Dragon Pearl

I’m usually not much of a middle grade reader, so this book wouldn’t have even been on my radar if my friend Dini had not recommended it to me for one of my 2020 yearly challenges, as well as it being chosen as a BOTM for our Stars and Sorcery book club. So, I was very excited to start this and have some fun, and that’s exactly what happened.

Like any MG novel, this one too was very easy to read and I just breezed through it in a few hours. The writing style is pretty lighthearted despite some of the deeper themes being explored, it’s very fast paced and everything happens so quickly that you never want to put the book down. The world building is also just perfect, giving us enough information about the different lands and star show more systems as well the government, without ever overwhelming with too much detail. As someone who is pretty new to the sci-fi genre, that’s very important to me and I was happy that all the scientific terminology and elements didn’t go over my head. And as always, one of my favorite parts of the book was how the author was able to integrate both Korean mythology and culture into the story and how seamless it was in context of the story. The representation is also quite amazing and very matter of fact, which is how it should be, and I just love that younger readers will get to read books with non-binary characters as well about the importance of using correct pronouns.

Min is such a delightful character to follow. She is a sweet girl who is a bit annoyed that she has to do so many chores at home and is bullied a bit by her aunts and cousins, but she also loves her family and will do anything to find her brother. The literal journey she goes on turns into a metaphorical one, with her finding herself, realizing what’s important to her and thinking about her future. In the meantime, she uses her intelligence, resourcefulness, wit and magical abilities to get through many tricky situations and I was just cackling at most of her shenanigans. She is just thirteen, so she does do impulsive and reckless things but she also quickly accepts her mistakes and figures out how to do better.

This journey is also about her making new friends outside of her family and it was nice to see her form such important relationships and planing trust in others. Both Sujin and Haneul are fun to be around and I loved the camaraderie between them. Even the characters we assume are bad guys are written with nuance and there is always hope for redemption.

In the end, this is a fun space adventure with characters you fall in love with and root for, and a world that you want to explore more of. But ultimately, it’s also just about friendship, family and having hope. If you love middle grade adventure novels or space operas, I think you’ll love this one. It’s also a Nebula award nominee for this year, so its a perfect choice if you enjoy reading highly acclaimed books. show less

This is a fantasy novel with space opera trappings. Basically the premise of its world is: what if Korean mythology was true... but it was the future and humanity had colonized space? Thus we have a fox spirit main character, and once she goes aboard a Space Forces starship, she meets tigers and demons and dragons serving among a predominantly human crew. The ship runs on flows of luck energy; if there's a ghost aboard, it loses battles because of the bad luck. That worldbuilding, the way the novel mixed fantasy underpinnings with sf tropes, was probably my favorite part of it.

It fits into the Star Wars archetype: Min is from a backwater planet and yearns for more. When she finds out her brother (in the Space Forces) has been branded a show more traitor, she follows him into space, using her fox powers to charm others and disguise herself. The beginning of the book is a bit one-thing-after-another in a way I found relentless: Min accidentally falls in with police she must play along with; she escapes from into working at a casino; she escapes from there into an under-attack spaceship; and so on. It all felt a bit too constructed, and there was little room for reflection. Things even out, though, once she disguises herself as a Space Force cadet, and makes friends that she must systematically lie to in order to continue her investigations. Her on the ship was my favorite part of the book, and where I felt it got the most interesting. In the end, things wrap up with a series of reversals-- not all of them expected, which was good-- but of course you'll be unsurprised to learn that Min triumphs. I didn't think it was great, but I did think it was fun, and unique. show less

Definitely on the younger end of YA books, which took a little getting used to for me, and the combination of magic & myth with science fiction at first felt a little weird. But once I settled into it, I was ALL IN. Absolutely lovely story with fantastic characters, complicated but heart-warming relationships, and inclusive world-building. Loved having non-binary characters and a world where there was nothing weird about indicating your pronouns. No explicit asexual representation, but no romance in the plot line so a nice change of pace for aromantic asexual readers. Highly recommend, and hope there are more books coming.

Okay, after how much I loved the Machineries of Empire trilogy, when I heard about this book I knew I'd have to buy it. I added it to the bedtime story shelf and my nine-year-old picked it out fairly quickly.

For some strange reason, this was one bedtime story book that my husband and I were more into than the kids were. I mean, they liked it, but they went away to grandma's for nearly a month during summer vacation while we were in the middle of reading it, and my husband (who reads barely a book a year), actually couldn't wait for them to come back and read the rest of it on his own.

Anyway, this story takes place in a universe were most settled planets have been terraformed -- some better than others. The planet Min grew up on was one show more where things have not gone so well. When her older brother is accused of going awol in search of a mystical item (the dragon pearl) that could fix their planet, she sets off on a mission to find him and the truth.

An engaging blend of science fiction and fantasy -- there are spaceships and military technology, but also Korean folklore -- people with fox spirits who can shapeshift and charm people, goblins with gifts for chemistry and who can summon food out of the air, ghosts, and more. There really is just so much here, and it all folds together so skillfully. Lee's worldbuilding is exemplary, and as in the Machineries of Empire trilogy, so built on the unique humanity of each character.

A pronunciation guide in the back for many of the Korean names, foods, and concepts is very handy for anyone, but especially those reading this aloud. This was such a great addition to our bedtime story tradition. show less

I read a short story collection by Yoon Ha Lee and was captivated by the intelligence, imagination, and subtlety. I was also a bit wary of the penchant for warfare and space travel - neither is my favorite. I was interested to see how this intelligent and subtle voice could translate to a book for youth. The result is a fun, clever story with a clear plot and a good pace. What's striking about it, and where those beloved traits appear, is how the world-building is assumed - it develops not in exposition but in how the characters accept and interpret their own environments. I've seen a lot of authors try to incorporate commentary and questions about current hot topics, and they quite often seem forced and pedantic. Here, they're simply a show more part of the world, and that's an amazing gift to give young readers.
I'm excited to buy this for my nephew, who loves mythology, battles, acceptance, and general tricksiness. show less

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee is a space fantasy book aimed at younger readers. It's the first in a series and is entirely unrelated to Yoon Ha Lee's other books, which are adult science fiction. I don't generally read much middle grade, but I picked this one up mainly because of the author. I'd say its also at the older end of the category: the protagonist is thirteen years old, but spends much of the book pretending to be sixteen, so there is a bit of a YA feel to it as well.

Dragon Pearl follows Min as she sets out on an illicit adventure to find out what really happened to her brother. She sets off with almost nothing other than her fox-based shape-shifting magic and magical Charm, and finds herself very far away from her home planet. show more It was a fun space adventure involving morally ambiguous adults, new friends and dangerous situations. I enjoyed it a lot and I look forward to any sequels that may be forthcoming. Although the story is quite self-contained, it sets up a possible series and I definitely want to read those other stories.

As well as not being a big middle-grade reader, I also tend to steer away from space fantasy books, having been burned a few times before. To be honest, I wasn't sure how strong the fantasy element would be before I started reading, but I was assuming it would mostly be science fiction. It is set on other planets and in space, so it's science fiction if that's your definition of it. But the world building is very deeply steeped in Korean folklore and the associated magic. The story very prominently involves shapeshifting supernaturals and ghosts, and the titular pearl is a magical terraforming device. This worldbuilding worked for me very well. It felt very consistent — perhaps because it's directly based on real mythology rather than being entirely fictional. (I am trying very hard not to name the authors that previously ruined magic in space for me, can you tell?)

I highly recommend Dragon Pearl to fans of science fiction and fantasy, especially space adventures. Readers who are already fans of Korean folklore, or just want to learn more about it, will also find much to like here. I hope I will have the opportunity to give this book to my niece before she outgrows it.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. show less

Dragon Pearl, part of the Rick Riordan Presents Imprint, and first in the Thousand Worlds series, is an impressive, multilayered middle grade space opera, penned by The Machineries of Empire trilogy author, Yoon Ha Lee. Like the The Machineries of Empire trilogy, Dragon Pearl is a wild ride of a story but one with a big heart. And it's quite imaginative blending Korean folklore into a space opera narrative.

The story is about a thirteen-year-old fox spirit named Min who has a powerful secret: she is disguised as a human; she can shape-shift and use magic to alter others' perceptions. Min wields these powers when she ditches her "dismal life" on the barren planet Jinju to track down her lost brother Jun, a Space Forces cadet who's gone show more AWOL, apparently on a quest to find a mystical object rumored to have tremendous powers. What she finds might break her heart or make her stronger.

The heart of this book is about siblings and friendship and the bonds of family. But, the worldbuilding - the tech and the magic - are all very fascinating too. There’s a glorious sense of wonder and eeriness that a lot of scifi I like conveys, and that’s present here too. This is science fantasy in many ways but it's not a rehash of say, Star Wars. It's a richly detailed, cohesive, original vision.

This book is brilliant, gorgeous, heartfelt, and exciting. We need more middle grade and scifi books like this one! show less