Scookie Reviews

SPIN THE DAWN by Elizabeth Lim 4 stars Verdict: Awesome, dull, then crazy! Maia is a talented tailor who dreams of working for the Emperor. When a male from her family is summoned to compete for the honour of imperial tailor, Maia poses as her brother to take his place.  Magic, adventure, and banter ensue.  This tale is spun from three parts, and my opinions varied throughout. It starts as Mulan meets Project Runway, and then suddenly becomes an adventure romance before ending on a cliff hanger. Let's break it down. Part one I absolutely adored. It was fast and fresh with all the right East-Asian fantasy vibes. Maia is a brave, loyal, and ambitious girl and her voice is compelling. The competition is fierce, mixed in-between a magical court drama with twists, stakes, and intriguing characters, oh my. Part 2 slowed the pace. Maia is sent on a fetch quest which sounded like the perfect opportunity to explore the world more. Instead, it became a romance. It kind of felt like a ba...

CINDER by Marissa Meyer 4 Stars Verdict: A quick and quirky retelling. Ever thought to yourself, what if Cinderella was a cyborg in futuristic Beijing at the brink of war against the moon? Probably not, and no one else has either because this book is an undeniably original retelling with lots of quirks. While it might not explore its concepts in much depth, it’s a lighthearted read with a pace that doesn’t have time for yawns. The writing is smooth, quick, entertaining; a perfect fit for Cinder’s snarky attitude. I liked the banter between Kai and Cinder, both as snarky as each other…although I’m not sold on the romance of this book. Kai felt pushy at times and the chemistry disappeared once Cinder made it clear where she stood. I think I’d have liked the author to handle the situation with more depth so that it felt less like pressurising and more like a puzzle Kai was trying to solve.  A few of the plot’s flaws actually felt more like strengths when reading it. The ma...

OUTRUN THE MOON by Stacy Lee 3 Stars Verdict: Historically rich, plot thin. Mercy is a fifteen-year-old girl with 'bossy cheeks' and a nose for business, and it’s her smarts and strong will that help her set up a meeting to possibly join St Clare’s School for Girls. Growing up in San Francisco Chinatown, 1906, there’s not many opportunities for a girl of her race, but Mercy hopes to wrangle a full scholarship at St Clare's and become a woman of business who can support her family. Mercy comes across as intelligent, witty, and much older than her fifteen years, if only out of necessity. I loved how the author used the mother’s fortune telling to help build non-cliche descriptions of the characters. The odd line here and there, full of Chinese culture or unique imagery, really made me fall in love with the writing. Sadly, I became disenchanted along the way. The story begins as a battle against adversity as a young woman strikes deals and talks her way into succee...

THE GIRL WITH GHOST EYES by M.H. Boroson 3 Stars Verdict: Asian folklore, fierce battles, but something missing... Li-lin is a widow and the daughter of a renowned Daoshi exorcist in San Francisco, Chinatown, 1898. Her gift of seeing the spirits bring shame to her father, and dooms her to a short, pained life. When her father is injured by a sorcerer, Lin-lin must stop an ancient evil from destroying Chinatown. At first I was enthralled by the mythology-rich opening, strong female lead, and the head-first dive into conflict. I enjoyed the introduction of weird and wonderful spirits with added details of Chinese culture and mythology. Five stars were on my mind. However, something felt missing. As the book raced onwards with fight after fight, I started to lose interest. I didn't want to, because I enjoyed the opening so much. But it seemed to focus on the wrong things. It kept introducing new concepts when I craved to learn how all the pieces we already had could fit tog...

FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by Julie Dao 5 Stars Verdict: Rich, gradual, and gory. Xiefeng is destined to be Empress of Feng Lu, but only if she lets the darkness guide her... I’ll admit, I can only read one high fantasy story a year and it has to really stand out. In this case, the East-Asia mythology aspect of this one drew me in within an instant. The darkness of the story, the unconventional twists in the relationships, and the gorgeous writing had me slithering through this book slower to enjoy it for longer. I always know a book has me where it wants me as soon as I stop counting pages. Xiefeng is an antihero I could get behind. She’s jealous, selfish, righteous – but her desires, suffering, and efforts and so strong, I rooted for her all the same. For a writer to make me like someone who is morally grey is a kind of magic I want to understand more. There’s no crescendo for this book. No huge twist or gut-wrenching moment which turns the book back on itself. That’...

GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE #1 by Natasha Ngan  4 Stars Verdict: A beautiful and difficult tale. With a book like this, I think it’s important to point out that it’s not for everyone. It explores the theme of sexual abuse in a way that’s unavoidable, unskippable. The scenes aren’t graphic, but the emotion is, or at least it felt like that to me. Please bare that in mind before reading. Lei is part of the Paper cast, meaning she’s human from head to toe, unlike the power and magical chimera-like casts that are afforded the better status in Ikhara. She’s taken from her small village and made into one of the chosen eight concubines of the bull king. Unlike the other concubines, Lei refuses to submit to the 'honour' of being a Paper girl. When I heard this was a fantasy novel inspired by Asian culture, I had to have it. Asian mythology has inspired my own writing, so I couldn't wait to sink into this tale, and the world building definitely delivered. The premise is dark...

THE MOONLIGHT PALACE by Liz Rosenberg 4 Stars Verdict: A light historical novel about a poor princess in Singapore. Note: I listened to the audio-book version. Agnes lives in the Kampong Glam Palace in Singapore, once grand but now in the 1920s it's falling apart. Without a male heir or enough income to support their family, Aggie worries they'll be forced to leave her childhood home. This is a nice story. It's low key, with the plot never being frighteningly exciting, but still interesting, especially as it's based in Asia. Agnes is a strong young woman of her time, but naive and young all the same. She meets a few suitors, experiences a few festivals, and wants a job to help her family's income situation. As I said, the story is quite low key. The characters are also all very nice or vaguely interesting. Aggie's family is endearing, from Nei Nei Up to Nei Nei Down. My favourite character was the curiously blind jewellery store owner. It sounded...

THE ASTONISHING COLOUR OF AFTER by Emily X.R. Pan 4 Stars Verdict : A synesthesiastic tale of dealing with loss. When Leigh's mother commits suicide, she visits Leigh as a bright red bird. Leigh follows her mother's memories to Taiwan to meet her grandparents for the first time and to try to understand her mother's passing. For a book so sad, it's very colourful. Leigh often shares her emotions as colours and it works very well, especially as the book travels through a whole river of emotions. It shows a battle lost, families broken, and the dark struggles of depression through the lives of Leigh and her family. To anyone affected by depression and suicide, this book contains those triggers. I felt it handled these themes with tender care and respect, without glamorising suicide or mental illness. The author also went to great lengths to portray a single instance of depression, and even clarifies at the end note that the story isn't mean to explain away d...

THE HEN WHO DREAMED SHE COULD FLY by Sun-Mi Hwang 4 Stars Verdict: It's a harsh life for a hen. This is a Korean folk tale of a hen who, unlike the title suggests, dreams of being able to keep the egg she lays and raise it as her own. She dreams of freedom. When she is culled with the other old hens, she turns her hardship into an opportunity to seek her dreams. Sprout goes through some rough stuff, let me tell you. Unable to produce any more eggs, Sprout begins her journey by being tossed in a grave and buried by a load of other dead. Immediately after, she's hunted by a weasel who enjoys killing any survivors of the culling. Chilling stuff. If you think about this in terms of people, this is a horrifying book. And her poor life doesn't get easier from there. For the whole story, Sprout has to fight to survive. She puts up with specism, the murderous weasel, and the harsh reality of her eggless body to make her dreams come true. Again, I needed a short book...