When the Sea Turned to Silver

“When the Sea turned to Silver” is a tough call. It is better than its predecessor in every way except the most important: the theme.

“When the Sea Turned to Silver” is a direct sequel to “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.” It not only follows the same family but wraps up a few lose ends from that story. I was pleasantly surprised by this fact. Seeing some of the ideas from the first book fleshed out and some stories come full circle was immensely satisfying. I do not known if Grace Lin had this sequel in mind when she wrote the first but the continuation of the story and characters is masterful. Overall, I am highly impressed by the fact that Grace Lin did not settle as a writer and strived to do better in her sequel.

My show more biggest qualm from the first book is also addressed. While storytelling is the heart of this series the first book proportionately had too many pauses in the main story to convey the pacing of a folktale. This disruption at certain points lessened the story's impact in my eyes. Here, the balance is sound. There are still plenty of folktales that flesh out the truth behind the narrative, but the main story is not forgotten. Plenty happens and the characters feel more autonomous and the main story more epic for the entirety. The narrative in general is also better. While the last story was very personal, very little was at stake. Here the whole kingdom could suffer if the story teller’s granddaughter fails and the narrative has more power for it. There is also more action in this sequel which helps to make the stakes feel dire.

The writing is better has also improved. The metaphors and similes do not get in the way of the storytelling but paint beautiful word-pictures. These echo the idea of storytelling and its power and bolster the themes of stories in the book.

The only place this book falters is the main theme. “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” had flaws, but its heart was a powerfully realized message. Here there is no main message, no driving theme besides how stories weave into life and eternity. At least, that was my opinion. It is a shame because while this is an objectively better read, it is hard to say it is a better book without the universal theme anchoring it.
If you enjoyed “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon”, give this a read. It is everything you like about the first and is more polished. Young children and young readers should also read this. Time to check out what else the author has written. show less

Lin, G. (2016). When the Sea Turned to Silver. New York: Little Brown and Company.

This book was really good! I was surprised by how well Grace Lin weaves together the story of Pinmei and Yishan as they try to free Pinmei's grandmother, the Storyteller, and the many stories from Chinese folklore told throughout.

The character of Pinmei is well-developed. She began the story as a shy, timid, quiet girl always listening, but never acting. After her grandmother is kidnapped by the monstrous emperor, she is forced to leave the comfort of her mountain village to embark on a journey with her friend, Yishan, to save her, using her knowledge of her grandmother's stories to guide her and give her courage.

The plot is deceptively simple, but show more offers many twists and unexpected turns along the way. Characters and stories come back around and every detail matters.

The setting is beautifully told and shown through the illustrations done by Grace Lin.

The themes are subtle but universal.

Overall, a very enjoyable story good for anyone who enjoys folklore and stories of adventure and fantasy. show less

When Pinmei's grandmother, a storyteller, is taken by the emperor, shy Pinmei and her friend Yishan go on a journey to find a Luminous Stone that Lights the Night to give to the emperor in exchange for Amah's return. There are many stories-within-the-story, and clues that Amah is an older version of Minli from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

See also: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Starry River of the Sky

Narrated by Kim Mai Guest. It's a little confusing in audio to track all the stories that Pinmei and her storyteller grandmother tell and how they weave into the whole (not to mention the connections to Lin's previous two titles). For me this may be easier to digest in print. However, Guest performs with a storyteller's mien, hypnotic and engaging during the folktale segments. She distinctly voices the range of characters, from shy Pinmei to the pompous Emperor. It's not necessary to have read "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" or "Starry River of the Sky," but they likely enrich reading this title.

An evil emperor with a secret past, a grandmother/storyteller who also has secrets, a granddaughter with more within her than she guesses, a friend who can't always remember his past, horses that are really dragons, gods walking among mortals, and beautiful stories within beautiful stories. Highly recommended.

I’ve read all three of Lin’s wonderful fantasy Chinese fairy tales—or are they more fables because they all have a moral. She writes an engaging story that even keeps an adult up reading to find out what happens to the characters in the books. In fact, Lin’s trilogy is sort of like reading Harry Potter. Although they are stand-alone books, once you reach the end, it’s worth reading over, now that you know what’s going to happen, you can think more about the stories told by the storyteller in When the Sea Turned to Silver and how they impact the story. The afterword by the author telling how she created them and the importance in certain Chinese numbers only adds to the appeal of the books.

I loved this book so much that as soon as I finished reading it, I turned back to page one and started re-reading. When the Sea Turned to Silver weaves together traditional Chinese folk tales to create a beautiful fantasy quest story. The main character, Pinmei, must conquer sea kings, evil emperors, dragons, and more.