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A review by cakt1991
Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend by Katie Zhao
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I did recently enjoy Katie Zhao’s YA debut, I am aware she got her start writing middle grade, so I was eager to see what she had to offer. Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend is a fun adventure chock full of food and culture and navigating the day-to-day challenges of being a Chinese-American girl starting middle school…with an exciting magical twist.
Winnie is ultimately a very sympathetic protagonist. From navigating family expectations to tackling the interpersonal relationships she forms in middle school (especially with a certain nemesis) all make her feel relatable.
And while that is the foundation, the injection of the fantasy elements, awoken through cooking and the discovery that Winnie is a shaman, are introduced so naturally, and I love how it adds yet another ball in the air for Winnie to deal with, only amplifying the already present chaos.
I also really like that there are recipes at the end, with notes about them from Winnie’s perspective. While I’m not a cook myself, I did find myself craving these food items and imagine cooking these dishes would be a great activity for readers to do in conjunction with reading the book.
This is a fun read, recommended for those who enjoy Percy Jackson and the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
While I did recently enjoy Katie Zhao’s YA debut, I am aware she got her start writing middle grade, so I was eager to see what she had to offer. Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend is a fun adventure chock full of food and culture and navigating the day-to-day challenges of being a Chinese-American girl starting middle school…with an exciting magical twist.
Winnie is ultimately a very sympathetic protagonist. From navigating family expectations to tackling the interpersonal relationships she forms in middle school (especially with a certain nemesis) all make her feel relatable.
And while that is the foundation, the injection of the fantasy elements, awoken through cooking and the discovery that Winnie is a shaman, are introduced so naturally, and I love how it adds yet another ball in the air for Winnie to deal with, only amplifying the already present chaos.
I also really like that there are recipes at the end, with notes about them from Winnie’s perspective. While I’m not a cook myself, I did find myself craving these food items and imagine cooking these dishes would be a great activity for readers to do in conjunction with reading the book.
This is a fun read, recommended for those who enjoy Percy Jackson and the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.