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daumari's review against another edition
4.0
Whoops I accidentally inhaled the rest of it on day 2, clearing through TBRs I bought last year and continuing #asianreadathon for APAHM. Excellent middle grade (though leaning towards older due to length, solidly a teen read) sci-fi with strong fantasy elements derived from Korean mythology. I think I would've loved this in middle school. 13 year old Min must find out what happened to her brother in the Space Forces and winds up in a larger quest that could help terraform her backwater planet.
I definitely want more from this world- a lot of worldbuilding that I want to explore (the Thousand Worlds vs the Jeweled Worlds? the coexistence of humans and supernaturals but in Space?? Min's other relatives???) The blend of sci-fi and fantasy is excellent- for example, the ship's energy is similar to a person's gi with meridians, and if the ship gets damaged in a sector the engineer will suffer injuries in the same place. Ghosts can cause bad luck and it's a noticable thing by technicians.
Our MC Min is a resourceful character for a 13 year old, and I couldn't help but draw parallels with Ender's Game in the middle third of the book because spaceflight school. Various parties' motivations make sense and don't come out of nowhere.
I've never read a Rick Riordan novel nor have I read a Yoon Ha Lee novel prior to this, but definitely going to read more of them (I recognize RR was involved at the level of light editing and the imprint, but I do think RR Presents is an excellent use of privilege and name recognition to get stories out there. I've seen [b:Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky|39884337|Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (Tristan Strong #1)|Kwame Mbalia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549350938l/39884337._SX50_.jpg|61695419] in my various feeds so that's definitely on my radar for TBR).
I definitely want more from this world- a lot of worldbuilding that I want to explore (the Thousand Worlds vs the Jeweled Worlds? the coexistence of humans and supernaturals but in Space?? Min's other relatives???) The blend of sci-fi and fantasy is excellent- for example, the ship's energy is similar to a person's gi with meridians, and if the ship gets damaged in a sector the engineer will suffer injuries in the same place. Ghosts can cause bad luck and it's a noticable thing by technicians.
Our MC Min is a resourceful character for a 13 year old, and I couldn't help but draw parallels with Ender's Game in the middle third of the book because spaceflight school. Various parties' motivations make sense and don't come out of nowhere.
I've never read a Rick Riordan novel nor have I read a Yoon Ha Lee novel prior to this, but definitely going to read more of them (I recognize RR was involved at the level of light editing and the imprint, but I do think RR Presents is an excellent use of privilege and name recognition to get stories out there. I've seen [b:Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky|39884337|Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (Tristan Strong #1)|Kwame Mbalia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549350938l/39884337._SX50_.jpg|61695419] in my various feeds so that's definitely on my radar for TBR).
kivt's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure how this fell off my read list, but it was fantastic and I really really enjoyed it.
readingxmachine's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If you like magical creatures and mysteries (finding Jun), you will like this book a lot.
karrama's review against another edition
4.0
When Min's patriotic brother is accused of deserting the space force, she knows something is up. Dragon Pearl is a full-blown space opera for the ten-year old set, filled with different planets and a home-world colony that relies on the outliers more than it knows. Min's family are fox-spirits, but their neighbors don't know it. Fortunately Fox's are imbued with charm, think mythology and you know the type. This book starts fast and keeps you moving as Min gets herself into trouble while getting down to the truth of her brother's disappearance.
reneelewis22's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this, but I generally do not enjoy science fiction. At least I finished it.
pomegranate_muse's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
paula7's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alli_thebookgiraffe's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this one okay. I think it was quite slow paced through most of the book. I was just waiting for something to happen but i did read it quickly.
batwoman's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0