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librovermo 's review for:
Down in the Sea of Angels
by Khan Wong
Down in the Sea of Angels follows three different people: Maida in 2106, Nathan in 2006, and Li Nuan in 1906. While it’s billed as dystopian, sci-fi, and fantasy, I was pleased to find some historical fiction in Li Nuan’s story. I learned a bit about what it was like for the Chinese women who were trafficked to San Fransisco with the promise of better lives, only to be forced into sex slavery, and I was inspired to learn more about Tye Leung, a character in the book who was a real person with an interesting life.
Maida, Nathan, and Li Nuan are all strong characters with captivating stories. Maida’s abilities are fascinating and complicated, but well-explained, and her future world, ravaged by climate change, is both terrifying and all too real. Nathan’s strong connection with his friends is heartwarming, while the existential crisis he grapples with is extremely relatable. And Li Nuan’s time spent serving Boss Fong is heart wrenching, her strength inspiring. Though the characters themselves are connected through the jade teacup, their life experiences are entwined as well. The three of them, though at least a hundred years apart, share surprising similarities and must deal with some type of exploitation that proves history repeats itself in both big and small ways.
There are very strong and important messages in Down in the Sea of Angels and if we couldn’t receive them before then there’s no better time than now. I’m not listing them all because hello, read the book yourself, but one that really sticks out is that even if our actions don’t have an immediate impact, it’s important to consider future consequences.
I really enjoyed this book. It left me feeling both worried and hopeful for the future and I think it’s a something that could be an important read for so many people. It’s the kind of book I can see someone pick up for fun, because the story sounds great, and come out the other side having had the fun but also having learned something vital and potentially life-changing.
Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books, both for including me in the book tour and for the gifted copy of Down in the Sea of Angels.
Maida, Nathan, and Li Nuan are all strong characters with captivating stories. Maida’s abilities are fascinating and complicated, but well-explained, and her future world, ravaged by climate change, is both terrifying and all too real. Nathan’s strong connection with his friends is heartwarming, while the existential crisis he grapples with is extremely relatable. And Li Nuan’s time spent serving Boss Fong is heart wrenching, her strength inspiring. Though the characters themselves are connected through the jade teacup, their life experiences are entwined as well. The three of them, though at least a hundred years apart, share surprising similarities and must deal with some type of exploitation that proves history repeats itself in both big and small ways.
There are very strong and important messages in Down in the Sea of Angels and if we couldn’t receive them before then there’s no better time than now. I’m not listing them all because hello, read the book yourself, but one that really sticks out is that even if our actions don’t have an immediate impact, it’s important to consider future consequences.
I really enjoyed this book. It left me feeling both worried and hopeful for the future and I think it’s a something that could be an important read for so many people. It’s the kind of book I can see someone pick up for fun, because the story sounds great, and come out the other side having had the fun but also having learned something vital and potentially life-changing.
Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books, both for including me in the book tour and for the gifted copy of Down in the Sea of Angels.