Yangsze Choo

I had this sitting in my TBR pile for so long and had nearly forgotten about it until I saw it on Netflix. I had also just finished beta reading for an author friend on her story set in Southeast Asia, and I was feeling nostalgic for Singapore, where I grew up.

I really enjoyed this. I loved the setting of historical Malaysia and seeing words and phrases that I recognized from my youth. I liked how our protagonist, Li Lan was written as an actual teenager and the love story was typical to one you’d find in a YA romance book. I adored all the lore behind Chinese death rituals and creatures and our idea of the afterlife. The writing flowed and was easy to read.

I did think the story dragged quite a bit in the middle and found myself losing interest at some points, though it did pick up again around the 65% mark. I also felt that the subplot with Lim Tian Ching could have been fleshed out more, considering I thought he was going to be a major part of the story. But he just seemed to disappear a little more than halfway in, only to be given a quick mention later. I also thought there were going to be more mention of the levels of Hell, but Li Lan was mostly in limbo, awaiting her judgment for her time in the afterlife.

Overall, an interesting read for anyone who’s interested in a YA romance in a really unique setting, and who enjoy reading about Chinese culture!… (mer)

A free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is more overtly supernatural in tone. Set in Northern China in the early 1900s, a young woman is seeking revenge for the murder of her daughter. Travelling to find those responsible, she becomes the maid servant to an elderly lady. Her grandson is involved with a revolutionary society. A detective who hears lies is investigating some mysterious deaths. All are linked by fox spirits; the young woman, the leader of the revolutionaries and an author are the fox spirits. The elderly lady was rescued by a fox spirit when a child, the detective was healed by a fox spirit when he was a child. He and the elderly lady were playmates. The elderly lady's family are under a curse. All these elements are woven into a charming story.

I very much enjoyed the deft weaving of past and present; the impulsive fox spirit trying to be good but being led astray by her desire for revenge, the amoral fox spirit preying on the would-be revolutionaries, the author trying to save his wife from her quest for revenge. All is set right, but not without deaths. The fox spirit couple are reconciled, and the detective and the elderly lady are rekindling their young love.

Recommended.… (mer)

This has been sitting in my TBR pile for over a year. It's historical fiction set in 1930s Malaysia with supernatural overtones. An old expat doctor dies and charges his young houseboy Ren to retrieve his amputated finger so it can be buried in his grave so he doesn't become a hungry ghost. Jin, a young girl working as a 'dance instructor' finds a preserved finger in a bottle while dancing with a man; he later dies. Her step twin brother Shin works at the hospital where the houseboy's new employer William is employed. The houseboy, the young girl, her step twin and the doctor are linked: they all have as part of their name one of the 5 Confucian virtues. The fifth virtue is the houseboy's deceased twin brother Yi.

Woven around this is a man-eating tiger - who may be the old doctor in the process of transforming into a hungry ghost. Complicating matters is a member of the fishing fleet - Lydia, who has her sights set on William. She, like William, is identified as Li.

A very good supernatural mystery. I'm reminded of Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mysteries; traditional Chinese detective stories had strong supernatural elements in an otherwise realistic plot.

Recommended.… (mer)

It's been a long time since I was swept away into a fantasy world quite so thoroughly. Choo's writing is sensational! Elegant and lyrical, it has an old world charm that perfectly matched the setting of this novel and the otherworldly themes.

I liked Li Lan quite a bit, and I eagerly followed along on her adventures. Though I wish she'd had a bigger role to play in solving her problems rather than being rescued by others -- men, ox headed demons, otherworldly creatures, and the like. But that's a minor squabble, and it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

I was also thoroughly taken with the unexpected romance. Without giving too much away and spoiling the story, I will say that there's a lovely and extraordinary relationship that develops as Li Lan goes on her journey; a love that is at once beautiful and completely believable.

The characters in this novel are extremely well developed - from Li Lan herself to Tian Bai, Amah, and Er Lang, all the way to the old cook and the servant in the Lim ghost mansion.

Overall, this is an engaging, irresistible, beguiling story that held me firmly in its spell as I eagerly turned the pages.… (mer)