EunaBi Reads

Song of the Six Realms Book Review Rating:  ★   ★  ★  ☆  ☆  (3.5 out of 5) If you are familiar with the book A Magic Steeped in Poison , then you would know about its popularity as Judy Lin’s debut novel. From bookstores to libraries, its beautiful cover has always caught my eye. When I saw the book Song of the Six Realms , I immediately recognized it as Judy Lin’s work by the cover’s distinct art style. The book promises a fantastical, magical world of gods and Celestials, following the adventures of a young, talented Qin player, Xue.   The book had a slow start, describing Xue’s experiences before meeting the Duke. Despite the pacing, I enjoyed reading Judy Lin’s world-building and felt fully immersed in the day-to-day life of a performer at the House of Flowing Water. Xue has clear ambitions to create a new life for herself and to make her uncle proud and overall is a very strong character. Based on the first quarter of the book, I anticipated a ma...

The Joy Luck Club Book Review Rating:  ★   ★  ★  ☆  ☆  (3.75 out of 5) At almost 40 years old, The Joy Luck Club remains a modern classic delving into the complicated relationships between the mothers and daughters of the Jong, Woo, Hsu, and St. Clair families. I began the book for my English class’ winter break assignment. It initially piqued my curiosity because I heard many raving reviews for both the novel and the movie. Amy Tan’s depiction of the immigrant experience and how culture is passed down generation to generation was very well written. The many words left unsaid between the mothers and daughters lost in translation and misunderstandings make the book full of emotion. Although the book focused on the stories of both the daughters and the mothers, I really enjoyed reading about the mothers’ pasts in China during the Sino-Japanese War. It was interesting to see how the mothers’ experiences affected their decisions and daughters throughout the boo...

Iron Widow Book Review Rating:  ★  ★  ☆  ☆  ☆  (2.25 out of 5) Dominating the most recent poll by 60%, Iron Widow seemed very interesting when I picked it out from the library shelf. Based on the synopsis and its beautiful cover art, I was excited to begin reading. I also recognized the book due to its prominence on social media because the author, Xiran Jay Zhao, is a commentator on YouTube. They went viral for their in depth cultural analysis of Mulan. Set in a sci-fi world inspired by Chinese historical figures, mechas fighting aliens, narrated by a powerful female lead, the book sounded like it was right up my alley. However, the it was poorly executed and I decided to not finish the book.  When first opening the book, you are thrown into the story with little to no context on the current situation between humans and aliens, besides the fact that there is an ongoing war. Although this may seem like an important aspect of the plot, there is a l...

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I have posted a survey for your feedback on the next book review. But now that it is summer break and I have adjusted to the workload of high school, I will post on a consistent schedule going forward. Thank you :) Here is the survey: https://forms.gle/eBMEni4gu5irsKe77   If you would like to read more content like this, follow me!

  The Last Bloodcarver Book Review Rating:  ★  ★  ★  ★   ☆ (4.25 out of 5) When searching the shelves of a library for a book to read, I gravitate towards books with captivating covers and titles that make me want to know more. With beautiful cover art and an ominous title,  The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le immediately captured my interest. The book is an immersive and magical story inspired by Vietnamese culture. Coincidentally, the plot is very similar to my last book review of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, taking place in a time where magic is believed to be an extinct craft and those who show signs of harnessing the power face persecution.  The book follows a murder mystery weaving in elements like magic, with descriptive writing and complex characters, making it an engaging read. Nhika, the main protagonist, is a heartsooth and her magic stems from her Yarongese heritage. I really enjoyed reading about Nhika because her charac...

Children of Blood and Bone Book Review  Rating:  ★  ★  ★  ★   ☆ (4 out of 5) This book was on my TBR list for the longest time. At first, I found it difficult to keep up with the book because of the length and the lore behind the story. However, once I was truly able to sit down and began to read the book, I was hooked! The book, inspired by West African mythology, takes place in the fictional land of Orisha. It features the perspectives of three characters, Inan, Zelie, and Amari. Although each character’s narratives are pretty distinctive, I thought that Amari’s chapters were often repetitive and unnecessary to the plot because she never really helped fight and mainly stuck by Zelie’s side.  I think this book would appeal to many young adult readers because there is a lot of action and many intense scenes, with the pacing of the book being relatively fast. There is also the enemies to lovers trope for people who enjoy reading that kind of romance. Ho...

A Thousand Steps Into the Night Book Review  Rating:  ★  ★  ★  ☆  ☆ (3.75 out of 5) Thank you to everyone who responded to February’s book review survey. A Thousand Steps Into the Night by Traci Chee won majority vote.  After reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (last month’s book) I was very impressed with the fantasy-adventure-esque genre. So, while I was browsing in the bookstore, a Japanese-inspired adventure into the world of spirits and demons immediately piqued my interest. The overall plot of this book had so much potential, and it seemed like a Studio Ghibli story. I thought Traci Chee did an excellent job at world-building, with clear and vivid descriptions of mythical beasts and spirits. While Miuko was the protagonist, my favorite character was Geiki. I enjoyed reading about his mischievous behavior rooted in him being a thieving bird spirit. However, the reason why the book is not five stars is because of the execution. The...