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ele_b's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the first, but I still really enjoyed it. It does not suffer in anyway from 'sequal syndrome', and the stories were woven in much more fluently in this one, and I loved the way the two novels were related. However, I do feel that the ending was rather harmful - as to quote something someone once said about how Dumbledore left Harry Potter with the Dursleys, "There is never an excuse to leave a child with an abuser". The ending really undermined the importance of escaping abuse, which I was therefore very unhappy with it, so keep that in mind if you are reading this to a child, or are a child/young teen.
cheesemattress's review against another edition
5.0
best book on the geb reading list (probably idk i remember reading this in 1 sitting because it was so good)
deb_reads_books's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely delightful story that can be read as a stand-alone or companion to Where the mountain meets the moon. Lin has a poetry and simplicity about her writing that cannot be underestimated and above all, she tells a page turning story that left me wanting more. Wonderful book.
soymilkcarton's review against another edition
4.0
such a clever and heartfelt book! chinese folktales are so full of life and i think grace lin adapted them in a beautiful way. i sometimes felt that the writing was more tell than show, and sometimes a bit dry to be honest, but otherwise loved it!
jessierose617's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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
3.75
kshy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
squeakadillo's review
4.0
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is an excellent book. Grace Lin basically used it to invent a new genre, or at least bring an existing genre to a new audience. Seriously - I've been thinking about this a lot, and I can't think of any other Juvenile Folktale Fantasy novels. There's Adam Gidwitz's work and there's Breadcrumbs, but in both of those cases all of the action takes place within the tales themselves. There are Cat Valente's Orphan's Tales, but those are (very much) for adults. There's American Born Chinese, but that's a graphic novel for teens. I can't name any other children's novelists who are using Lin's intricate structure of tales within tales, all of which eventually converge both thematically and narratively.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon also happened to be published in 2010, the same year that When You Reach Me was the biggest Newbery shoo-in of the millennium so far. Hence, Mountain (or "Dragon and Minli," as my daughter calls it) earned a well-deserved Honor, but no gold medal.
With Starry River of the Sky, Lin continues to refine her fledgling genre. It takes place in the same universe as Mountain, with some of the same characters, but it's very much a companion book and not a sequel. As the novel opens, we are plunged into the midst of a mystery. A boy named Rendi has run away from home, and he finds himself stranded in the remote Village of Clear Sky. The reader initially knows nothing about Rendi or about the village's odd inhabitants, partly because both the boy and the village are trying their best to forget about the past. As in Mountain, though, the only way forward is to go back - to piece together the truth from scattered fragments of Story.
As a storyteller myself, I'm pretty receptive to the idea that we are healed by stories. Preacher, meet choir.
There is a quality of timeless elegance about Grace Lin's prose. It reminds me of a very different series of books - The Penderwicks - in that it is suffused with that ineffable "classic" feel. That's a difficult style to pull off without sounding precious or forced, but Grace Lin accomplishes it quite... gracefully (sorry). In terms of setting and character, it's difficult to compare Starry River of the Sky to other juvenile fiction books, because both of those elements are marked by the stylistic remoteness of of the traditional tale. That's not a critique, but it does make it harder to compare Starry River to something like Liar and Spy. They're just not trying to accomplish the same things. Plot, theme, and the intersection thereof, however, are indubitably distinguished.
I have only two complaints:
1. Not enough dragons.
2. My ARC doesn't have the full-color art that will grace (sorry! again!) the pages of the published book.
(Cross-posted from For Those About to Mock.)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon also happened to be published in 2010, the same year that When You Reach Me was the biggest Newbery shoo-in of the millennium so far. Hence, Mountain (or "Dragon and Minli," as my daughter calls it) earned a well-deserved Honor, but no gold medal.
With Starry River of the Sky, Lin continues to refine her fledgling genre. It takes place in the same universe as Mountain, with some of the same characters, but it's very much a companion book and not a sequel. As the novel opens, we are plunged into the midst of a mystery. A boy named Rendi has run away from home, and he finds himself stranded in the remote Village of Clear Sky. The reader initially knows nothing about Rendi or about the village's odd inhabitants, partly because both the boy and the village are trying their best to forget about the past. As in Mountain, though, the only way forward is to go back - to piece together the truth from scattered fragments of Story.
As a storyteller myself, I'm pretty receptive to the idea that we are healed by stories. Preacher, meet choir.
There is a quality of timeless elegance about Grace Lin's prose. It reminds me of a very different series of books - The Penderwicks - in that it is suffused with that ineffable "classic" feel. That's a difficult style to pull off without sounding precious or forced, but Grace Lin accomplishes it quite... gracefully (sorry). In terms of setting and character, it's difficult to compare Starry River of the Sky to other juvenile fiction books, because both of those elements are marked by the stylistic remoteness of of the traditional tale. That's not a critique, but it does make it harder to compare Starry River to something like Liar and Spy. They're just not trying to accomplish the same things. Plot, theme, and the intersection thereof, however, are indubitably distinguished.
I have only two complaints:
1. Not enough dragons.
2. My ARC doesn't have the full-color art that will grace (sorry! again!) the pages of the published book.
(Cross-posted from For Those About to Mock.)
rosetea12345's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I have an ARC of this and I really need to see a finished copy, because I want to see all of the illustrations! This was just a really great book. I enjoyed the stories within the story that helped move the plot along. It was well-written and enjoyable.
42icelollies's review against another edition
3.0
pretty good didn't really find the true story till the middle but will still recommend it.