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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
This is a 2016 National Book Award Finalist and highly deserved. It beautifully weaves Chinese folklore into the magical/mythological adventure of two children. I'm not sure if anyone else got "Frozen" vibes from it, but I might make a point to use the similarities in reader's advisory. The children are trying to end an eternal winter, learn to use the power of voice, and overcome their obstacles through generosity and putting others first. Would recommend for adults and children.
Im in the minority with not loving this book. It’s aesthetically beautiful, and the stories are beautiful, but the various stories are dropped into the narrative in a way that I found a bit disruptive and hard to follow. It was unclear until later who was who from the stories to the characters in the narrative. Even when I realized, it felt muddled and unclear. I can recognize why people love this book, but it just wasn’t a favorite for me.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
omg somehow I missed that this is 3rd in a trilogy?! I think they can be read out of order since I still LOVED this book, but I know it had a little nod in it to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon so I'm wondering if it also connects to the 2nd one, Starry River of the Sky?
Anyway--totally beautiful, compelling, love it. I think these books would be great readalouds since they are so episodic. They're so smartly structured and so perfectly highlight the power of stories and cultural identity. But also, just super fun!
Anyway--totally beautiful, compelling, love it. I think these books would be great readalouds since they are so episodic. They're so smartly structured and so perfectly highlight the power of stories and cultural identity. But also, just super fun!
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
That turned out surprisingly epic.
It fits in with books 1 and 2, but the timeline is part of the plot, so I won’t spoil it. Pinmei has to figure out what’s causing endless winter.
It fits in with books 1 and 2, but the timeline is part of the plot, so I won’t spoil it. Pinmei has to figure out what’s causing endless winter.
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
- this really makes you feel like you’re a little kid hearing fairy tales for the first time!
- I’m always so surprised when some of the side stories become plot points! I love how this has happened in both books in the series.
- I also loved how the story bounced between the grandmother and her granddaughter, as well as the side stories.
- I’m always so surprised when some of the side stories become plot points! I love how this has happened in both books in the series.
- I also loved how the story bounced between the grandmother and her granddaughter, as well as the side stories.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
This is the third and final installment in this companion trilogy and it's definitely my favorite of the three.
This follows Pinmei, a young girl whose Grandmother (Amah, who happens to be someone called The Storyteller) gets taken by the emperor and his men for an unknown reason and she goes on a quest with her friend, Yishan, to save her and find out many other things along the way.
That brief summary doesn't do the book justice, but it was absolutely incredible.
As with the other companion books, Lin weaves stories together by incorporating Chinese folklore as stories throughout the book. It's one of my favorite things about these books. The characters of this book are so beautifully written and I loved watching Pinmei's journey as well as her relationships with everyone we meet along the way. Yishan is also a fascinating character and I found myself changing my mind about him as the book went on.
What I loved the most about this book though, is the deeper messages within about immortality and storytelling. It was just absolutely excellent and the book was really hard to put down.
Also the atmosphere of the book with the setting and it being set during winter just made it extra cozy and lovely.
This is definitely a companion trilogy (but in particular this book) that I'll reread again in the future.
This follows Pinmei, a young girl whose Grandmother (Amah, who happens to be someone called The Storyteller) gets taken by the emperor and his men for an unknown reason and she goes on a quest with her friend, Yishan, to save her and find out many other things along the way.
That brief summary doesn't do the book justice, but it was absolutely incredible.
As with the other companion books, Lin weaves stories together by incorporating Chinese folklore as stories throughout the book. It's one of my favorite things about these books. The characters of this book are so beautifully written and I loved watching Pinmei's journey as well as her relationships with everyone we meet along the way. Yishan is also a fascinating character and I found myself changing my mind about him as the book went on.
What I loved the most about this book though, is the deeper messages within about immortality and storytelling. It was just absolutely excellent and the book was really hard to put down.
Also the atmosphere of the book with the setting and it being set during winter just made it extra cozy and lovely.
This is definitely a companion trilogy (but in particular this book) that I'll reread again in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Grief
It would be a whole lot better if you read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, first, but if you don't, it's still amazing. I love how there are stories inside of one big story. I don't know where I'd be without stories, so this is an amazing book for me. It has fantasy, fun, mystery, and it's kind of like a puzzle where the pieces fall into place. I think this is an amazing book.