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A review by literarypenguin
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
After reading Emily X.R. Pan's debut novel The Astonishing Color of After I was expecting the same level of wonder and amazement as that book gave me. Unfortunately it felt very flat, unfinished, and very underwhelming to me.
This book felt very unfinished like it needed more time to develop the plot more and flesh out the characters. The characters motivations didn't line up and in some cases didn't really justify their actions. Also the threat was not that threatening and you could have easily written it out and not noticed a difference. The magical elements of the story, while beautiful and interesting, did not work too well with the contemporary route of the story. Sometimes it worked other times it made no sense. Eventually the characters started to feel one dimensional and could have done with more personality to really make them memorable.
The things I did like were Hunter's bond with his little brother Cody. I love to see positive bonds between siblings especially older siblings to younger ones. It was really wholesome and very sweet to see the two boys bond and love each other. The other thing I liked was the Chinese mythology, I really thought that this interpretation of the myth of Chang'e & Houyi was very clever and could work in a modern setting like this one. The writing and magic itself was also very beautiful it was just a shame that the rest of the story didn't work out that well.
While this book might have been mediocre I still love the author though I recommend you check out her debut novel The Astonishing Color of After first.
This book felt very unfinished like it needed more time to develop the plot more and flesh out the characters. The characters motivations didn't line up and in some cases didn't really justify their actions. Also the threat was not that threatening and you could have easily written it out and not noticed a difference. The magical elements of the story, while beautiful and interesting, did not work too well with the contemporary route of the story. Sometimes it worked other times it made no sense. Eventually the characters started to feel one dimensional and could have done with more personality to really make them memorable.
The things I did like were Hunter's bond with his little brother Cody. I love to see positive bonds between siblings especially older siblings to younger ones. It was really wholesome and very sweet to see the two boys bond and love each other. The other thing I liked was the Chinese mythology, I really thought that this interpretation of the myth of Chang'e & Houyi was very clever and could work in a modern setting like this one. The writing and magic itself was also very beautiful it was just a shame that the rest of the story didn't work out that well.
While this book might have been mediocre I still love the author though I recommend you check out her debut novel The Astonishing Color of After first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual content