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Loading... Dragon Pearl (Rick Riordan Presents) (edition 2019)by Yoon Lee (Author)
Work InformationDragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Currently listening; maybe 1/3?. As other reviewers have noted, the idea is appealing, but the execution is flawed. I cannot believe in Min. After her huge mistake, she keeps making more and more, but still always coming out sunny-side up. And yet it is a light listen on a road trip and I suppose that I'll finish it next month... doesn't matter if traffic noise causes me to miss some or time to forget some. Too bad, as indeed I really want to like this and to support the author's efforts to bring SF and Korean culture to children. Btw, I had no idea that it was a rick riordan presents and so was confused and annoyed by his blurb/intro. at the beginning of the listen. Ok done. Yeah, more of the same. More unbelievable adventures. More times it didn't matter if I missed a few words there, a sentence here. And yet! It was totally entertaining, and I feel as if I probably learned a few things about Korean traditions, and the narration was very good.... I am glad that I listened to it and I do definitely recommend it to any of you who are interested and I will look for more by the author. Reading text from Libby SFFBC for SFFBC April 2020 buddy read. Book on CD narrated by Kim Mai Guest First book in the Thousand Worlds series. Thirteen-year-old Min dreams of the day she can follow her older brother into the Space Cadet program and escape her impoverished planet. She comes from a long line of fox spirits, but foxes are considered suspect. So, her mother insists that they refrain from using any fox magic, such as Charm or shapeshifting, and remain in human form at all times. But then word comes that her brother, Jun, has been accused of deserting his post in quest of the mythical Dragon Pearl. Min cannot believe her brother would do such a thing, so she runs away from home to find the truth. This space opera is a quest, an adventure, and a coming-of-age story. Min is determined, resourceful and intelligent, but she is young and makes several mistakes. She also uses fox magic more than she has ever done before to search for her brother. She’ll encounter pirates, gamblers, police and vengeful ghosts. She’ll find allies in unexpected places as well. But mostly, Min will use her own wits and talents to find the truth, however painful. I was intrigued by the world the author has created, melding traditional Korean folk tales / mythology with a futuristic space odyssey plot. I’d read the second book in the series previously, and felt a little lost, not having the background that this volume gives. I would recommend reading the series in order. Kim Mae Guest does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. There are a lot of characters, and she is up to the task of making them sufficiently unique as to avoid confusion. I probably would've finished this if my library loan hadn't run out. But it did and there just wasn't enough mystery or drama to compel me to put it on hold again. I was also annoyed by how often some points were reiterated, as if the author thinks young readers will forget that foxes are discriminated against even though he's already mentioned it like twenty times. Overall, this wasn't as funny as I expected from a Riordan Presents adventure. Plenty of action and interesting mythology, sure. But it didn't hook me.
(Starred review) VERDICT With ghosts, pirates, and a rollicking space adventure, there's a little something for everyone here. A recommended purchase for all middle grade collections. (Starred review) A high-octane, science-fiction thriller painted with a Korean brush and a brilliant example of how different cultures can have unique but accessible cosmology and universal appeal. Belongs to SeriesThousand Worlds (1) Belongs to Publisher SeriesRick Riordan Presents (Thousand Worlds 1) AwardsNotable Lists
Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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RANK: Cool
This is my first Yoon Ha Lee book and it was OK. What I really liked is the world building. People can transform into mythical creatures from Korean folklore. Each creature has a role on the ship. Like dragons can control the weather. The space ships having their own life force that must be maintain. I like the friendship with Min, Haneul, and Sujin. However, the plot is decent. I felt that the pacing was too fast. I also felt that there was more to the book. The book needed a sequel or short story to further explain things that were not talk about. The main character made some dumb decisions that irked me. The Fox powers felt a little plot convinces at times. Overall, It’s an OK book with great world building ideas but falls flat on the plot.
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