Romantic Parvenu

Book Review: The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin

August 20, 2015

I am here to tell you today that The Shadowed Sun is everything you will ever need in a fantasy novel. It has: 1. Amazing world-building 2. A complex and engaging female lead who owns her femininity 3. A diverse cast of flawed and ...

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Book Review: The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob

August 19, 2015

This book is perfect for people who like family dysfunction and immigrant stories and a compelling slice-of-life-style narrative. Though it took Mira Jacob 10 years to write The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing, I do hope that her next novel comes ...

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Book Review: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

August 17, 2015

Eleven years old, Kimberly moves with her mother to New York from Hong Kong. In spite of a language barrier, she quickly becomes the best student in her class, but struggles to balance her life at a fancy prep school with her life as an illegal ...

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Book Review: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

August 16, 2015

The Garden of Evening Mists takes place in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, on a tea plantation owned by a Boer friend of Yun Ling’s family. Adjoining the plantation is Yugiri (“Evening Mists”), where Aritomo has built a traditional Japanese ...

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Book Review: The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi

August 13, 2015

At its heart, I felt that The Opposite House dealt with subjects and themes familiar to any reader, especially regarding heritage and immigration. But these themes were so heavily costumed in the surreal and strange elements of the book, it was ...

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Book Review: The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh

August 11, 2015

This book has all the things I love: complex female relationships, family dysfunction, a protagonist who works her way through her mistakes, and also real-life preteen issues. The Truth About Twinkie Pie is a story that’s both adorable and ...

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