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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-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
I was intrigued by the premise of The Lost Queen, as I've not read much inspired by Vietnamese mythology. Aimee Phan does a great job weaving emotion throughout her story. It was fully engrossing. I did guess the ending fairly early on, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did take some of the mystique away. The Lost Queen is book one of a duology, which feels a bit unnecessary. I thought it felt like a completed story. It will be interesting to see what will happen in book two.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The cover of this book is GORGEOUS đ
Vietnamese mythological figures are reincarnated as Californian teenagers with the goals of either world peace or world domination. It is a bit too reductive, and there's so much telling. I appreciate the Vietnamese mythology, which I don't have a strong background with. There are dragons, prophecies, and magic. I really wish this was a straight retelling though. This feels too much like two different books: a teen YA drama and an epic fantasy of magical goddess sisters and their dragon brothers. The premonitions, flashbacks, and present day timelines are very confusing.
Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for this ARC!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This oneâs hard to review. I loved the first 40ish% and absolutely tore through it. We had unexplained / unwanted powers, dangerous visions, high school mean girls, a sprinkling of Vietnamese mythology, fraught family dynamics (made even more fraught with the added pressure of dementia). Jolie (though her name wasnât mentioned until almost 1/3 into the book, whoops) was a very relatable protagonist; she has normal teenage girl problems, mixed race kid problems, absent father problems, bullying victim problems. And then we add some supernatural problems and things get much more interesting.
However, once the first layer of truth falls into place, we get kind of repetitive. Jolie loses her defined edges and gets swept up in Huong without really doing much. This is where it kind of started to lose me. We were told that Jolie was getting more confident, more popular (?), but we didnât really see it. So little of the book actually takes place at school. It took us a long time to get to the âso whatâ - like, why do we care about the things Huong is telling us to care about.
And then when things shifted again, the villains all felt very cartoonish. We have the same sort of âwhy should anyone care about weak, mortal humans? Blah blah blahâ speech over and over by 4 different people.
I did like the end a lot and think it really brought our sisters full circle, but it also felt a little too neat.
{Thank you Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
However, once the first layer of truth falls into place, we get kind of repetitive. Jolie loses her defined edges and gets swept up in Huong without really doing much. This is where it kind of started to lose me. We were told that Jolie was getting more confident, more popular (?), but we didnât really see it. So little of the book actually takes place at school. It took us a long time to get to the âso whatâ - like, why do we care about the things Huong is telling us to care about.
And then when things shifted again, the villains all felt very cartoonish. We have the same sort of âwhy should anyone care about weak, mortal humans? Blah blah blahâ speech over and over by 4 different people.
I did like the end a lot and think it really brought our sisters full circle, but it also felt a little too neat.
{Thank you Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
This was an interesting story about friendship, family and reincarnation but this wasn't what I expected from it. Huong's (Trac's) manipulation of Jolie (Nhi) wasn't what I expected. I'd hoped they actually WERE united against their brothers and that something had gone wrong when they first tried to sacrifice themselves to the world. Learning that Huong was the one who betrayed her didn't sit right with me for some reason. I guess I'd always hoped that their brothers were the problem.
adventurous
emotional
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
The Lost Queen is a multi-layered novel that explores themes of identity, and family legacy. The story is told from multiple points of views and timelines and that really helps bring everything together. Phanâs characters are flawed, real, and each carrying burdens. Phan also does not shy away from the messiness of family ties, resentments, and secrets. The pace at times does move a little slow but overall this is a great read about understanding our past and finding a path forward.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Just too slow for me. Probably great for young teens. Maybe will try again the future.