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A review by ramseyhootman
Serpentine by Cindy Pon
5.0
This is a beautiful coming-of-age book. Cindy Pon perfectly captures the difficult, often emotional transition from child to woman. Skybright, the protagonist, sees her mistress getting her period and developing a romantic interest, and all Skybright wants is for everything to remain the same as it always was. The nuances in their shifting, changing relationship are reflected literally - but also metaphorically - in the change Skybright experiences... not from child to woman, but from child to... serpent demon?! It sounds ridiculous but the metaphor here is perfect, as Skybright attempts to deal with shame, confusion, and estrangement from her own body which is both unique to her struggle but so common to girls undergoing the transition to womanhood. I think most girls will recognize some of themselves in Skybright as she struggles to find her new voice.
I really loved the relationship between Skybright and Zhen Ni. It was unique and interesting and definitely counter to what one would expect. Skybright is Zhen Ni's handmaiden, which basically means she's her lifetime servant. Some might call her a slave. Most narratives would have played this off as a relationship inherently fraught with conflict and cast Zhen Ni as the villain - but such is not the case here. In this Asian fantasy, it is clear that this is the expected order of the world, and Skybright accepts her place in it as part of a community. She sees Zhen Ni honestly-- as a bit spoiled and needing to have her own way-- but she also loves her deeply, and takes ownership of her mistress's appearance and accomplishments. I really appreciated this - it felt much more authentic, and Pon really steered away from imposing our own cultural expectations on the narrative. It allows the reader to appreciate that other social structures are not "evil" or "oppressive" simply because they do not reflect our expectations. I also loved the contrast between her servant-master relationship with Zhen Ni and that between her and Stone.
I also loved the pantheon of gods and demons. They were very authentically "Asian" in the sense that they are very removed and aloof, so ancient and perfect that the concerns of mortals are fairly irrelevant to them.
My one criticism is minor: people and events happen way too conveniently. Skybright wonders about demons or Kai Sen, and the instant she goes into the forest she sees them appear. Or she travels a long time to get somewhere, and Kai Sen is also magically there. It's something that bugged me, but honestly I doubt any kid reading this is going to mind.
I should say that although this book is ideally suited for girls around, say, 10-16, it definitely has broader appeal. I "read" it via audio book, and my 7 year old son caught snippets here and there in the car. He was soon begging me to let him listen along, and I finally just bought him his own paper copy, which he is reading now. I mean, serpent demons and fighting monks. What's not to love?
I really loved the relationship between Skybright and Zhen Ni. It was unique and interesting and definitely counter to what one would expect. Skybright is Zhen Ni's handmaiden, which basically means she's her lifetime servant. Some might call her a slave. Most narratives would have played this off as a relationship inherently fraught with conflict and cast Zhen Ni as the villain - but such is not the case here. In this Asian fantasy, it is clear that this is the expected order of the world, and Skybright accepts her place in it as part of a community. She sees Zhen Ni honestly-- as a bit spoiled and needing to have her own way-- but she also loves her deeply, and takes ownership of her mistress's appearance and accomplishments. I really appreciated this - it felt much more authentic, and Pon really steered away from imposing our own cultural expectations on the narrative. It allows the reader to appreciate that other social structures are not "evil" or "oppressive" simply because they do not reflect our expectations. I also loved the contrast between her servant-master relationship with Zhen Ni and that between her and Stone.
I also loved the pantheon of gods and demons. They were very authentically "Asian" in the sense that they are very removed and aloof, so ancient and perfect that the concerns of mortals are fairly irrelevant to them.
My one criticism is minor: people and events happen way too conveniently. Skybright wonders about demons or Kai Sen, and the instant she goes into the forest she sees them appear. Or she travels a long time to get somewhere, and Kai Sen is also magically there. It's something that bugged me, but honestly I doubt any kid reading this is going to mind.
I should say that although this book is ideally suited for girls around, say, 10-16, it definitely has broader appeal. I "read" it via audio book, and my 7 year old son caught snippets here and there in the car. He was soon begging me to let him listen along, and I finally just bought him his own paper copy, which he is reading now. I mean, serpent demons and fighting monks. What's not to love?