A review by lymadebell
The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

adventurous sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

An interesting historical fiction about a time when Japan was attacking China and there was mass immigrant movement across China to get to safer places. This book is also full of magical realism, I would say. There's a star in people shape, There's gods and goddesses traveling through the world to get back to the Gates of heaven. It's interesting but pretty slow paced as not much happens really with the movement of basically refugees from one part of China to another part of China. There's a lot of walking so they do try and try and change it up to give more interest to the story but I didn't feel like it was terribly exciting, other than some of the parts with the Legends and myth cha acters coming out of the Library of Legends book which is sort of intriguing. Overall, it's another story I've heard before, but still the traveling kind of drags on you and makes the book feel a little bit longer than it should. The ending ties everything up in a nice sweet bow. So if you're looking for something that is historical fiction but still has a lightness that doesn't make it feel too heavy, this is a book for you.