Stacey Lee (1)

Historical mystery

While I enjoyed the dual point of view between Gemma and May, I felt as if this divided the book too much and I needed more depth of character from each sister.

The setting felt so real and the tough issues facing Asian people during this time felt painful, frustrating and more than maddening at the unfairness and cruelty. After reading the author's note, I know this novel was well researched, making it feel so authentic.

The mystery had so much potential and I never figured out who the murderer was so this part was excellent. The use of monologuing was disappointing and I had hoped for a different way to learn all the facts about the crimes. I had issues with the pacing, however, as this seemed to move too slowly until the final chapters. The stakes were high enough and the danger level could have been elevated to increase suspense.

I really enjoyed the sister relationship and this was my favorite part. May and Gemma truly love and support each other and I enjoyed how they teased and joked too.… (more)

An OK book that I'm rounding up to four because the characters and historical perspectives are so underrepresented in other books, not to mention other YA or other Westerns. At the same time, I wasn't in love with this book, and I hope it paves the way for bigger and better ones.

Unfortunately, it was pretty obvious Andy's brother was a Broken Hand Gang member: Lee hammers Chekhov's Gun hard. I liked that Andy pushes back on Sammy's Broken Hand obsession---just because they're both Black doesn't mean that they're related! Sammy meets Badge and the Broken Hand subplot temporarily becomes something else---a story about the unjustness of the law and of slavery, and about Sammy's expanded view of the world. To go back on that at the very end, in a sequence that doesn't quite make plot sense (how does Andy suddenly know where Harp Falls is, way off the beaten path, when the entire problem was that she had no idea where to find it and it wasn't on their map? why didn't Isaac recognize Andy before?) is a letdown.… (more)