The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim Genre: fantasy, middle grade Content warnings: death, discrimination (challenged), adoption Description: "Riley Oh can't wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister's footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she's a saram--a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she's ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community. Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie's magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family's old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie's initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It's a perfect plan! Until it isn't. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie's life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it? As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong." From the moment I learned an adoptee starred as the main character, I was hyped to read this book. Fortunately, Graci Kim's middle grade novel The Last Fallen Star exceeded my expectations. This story enraptured me in its warmth and ferocity. The ingenuity of the fantasy world Kim has created is astounding and it's hard to finish the last page of this book without feeling empowered and seen. What I enjoyed: -The way this book handles the bond between sisters is incredible. Right away, I was moved by the love between Riley and her adoptive sister Hattie. I am a huge fan of stories about family, particularly sibling relationships, and this book gives a fascinating look at how far two sisters may go for one another. Even when the sisters are separated, you can still feel their bond. -The message this book emphasizes about belonging is one that any person who has ever felt left out can relate to and particularly rings strong for me as an adoptee. I love how Kim acknowledges that ache to belong within Riley, but also makes Riley more complicated than that struggle. Adoption is a messy, complex thing and I appreciate how Riley's character exemplifies that. -The plot itself is also enjoyable. I loved how I was always on my toes wondering what new twist would happen in the story. Some twists were more predictable than others, but even then, things rarely went exactly how I thought they would go and the characters really breathed life into the story. What I thought could be better: -Nothing major. I wish we were able to get to know Riley's parents more as that would make Riley's family feel even more well-rounded. While Riley's mother is given some characterization, her parents seem pretty generic. Of course, the story is much more about Riley and Hattie than about their relationship with their parents, so it's not a huge loss. The Last Fallen Star was a pleasure to read with its strong themes about belonging and sisterhood and its exhilarating plot. I recommend the novel to anyone searching for a feel-good fantasy story about identity, friendship, and family.
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City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda Genre: fantasy, middle grade Content warnings: war, death of a sibling, pandemic, Islamophobia (challenged) Description: "Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents' deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life. Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn't know it, and that's about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble. Sik's not in this alone. He's got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they'll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares." Reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic was strangely comforting. Sarwat Chadda's middle grade novel City of the Plague God sensitively tackles topics such as war, immortality, death, and identity in a way that acknowledges how hard living in a complex world can be while still providing readers with hope. What I enjoyed: -The characters of the book are so well-rounded. Main character Sik is entertaining and I loved watching him grow throughout the course of the novel and become more confident in himself. His relationship with his brother is touching and carries much of the story's emotional weight. Belet, who is an adoptee just like me, is an engaging character. Her self-placed pressure to feel grateful toward her adoptive mother Ishtar is a realistic experience that I and I've heard other adoptees express. I love how through Belet, Chadda examines the intricacies of privilege within adoption where often a child from a less privileged background is adopted by a family with more privilege. Sik's friend Daoud is humorous, but as readers find out, is so much more than just a comedic sidekick. -The messages this book has about immortality are so intriguing. Often times in books based on mythology, "stories" is almost always the answer to immortality. I love how Chadda examined immortality differently and how he interpreted several immortal characters [SPOILER ALERT] such as Gilgamesh and Sik himself. Speaking of Gilgamesh, I love how his pacifism is never challenged by the narrative. While Sik and Belet don't approve, Gilgamesh is never forced to truly give up his pacifism. He does have to stand up and defend himself, but he doesn't have to give into war. The fact that the main villain Nergal is defeated through non-violent means further emphasizes Gilgamesh's perspective on the world. I really appreciated that twist. [END SPOILER ALERT] -The pacing of this book was great. In many middle grade fantasy books I've read, the storyline is almost always: the main characters get a quest and then they go through obstacle after obstacle with maybe a couple breaks in-between for slower character development. The obstacles tend to start feeling repetitive after a while. With City of the Plague God, of course, Sik has a goal in mind, but the obstacles felt much more spread out and I loved how additional time was spent giving the characters further depth instead of being so focused on the action. This structure helped the novel feel less repetitive and predictable and I felt I got to know the characters more. What I thought could be better: -There is nothing major that prevents me from recommending this book. One thing that I wish had been emphasized more is Daoud and Mo's (Sik's brother) relationship. It's heavily indicated in the story that they may have been a couple or at least both had crushes on one another and it's also hinted that Sik later on in the novel has come to recognize that fact. I just wish the novel outright stated what the relationship is between Daoud and Mo instead of forcing readers to guess. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if the book had established gay/lesbian relationships between other main characters. By clarifying whether or not Daoud and Mo are in fact lovers, the novel could provide clearer representation. Overall, City of the Plague God is well worth the read if you're looking for a nicely-paced fantasy novel that really explores its characters and raises big questions about immortality and living in a complicated world. I promise you won't be disappointed. Note: This is a repost of reviews I wrote back in October 2018 and published on my review website RedJumpReviews. Greenglass House By Kate Milford Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, Mystery Content Warnings: adoption, abandonment, death of a parent and child, violence against children, anxiety Description: “It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves.” I loved Greenhouse Glass, not just as a Chinese adoptee with anxiety, but also as a reader. While the constant usage “she or him” instead of “them” annoyed me a little, the beautiful writing and the feeling of validation, kept me turning the page. Milo made me feel so seen as an adoptee. He wrestles with many of the same questions I do every night. Am I abandoned? Who do I consider my family? He also struggles with explaining to his adoptive parents his feelings, something very real to many adoptees. The description of him having a panic attack was also relatable. I haven’t read any other book with an adoptee that has anxiety like me, so Greenhouse Glass was a blessing. The writing itself was so comforting. The story brought back so many good memories of Christmases long gone and of just sitting in the living room watching the world snow outside. Even if I didn’t celebrate Christmas, I believe I still would feel connected to the story’s setting with its quiet descriptions of weather. Greenhouse Glass was such a treasure to read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic, beautifully written story. Make It Messy: My Perfectly Imperfect Life By Marcus Samuelsson and Veronica Chambers Genre: young adult, autobiography Content Warnings: anxiety, kitchen accidents, car accident, death of friends and family, adoption, racism Description: “In this inspirational autobiography, world-famous chef Marcus Samuelsson tells his extraordinary story and encourages young people to embrace their mistakes and follow their dreams. Based on his highly praised adult memoir, Yes, Chef, this young adult edition includes an 8-page black-and-white family photo insert.” I loved the honesty of Make It Messy. Marcus rarely sugarcoats anything in this book. Cooking accidents are described in gory detail, deaths are explained plainly, and the racism he encountered is clearly recounted. He was even honest about the part where he got a young woman pregnant, something I don’t expect often from men. I did find his inspirational tidbits to be a little preachy, but as inspiring teenagers is the goal of this book, I think it could work. He did a good job explaining the importance of hard work and humility and how these traits can get you far, but aren’t infallible. He uses his own life experiences to build upon these points, illustrating how despite how hard we worked, mistakes, failures, and setbacks still occurred. Still, these disappointments helped him improve and learn more about himself. Overall, I loved reading Make It Messy and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a honest, influential book centered around cooking. |
AboutI'm Darcy Aisling, just a Chinese adoptee living in a big world. They/them This blog serves as place for me to share my thoughts and stories surrounding adoption. To read more of my reviews and fanfiction, head off to Goodreads and Archive of Our Own. To view more of my stories, visit Wattpad.
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