A review by owenbiesel
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin

5.0

I love all three books in this series, but this one is my favorite for three reasons: First, Rendi's internal, mundane challenges (his mixed-up feelings about the family he is running from and the family who takes him in) and the magical ones (only he can hear the night sky's incessant wailing) wind up perfectly balanced and interrelated. Second, as in [b:Where the Mountain Meets the Moon|5983694|Where the Mountain Meets the Moon|Grace Lin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344265026s/5983694.jpg|6157354], the stories the characters tell reveal pieces of the larger, centuries-long epic, but in [b:Starry River of the Sky|13521501|Starry River of the Sky|Grace Lin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347592144s/13521501.jpg|19082177], it's also how we learn about the main characters themselves. And finally, where [b:Mountain|5983694|Where the Mountain Meets the Moon|Grace Lin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344265026s/5983694.jpg|6157354] centers around the secret to happiness, and [b:Sea|28449045|When the Sea Turned to Silver|Grace Lin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457140259s/28449045.jpg|48575044] around the secret to immortality, [b:Sky|13521501|Starry River of the Sky|Grace Lin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347592144s/13521501.jpg|19082177]'s theme is that the secret to peace is understanding, empathy, and forgiveness. Gets me every time.