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sundayfever's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It took me a while to get into this, the story felt oversimplified and cliche at the beginning. But I enjoyed it as it got more complicated. A nice modern twist on the classic tale of the Moon Lady. Haven't read many books that emphasize magic in Chinese culture. I didn't enjoy as much as the authors first book but still a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness
cuddlewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with an early audio copy of this book!
I adore this book. The narration by the two narrators was impeccable, they captured our two main characters as well as the other POVs in the book with such ease and grace. I was fully immersed in this story which was incredible retelling that I have never seen before - a blend of two different stories, one from Western culture and one from Eastern culture. It was so incredible to see the parts of Romeo and Juliet with parts of The Tale of Chang'e and Houyi. The story was strange with magic blending with the real world in such a visceral way but feeling as if the magic was not fully rooted in reality. It really felt like a myth coming to the real world.
It is not your typical narrative with multiple POVs to discuss how the parents and the antagonist were feeling at different times throughout the book. It wasn't necessarily straightforward but it added a magic to the story that was done so well.
The descriptions were beautiful and each scene had a purpose in explaining the characters, the predicament, or relating it to the myth that was certainly a part of their lives since birth.
Truly I am a sucker for anything about the moon and the descriptions of moonlight bringing colour back to Luna had me so hyped. And the descriptions of Luna's breath relieving Hunter of his pain were gorgrous.
Hunter's little brother Cody had me in the palm of his hand and each of the little parts of mythology coming to life were so fun to read about.
And yet, this book had a melancholy to it, written in the undercurrents of the story when not expressed outright. Even though I do not know the Tale of Chang'e and Houyi fully, I knew how it ended. And it made the trajectory of the story even more tragic.
If you are looking for a book that is strange in its execution but works well on so many levels, please try this out. I enjoyed listening to this book every second it was in my ear.
I adore this book. The narration by the two narrators was impeccable, they captured our two main characters as well as the other POVs in the book with such ease and grace. I was fully immersed in this story which was incredible retelling that I have never seen before - a blend of two different stories, one from Western culture and one from Eastern culture. It was so incredible to see the parts of Romeo and Juliet with parts of The Tale of Chang'e and Houyi. The story was strange with magic blending with the real world in such a visceral way but feeling as if the magic was not fully rooted in reality. It really felt like a myth coming to the real world.
It is not your typical narrative with multiple POVs to discuss how the parents and the antagonist were feeling at different times throughout the book. It wasn't necessarily straightforward but it added a magic to the story that was done so well.
The descriptions were beautiful and each scene had a purpose in explaining the characters, the predicament, or relating it to the myth that was certainly a part of their lives since birth.
Truly I am a sucker for anything about the moon and the descriptions of moonlight bringing colour back to Luna had me so hyped. And the descriptions of Luna's breath relieving Hunter of his pain were gorgrous.
Hunter's little brother Cody had me in the palm of his hand and each of the little parts of mythology coming to life were so fun to read about.
And yet, this book had a melancholy to it, written in the undercurrents of the story when not expressed outright. Even though I do not know the Tale of Chang'e and Houyi fully, I knew how it ended. And it made the trajectory of the story even more tragic.
If you are looking for a book that is strange in its execution but works well on so many levels, please try this out. I enjoyed listening to this book every second it was in my ear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Racism and Medical content
victoriousbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I loved this book! Pan perfectly intertwined Romeo and Juliet with Chinese mythology and had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the mystical elements of this book! It was so enjoyable to see Hunter and Lina’s relationship revolve and change throughout their story and the ending left me speechless and in awe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
lunarsace's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Personally, there was a lot of points being made in the book that I really loved but because of the fantasy element being thrown in I felt like both the commentary and fantasy being a little half-hearted. There wasn't much of a connection between the fantasy and the real life aspects other than magical things happening, and I feel like Lunas family's motivations in particular to feel superficial.
It was an enjoyable read and my favourite part would be the dynamic between Hunter and Luna, and Cody being just. The best boy.
Though if I'm honest, I really hoped the ending would've been more of a symbolic or an interpretation of the chinese mythology rather than just ending it with the exact same story, felt really out of place and the fact that everyone forgot everything made it feel like the whole book was a little pointless. Also poor Cody.
It was an enjoyable read and my favourite part would be the dynamic between Hunter and Luna, and Cody being just. The best boy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
whatjasread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
An Arrow to the Moon had a rough start for me. I went into it with very different expectations, thinking it would be high fantasy rather than a simpler magical realism novel. YA novels that focus so much on the MCs going to school don't tend to work so well for me, it's just not what I enjoy reading. However, with the subtle elements of magic and the forbidden friendship-turned-romance element added to it, AATTM was a genuinely great read. Writing wise, the first third was a bit of a struggle for me -- if the whole book had been like the final third, I think this could have been five stars.
One of my favourite things about this book is that it doesn't shy away from important, difficult topics. They're not presented in an overwhelming or overbearing way, either. There's an argument to be made that it does fall too easily into the stereotype of the strict East Asian parent who is only ever focused on academic achievement and pushing their child to the limit. While it does, the book also pays important attention to political issues such as the Taiwan China conflict (which I'm genuinely intrigued about and will probably go and research more!) It also doesn't shy away from open discussion of periods - blood, cramps and everything in between. It seems like such a minor thing, but it's so important, especially in YA.
The ending was just phenomenal, I think if similar snippets had been woven throughout more than just in the journal, it would have been amazing and added a bit more to the story. I adore all the relationships in this book, particularly between Hunter and his younger brother Cody! There were some storylines which I didn't much care about (Rodney, mostly), but otherwise this book surprised me in a good way!
TWs: asthma attacks, racism, sexism, overbearing parents, strained family relationships, cheating, financial difficulty, child abuse, depression
One of my favourite things about this book is that it doesn't shy away from important, difficult topics. They're not presented in an overwhelming or overbearing way, either. There's an argument to be made that it does fall too easily into the stereotype of the strict East Asian parent who is only ever focused on academic achievement and pushing their child to the limit. While it does, the book also pays important attention to political issues such as the Taiwan China conflict (which I'm genuinely intrigued about and will probably go and research more!) It also doesn't shy away from open discussion of periods - blood, cramps and everything in between. It seems like such a minor thing, but it's so important, especially in YA.
The ending was just phenomenal, I think if similar snippets had been woven throughout more than just in the journal, it would have been amazing and added a bit more to the story. I adore all the relationships in this book, particularly between Hunter and his younger brother Cody! There were some storylines which I didn't much care about (Rodney, mostly), but otherwise this book surprised me in a good way!
TWs: asthma attacks, racism, sexism, overbearing parents, strained family relationships, cheating, financial difficulty, child abuse, depression
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Sexism, Torture, and Racism
abookboundgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
kindredbooks's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan is the retelling of Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology. And so yes, I knew what I was in for when I picked up the book (sort of). I don't know if it's the hopeless romantic in me that still holds out hope that a Romeo and Juliet-inspired book will somehow end up in a happy ending. Hopeless, I know.
This retelling is set in modern day though it does integrate Chinese mythology and things happening in the past to lead to current circumstances. I thought it was quite clever the way the legend of Houyi and Chang'e was integrated into the story with Hunter and Luna as Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Also, those names - how much more perfect can it be? The story was told in so many different POVs that I was a little surprised at first - but I did see how it tied in more depth and details into the story, beyond that of Hunter and Luna. There was a lot of angst and complications that come with being teenagers, much less Chinese/Taiwanese teenagers. I was a little surprised to see the China vs. Taiwan politics play out in this story as well - though it did add a very realistic depth into the resentment between the Yee and Chang families. Overall, I enjoyed An Arrow to the Moon - I don't quite know if I was really convinced of the romance between Hunter and Luna; but it did give me the feelings I always had towards Romeo and Juliet. The idea that teen romance can happen in a moment, without logic or reason, beyond the feelings. You really have to buy into that idea that two young people can fall for each other, for no reason other than seeing one another with the fish tank between them (yes, that iconic scene from Romeo + Juliet, 1996 with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio).
This retelling is set in modern day though it does integrate Chinese mythology and things happening in the past to lead to current circumstances. I thought it was quite clever the way the legend of Houyi and Chang'e was integrated into the story with Hunter and Luna as Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Also, those names - how much more perfect can it be? The story was told in so many different POVs that I was a little surprised at first - but I did see how it tied in more depth and details into the story, beyond that of Hunter and Luna. There was a lot of angst and complications that come with being teenagers, much less Chinese/Taiwanese teenagers. I was a little surprised to see the China vs. Taiwan politics play out in this story as well - though it did add a very realistic depth into the resentment between the Yee and Chang families. Overall, I enjoyed An Arrow to the Moon - I don't quite know if I was really convinced of the romance between Hunter and Luna; but it did give me the feelings I always had towards Romeo and Juliet. The idea that teen romance can happen in a moment, without logic or reason, beyond the feelings. You really have to buy into that idea that two young people can fall for each other, for no reason other than seeing one another with the fish tank between them (yes, that iconic scene from Romeo + Juliet, 1996 with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping
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