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fyoosha 's review for:
The True Queen
by Zen Cho
This book is even better than the first, because while the first must necessarily plod through a bunch of exposition, this one jumps right into the action, even if said action is happening halfway across the world from London. The story revolves around the mystery of two Malaysian sisters who wash up on a beach in Janda Baik, with no memory of who they are or where they've come from. Taken in by Mak Genggang, illustrious witch, they eventually decide they need to go to London to discover the mystery of their origins.
I don't really have much to say, except that this book inspired the same feelings of whimsy and delight as the first one did. I enjoy plenty of books, but it's rare that I find one that genuinely sparks joy like Zen Cho's novels do. The characters are all delightful - Prunella and Zacharias make frequent cameos, though they are not the main characters. Henrietta, a very minor character in the first book, becomes a major character in this particular installment. The writing is just as witty and tongue-in-cheek as ever; there were so many lines that had me doubled over, laughing, at the sheer, dry wit. There's also a sapphic relationship! The pacing is superb - I couldn't put this book down, and yet it never felt like it was going too fast. There are ebbs and flows to the narrative that allow the reader to take a step back and absorb everything that's happened without actually breaking from the flow of the story.
I literally have nothing to criticize. This was so much damn fun.
I don't really have much to say, except that this book inspired the same feelings of whimsy and delight as the first one did. I enjoy plenty of books, but it's rare that I find one that genuinely sparks joy like Zen Cho's novels do. The characters are all delightful - Prunella and Zacharias make frequent cameos, though they are not the main characters. Henrietta, a very minor character in the first book, becomes a major character in this particular installment. The writing is just as witty and tongue-in-cheek as ever; there were so many lines that had me doubled over, laughing, at the sheer, dry wit. There's also a sapphic relationship! The pacing is superb - I couldn't put this book down, and yet it never felt like it was going too fast. There are ebbs and flows to the narrative that allow the reader to take a step back and absorb everything that's happened without actually breaking from the flow of the story.
I literally have nothing to criticize. This was so much damn fun.