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A review by jupanuma
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The concept was interesting, but I think the execution wasn't done well. It's a weird mixture of supernatural creatures and space. And I am saying supernatural creatures instead of Korean mythology because there really isn't any in the book. Like all the creatures are from Korean folklore, but it doesn't ever go into the mythology or really folklore about them.
The characters themselves are eh. Min, the main character, solves everything, and I mean everything with magic, or charm as it's called in the book. Somehow she's so powerful at something she didn't really use often and is able to just do everything with it. And it's no wonder why foxes have a bad rap when people thought they were still around.
Throughout the book, as she meets new supernatural creatures she comments on them being a supernatural creature, but for some reason, no one knows she is one? Like I understand everyone seems to think foxes are extinct, but you would think they would still guess she is some type of a creature even if they weren't sure what type. Or at least think she isn't a human. I just couldn't get invested in her, because she just seems all-powerful and everyone is just too stupid to be able to do anything against it. Or charm is just OP for some unknown reason.
The only time she doesn't use charm is at the very end, but even she still used magic to solve the issue, even if it wasn't her magic. She didn't really grow as a person throughout the story. She very much felt like a 13-year-old, who thinks that they can solve everything with this power they have and there are no consequences to her actions. SpoilerAnd it shows at the end of the book when she gets a job instead of whatever punishment she should have gotten.
The "bad guy" wasn't build up to be a bad guy. Just some random Spoilercaptain that had too much power for his own good, and wanted more. Like most people in power.
All the side characters we meet are pointless. None of them really help move the story along. I'm pretty sure instead of having SpoilerSujin and Haneul break her out of jail, she could have done it herself like she has the rest of the story. The only cool thing about them was how some of them used they/them pronouns, and one offhandedly mentions they are polyamorous, and no one questioned it. And how Min has a cousin who is male even though most foxes are female. (I would assume that her brother, Jun, is the say way, but it is never mentioned.) So it's cool to see different LGBTQIA representations, but it doesn't make the story better, which I find sad because I was really hoping to like this story.
The characters themselves are eh. Min, the main character, solves everything, and I mean everything with magic, or charm as it's called in the book. Somehow she's so powerful at something she didn't really use often and is able to just do everything with it. And it's no wonder why foxes have a bad rap when people thought they were still around.
Throughout the book, as she meets new supernatural creatures she comments on them being a supernatural creature, but for some reason, no one knows she is one? Like I understand everyone seems to think foxes are extinct, but you would think they would still guess she is some type of a creature even if they weren't sure what type. Or at least think she isn't a human. I just couldn't get invested in her, because she just seems all-powerful and everyone is just too stupid to be able to do anything against it. Or charm is just OP for some unknown reason.
The only time she doesn't use charm is at the very end, but even she still used magic to solve the issue, even if it wasn't her magic. She didn't really grow as a person throughout the story. She very much felt like a 13-year-old, who thinks that they can solve everything with this power they have and there are no consequences to her actions. SpoilerAnd it shows at the end of the book when she gets a job instead of whatever punishment she should have gotten.
The "bad guy" wasn't build up to be a bad guy. Just some random Spoilercaptain that had too much power for his own good, and wanted more. Like most people in power.
All the side characters we meet are pointless. None of them really help move the story along. I'm pretty sure instead of having SpoilerSujin and Haneul break her out of jail, she could have done it herself like she has the rest of the story. The only cool thing about them was how some of them used they/them pronouns, and one offhandedly mentions they are polyamorous, and no one questioned it. And how Min has a cousin who is male even though most foxes are female. (I would assume that her brother, Jun, is the say way, but it is never mentioned.) So it's cool to see different LGBTQIA representations, but it doesn't make the story better, which I find sad because I was really hoping to like this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death