would have been good if the reader was left with some uncertainty too. It really fits with the story though, the idea that she's changed by the time she spends in the underworld.
Really enjoyed reading this novel!!!! The amount of new knowledges that I got makes me want to learn more about chinese culture. Will reread this book for sure. I really love Li Lan characterization <33
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love learning about different cultures, so that’s what piqued my interest. Being a ghost bride? Who would have thought? There were so many times when I shouted, “Girl! Go back to your body!” At times, it felt like she was aimlessly wandering, so that bored me a bit.
Interesting and I loved reading about the afterlife. Not sure about the ending.
Sooo.. I just finished the book this weekend and I have to say I am again Torn on whether I liked the book or not.
♠ I liked Li Lam but I didn't feel as though I could keep a connection with her.
♠ I thought that there were times that the book was boring and continued on and on and on..
♠ I thought that the author did a great job of telling a story but I felt that she would get onto a roll and I would find myself even more intrigued.
♠ I was extremely suprised By Li Lan's decision at the end of the novel. Were you?
♠ I liked Li Lam but I didn't feel as though I could keep a connection with her.
♠ I thought that there were times that the book was boring and continued on and on and on..
♠ I thought that the author did a great job of telling a story but I felt that she would get onto a roll and I would find myself even more intrigued.
♠ I was extremely suprised By Li Lan's decision at the end of the novel. Were you?
5/5stars
This was AWESOME. someone described this to me as "Three Souls meets Spirited Away" and I can't agree more. This book is an incredibly entertaining, incredibly endearing, incredibly fast-paced and interesting book about a girl who is proposed to become a ghost bride - aka; the bride of a person who has died. When she rejects the marriage, the ghost of the boy whose family proposed to her begins to haunt her and she has to go into the spirit world to find out hidden secrets and learn more about whats going on.
WOW I love things about the spirit world?? its SO cool
also this showed me so much culture in such a concise, not info-dumpy way to show how other cultures handle their dead and what they think happens to people after they die. it was FASCINATING.
The writing was WONDERFUL, so engaging, so beautiful but so simple, I absolutely loved it.
The characters are so interesting, have such strong voices and I loved all the relationships, platonic and not, that we get throughout the story.
The story is also SO interesting that Yangsze Choo was able to make such a whimsical, fantastical story from such a small, old idea in Chinese/Malaysian culture.
Absolutely loved this, HIGHLY recommend if you like a lot of the same books as me!
This was AWESOME. someone described this to me as "Three Souls meets Spirited Away" and I can't agree more. This book is an incredibly entertaining, incredibly endearing, incredibly fast-paced and interesting book about a girl who is proposed to become a ghost bride - aka; the bride of a person who has died. When she rejects the marriage, the ghost of the boy whose family proposed to her begins to haunt her and she has to go into the spirit world to find out hidden secrets and learn more about whats going on.
WOW I love things about the spirit world?? its SO cool
also this showed me so much culture in such a concise, not info-dumpy way to show how other cultures handle their dead and what they think happens to people after they die. it was FASCINATING.
The writing was WONDERFUL, so engaging, so beautiful but so simple, I absolutely loved it.
The characters are so interesting, have such strong voices and I loved all the relationships, platonic and not, that we get throughout the story.
The story is also SO interesting that Yangsze Choo was able to make such a whimsical, fantastical story from such a small, old idea in Chinese/Malaysian culture.
Absolutely loved this, HIGHLY recommend if you like a lot of the same books as me!
I really enjoyed this novel, which combines historical fiction and fantasy. Yangsze Choo's vision of the afterlife is interesting and well-developed.I enjoyed the characters, especially Er Lang (he reminded me a bit of Howl from [b:Howl’s Moving Castle|6294|Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)|Diana Wynne Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630502935l/6294._SX50_.jpg|2001]). Li Lan is a likeable heroine. I look forward to Choo's next book!