Scan barcode
A review by plantybooklover
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have really come to love audio books this year, and so when I saw The Ghost Bride was available at my library on the libby app, I opened it up.
I really was enchanted. I found myself thinking about "what progress has LiLan made?" as I was doing other things, and got through the audio version (read by the author) pretty quickly.
The essential premise is that LiLan- a very well educated (for a woman of that time) 18 yr old in British Malaysia (circa about 1890-1910?) has not yet been married. Her father, once prosperous has sunk into an opium addiction after SmallPox wreaked havoc on the family, killing the mother, and severely affecting her father's appearance. LiLan had once been promised to be married, but with their turn down in status, no one is quite sure that marriage promise still stands. One day her father offers her an opportunity to become the "Ghost Bride" of a recently dead young man. She's understandably not too keen on this. And thus, some adventure begins involving the world of the living and the dead.
I thought this was a fantastic story and I hung on every word. Interestingly, I never grew extremely fond of LiLan the main character. I think she was meant to be clever, but much of the plot and story shows how she wasn't. She made many costly errors, and impulsive moves, and never seemed to learn to be more cautious as she continued on. In the end, I was left thinking- she must have been extremely pretty because - although she was sort of advertised as being educated, she didn't really show it beyond her ability to read. I was left wondering what was so special about her that even a dragon had taken interest.
Regardless of my not really liking the main character, I so loved this entire story, and highly recommend it, especially during spooky season! I guess not all characters are to be loved!
I really was enchanted. I found myself thinking about "what progress has LiLan made?" as I was doing other things, and got through the audio version (read by the author) pretty quickly.
The essential premise is that LiLan- a very well educated (for a woman of that time) 18 yr old in British Malaysia (circa about 1890-1910?) has not yet been married. Her father, once prosperous has sunk into an opium addiction after SmallPox wreaked havoc on the family, killing the mother, and severely affecting her father's appearance. LiLan had once been promised to be married, but with their turn down in status, no one is quite sure that marriage promise still stands. One day her father offers her an opportunity to become the "Ghost Bride" of a recently dead young man. She's understandably not too keen on this. And thus, some adventure begins involving the world of the living and the dead.
I thought this was a fantastic story and I hung on every word. Interestingly, I never grew extremely fond of LiLan the main character. I think she was meant to be clever, but much of the plot and story shows how she wasn't. She made many costly errors, and impulsive moves, and never seemed to learn to be more cautious as she continued on. In the end, I was left thinking- she must have been extremely pretty because - although she was sort of advertised as being educated, she didn't really show it beyond her ability to read. I was left wondering what was so special about her that even a dragon had taken interest.
Regardless of my not really liking the main character, I so loved this entire story, and highly recommend it, especially during spooky season! I guess not all characters are to be loved!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse