Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Others were Emeralds by Lang Leav is a journey of racism and immigrant experience through the eyes of Ai and her friends. Ai's family migrated from Cambodia to a small town Australian town called Whitlam. This town mostly consists of people fleeing war-torn countries to rebuild their lives. As a result, Ai's tight-knit group of friends also have refugee stories and pain attached to them. In fine, this book is 'a coming of age narrative set against the backdrop of anti-Asian sentiment sweeping Australia in the late 90’s.'
From the spectrum of love to guilt and heartbreak, Leav's writing encapsulates the entire range of emotions that teenagers experience. I am so glad to come across YA books that deal with topics such as a racism, gen0cide, and living as POC in predominantly white societies. I was initially afraid that the book is going to be lyrical, but once the plot hit the twists and turns, I was fully invested. My only qualm was that the second part was a tad too short, and I would have loved to read more about the characters post the tragedy. Nevertheless, I suggest you to read this book.
Privileged are those who can turn to books to escape reality even for a bit, especially in these times. Although this is hardly escapist literature as it has its fair share of heartbreak, it’s a worthwhile endeavor to explore the narratives of young immigrants.
From the spectrum of love to guilt and heartbreak, Leav's writing encapsulates the entire range of emotions that teenagers experience. I am so glad to come across YA books that deal with topics such as a racism, gen0cide, and living as POC in predominantly white societies. I was initially afraid that the book is going to be lyrical, but once the plot hit the twists and turns, I was fully invested. My only qualm was that the second part was a tad too short, and I would have loved to read more about the characters post the tragedy. Nevertheless, I suggest you to read this book.
Privileged are those who can turn to books to escape reality even for a bit, especially in these times. Although this is hardly escapist literature as it has its fair share of heartbreak, it’s a worthwhile endeavor to explore the narratives of young immigrants.
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug abuse, Racial slurs
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Found an advance copy of this book in a street library - new Asian Australian literary fiction by a poet based on her experiences as a daughter of Cambodian refugees growing up in 90s Sydney, sounds right up my alley! It is not. This is not remotely close to literary fiction - it's dreary, unartful YA with plodding prose, poorly defined characters, and no sense of urgency. I'm gutted, I really wanted to like this but it just... God it was just not good. Needs a big structural edit and should be classified as YA if it wants to find an audience, and even then I don't think the pacing is tight enough to grip anyone. There's almost too much of the author in here, it feels confessional in a very unintentional way.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes