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Serpentine by Cindy Pon
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Serpentine (edition 2015)

by Cindy Pon (Author)

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1919141,210 (3.38)6
Mythology. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML:

Inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology, this sweeping fantasy is set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns 16, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell. When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self â?? even as she falls in love for the first time.… (more)

Member:TimSharrock
Title:Serpentine
Authors:Cindy Pon (Author)
Info:(2015), 304 pages
Collections:Wishlist
Rating:
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Serpentine by Cindy Pon

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» See also 6 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)
Adventure, romance, and that special time in a young girls life when she learns to transform into a giant snake and fight zombies.

OK that's a pretty bad description, but I did enjoy this book. The way it's written feels very much like folklore or mythology, and it touches on many topics through the course of the story. A little unusual, but in a good way I think. ( )
  mutantpudding | Dec 26, 2021 |
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it missed the mark for me. The book ticked off a bunch of boxes for me: novel universe building (always nice to stray outside the Nordic and Medieval Europe world in fantasy), two of the main characters are close female friends, interesting supernatural creatures, and I love a good demonic force.

Unfortunately the characters were paper thin. Things happen to the main character and she mostly reacts. She is wishy washy and prone to internal wincing and whining. Her mistress is actually more interesting and independent than her and would have made a better MC. The actual MC made multiple choices that felt more like they were needed for the Plot, and not because they were a natural response to events in the book.

There's a fairly forced love affair between the MC and a convenient male character. This allows the MC to waffle back and forth as to whether their Love (TM) is right or safe. Basically it gives her a chance to repeatedly make stupid choices and whine.

A love triangle of sorts is added which is not only more forced but downright creepy.

The book reads like YA, but young YA, 12 or under. I assume the 16 year old protagonist and two incidents of sex mean the publishers were aiming for the 12 group. Missed it.

I know the consensus is YA can't sell without love interests and love triangles, but if they were tossed aside I think this book would have vastly improved. The story of the MC and her friend were plenty interesting enough. The love interests (the male ones) only added in boring internal dialogue and whining. With those removed the story would have flowed better and made up for some of the gaps in the writing.

Sad to say that I won't be adding this series to my future TBR pile. ( )
  lclclauren | Sep 12, 2020 |
I should have loved this book as it has a gorgeous cover and was supposed to be seeped in Chinese culture and mythology, but it never connected with me. The book started well, but I soon found the pace slow, the characters uninteresting and the insta-romance frustrating. The plot lacked excitement and danger, and there was very little world building. Even though I like the strong female bond between Starbright and her mistress, Zhen Ni, it wasn't enough to carry a very ho hum story. ( )
  HeatherLINC | May 10, 2018 |
Fun, but nothing atypical for a YA book. And I definitely found myself skimming towards the end. ( )
  srsharms | Jul 20, 2017 |
Let's see -- a story about a Chinese handmaiden named Skybright who serves a brat named Zhen Ni. I'm going to be honest, I was already involved. I seldom see diversity in horror books and I love it when I can read about other cultures -- especially when it comes to mythology and horror -- bring it on! Now back to the review. I love Cindy Pon's crisp style (kudos).

This book is the case of still waters run deep (or the least likely person will have demon blood). The whole turning into a demon aspect was well thought out and executed. Also in particular, I loved reading how Zhen Ni embraced her forbidden love and thus found her humanity. After all, true love CAN turn the brattiest of brats into a human being. My only real regret with this book was that it ended. I wanted more...ah, there's a part two. ( )
  jmc001 | Oct 22, 2016 |
Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)
**** 4 out of 5 S​tars
Review by: Stacy Palm

I was very excited to get this book, Serpentine by Cindy Pon because I have a great fondness for books dealing with Asian culture, and all of the books I've read regarding this specific genre have been adult books. So when I came across this title, having spotted the cover on another website, I immediately had to get it in my hands. This book did not disappoint!

Serpentine tells the story of a young coming of age girl named Skybright, who is the servant girl for a daughter of a wealthy family that is roughly the same age as Skybright. This is not your typical relationship however because we come to learn that Skybright was found on the family’s doorstep shortly before the birth of their daughter and they took this as a gift of companion ship for their new bundle of joy. So Skybright, while holding no position in the family, is very much loved and looked after.

All of the reviewers at The Bookend Family hate to give spoilers so I will not ruin the story, but as you can tell from the cover, we learn that Skybright is not quite the person she seems to be, and upon discovering her differences we see her go through a process of questioning. One that can be amply applied to all young adults today who are transitioning into adulthood. She questions who she really is and who she wants to be. She also questions if she is predisposed to be one thing over another. The story line was very creatively woven by Miss Pon to reflect many of the questions young people have today.

The characters are fresh and inspiring. I found the relationships between characters tangible and relevant to the story. There was a structure to each individual that was solidly laid so you knew where their prospective was coming from throughout the story. I loved the purity of the main character, and her particular prospective on the transition that not only she was going through, but others around her as well. The setting was very visual, vibrant, and everything I would expect from a story set in this richly colored country.

I highly recommend this book and hope others will check it out. This is a very good story from a feminine prospective that does not have the females objectified. The girls are strong, opinionated, and captivating. As I’ve been writing this review, I have gone back and forth on one particular item that I can’t decide if I should write about, and the reason is that I don’t want anyone to not pick up this book because of a prejudice. What I will say though, is that each character, each event, and each interaction was appropriate to the story and in effect had story driven purpose. Again, I truly do hope you pick up this book.
 
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Mythology. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML:

Inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology, this sweeping fantasy is set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns 16, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell. When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self â?? even as she falls in love for the first time.

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