Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Middle Grade Adventure at its BEST!!!
This rollicking space opera follows 13-y.o., Min, on her quest to find out what happened to her older brother, Jun.
When an investigator shows up at her house, accusing her older brother, Jun, of deserting the Space Forces, Min knows something must be wrong. Jun and Min have dreamed of joining the Forces their whole lives and going on great adventures together. Now that he is in, Min knows that Jun would never disgrace his family by deserting.
Forced to flee her home, Min sets out in search of the truth with the hopes of clearing her brother’s name and bringing him home. Very quickly, Min is forced to rely on her intelligence and quick wit, as she eludes security, works in a gambling den, stows away on a ship, impersonates a Space Forces Cadet and so much more. She discovers her own strength and makes some great new friends along the way.
Min is a really well-rounded, enjoyable character to follow along with. I grew attached to her and loved watching her development over the course of the book. The side-characters, as well, were great. Humorous and likable, they truly added to the story, particularly Sujin and Haneul. It was also great to see a non-binary side character play such an important role in a Middle Grade story.
The ending was fantastic, but really it was fantastic the whole way through. Nice, fast pace, smooth transitions from different scenes and a strong build-up to the end. I think it left off in an excellent spot to continue on with the story. I am definitely hoping for more books in this world and with these characters. It is my understanding that we will be getting more. (fingers crossed)
The bottom line is, I really had a blast (pun intended) reading this book which, to me, is what Middle Grade is all about. It should be a joy to read a Middle Grade adventure book and I was not disappointed with this one. The writing was very, very strong. I was swept up in the world and I thought the sci-fi elements were top-notch; no surprise considering the expertise and experience that Yoon Ha Lee brings to the table.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group and Rick Riordan Presents, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I truly appreciate the opportunity. I think RRP Imprint is providing a great service to our book community by offering a platform for diverse voices from around the world to share their myth, legends and folklore. I cannot wait to read more of Min in the future!