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Nataliya's Reviews > Dragon Pearl
Dragon Pearl (Thousand Worlds, #1)
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I really wanted to like it. What I got instead was annoyance and irritation. And I’m not happy about that.
It’s a pretty fast-paced story of a quest of a teenage shapeshifting fox girl Min who leaves a backward poor world in a union of spacefaring yet magical civilizations (think foxes, goblins, tigers, shamans, ghosts) to find her missing space cadet brother Jun as well as a very powerfulMcGuffin relic, the titular Dragon Pearl. Min has Charm - the ability to influence minds, as well as a perfect shapeshifting ability. It involves running away from home, hitching a ride on a spaceship, impersonating a space cadet and going to a ghost planet.
Ah, things that don’t make sense...
It manages to be both entertaining and yet un-engaging, which is a strange and unexpected combo. Ultimately, despite cool mythology, between all the annoyance and indifference about the outcome of Min’s quest (it just failed to engage me, and the stakes never seemed important) I found my attention drifting all the time, and putting this book down was certainly easier than picking it back up. And that just never bodes well.
2.5 stars in the end. Rounding up to 3 because 10-year-old me probably would have enjoyed the shapeshifting in space despite the flaws.
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä�
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: /review/show...
It’s a pretty fast-paced story of a quest of a teenage shapeshifting fox girl Min who leaves a backward poor world in a union of spacefaring yet magical civilizations (think foxes, goblins, tigers, shamans, ghosts) to find her missing space cadet brother Jun as well as a very powerful
Sounds fun, right? But the problem is - it doesn’t just read young, it reads *juvenile*. In that overly-simplistic, unsophisticated way that plagues a lot of stories written for children, and which the good books can escape¹. But Dragon Pearl does not.
“You’ve been very busy, Min,� Seok said. “Over the last two months or so, you’ve run away from home, deceived spaceport security, gotten involved with a gambling den, been in a shoot-out with mercenaries, impersonated a dead cadet and an active captain, released prisoners without authorization, stolen an escape pod, and broken the Fourth Colony’s quarantine.�
¹ And no, I’m not being critical just because I am much too old for a children’s book. There are quite a few very well-written fantastical books for younger audience that nevertheless are wonderful no matter what the readers� age is:We are supposed to believe Min is resourceful and intelligent. Even a seasoned pilot grudgingly (of course) remarks on her smarts. But what I can’t help but see instead is a bratty yet a bit naive kid who is very lucky at overhearing plot-important things and - of course - just happens to be the best magic user in the family with an unexplained aptitude for engineering making her the most badass barely trained 13-year-old.
- Terry Pratchett’s The Wee Free Men and its sequels.
- Anything by Frances Hardinge - but especially A Face Like Glass, Gullstruck Island, and The Lie Tree
- Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.
- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.
- China Mieville’s Un Lun Dun.
“Whenever I wasn’t sure what to do, I just trusted my instincts.�She’s always unerringly right and wins loyalty of most easily because of simple reason of existing. And every adult is easily outwitted, the villain thwarted, magic relics easily handled and the government representatives indulgingly entertained and pacified. Her magic seems to know no limits and is ridiculously effortless � which made me really wonder why her fellow foxes with all those abilities of Charm are not running the world but are instead scrounging away in poverty and disgrace.
Ah, things that don’t make sense...
Everything is just so blatantly convenient. Every perfectly overheard conversation. Every conveniently written observation in a notebook in a room conveniently easy to break into, with a conveniently labeled map with coordinates included, again, so conveniently. A convenient ghost(s) the moment you need one. Convenient spaceships conveniently ready to take basically a hitchhiking kid without ever asking inconvenient questions.
“Fox magic was handy that way, if sometimes unpredictable—once you envisioned what you needed, it covered all the details.�It’s just all too easy. Too simple. Too unearned. Too much zapping between locations for plot’s sake without any lingering connections to the ones we visited, or the characters we met there. Too little of character development, and all of them are pretty bland anyway. Too cheesy of an ending.
It manages to be both entertaining and yet un-engaging, which is a strange and unexpected combo. Ultimately, despite cool mythology, between all the annoyance and indifference about the outcome of Min’s quest (it just failed to engage me, and the stakes never seemed important) I found my attention drifting all the time, and putting this book down was certainly easier than picking it back up. And that just never bodes well.
2.5 stars in the end. Rounding up to 3 because 10-year-old me probably would have enjoyed the shapeshifting in space despite the flaws.
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä�
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: /review/show...
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Reading Progress
June 28, 2020
–
Started Reading
June 28, 2020
– Shelved
June 30, 2020
–
13.0%
"So far it is very juvenile (I guess it’s aimed at even younger crowd than I thought) and the bratty main character is beyond annoying. But there’s plenty of time left for it to capture my interest, so I’m still hopeful."
July 1, 2020
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34.0%
"Meh. Everything is so fast and so fragging easy for our super special protagonist. Also, with powers like this her family would have never been poor if it wasn’t needed for plot sake. So far way too simplistic even for a children’s book."
July 1, 2020
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34.0%
"Also, when supernaturals have superpowers, why the hell would they be the ones discriminated against and not the ones ruling the world? This doesn’t make sense."
July 2, 2020
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43.0%
July 2, 2020
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69.0%
"There’s just no way our conveniently amazing heroine can get any more wish-fulfillingly amazing, right? Convenient plot developments should be the title of this book."
July 3, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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Actually, I’d argue that what you are describing is present in books that are not very good, not just the books about girls but about boys as well, and for much longer. It’s just that there are more books about girls now, so it seems more prominent. But this goes a long way back - “boy fiction� very much so as well. I immediately think of Luke Skywalker as a trendsetter here - a super-special kid who gets to be awesome with minimal training and is a shining star of the rebellion (hey, the storyline of Star Wars is beyond corny, regardless of its cultural impact). Or another example of a bad apple is Eragon - a story of a boy who is very much a Mary Sue. Or Kvothe in The Name of the Wind.I think the issue is that some authors are so enamored with their characters - regardless of the gender - that they make everything easy and unearned for them. But I really don’t think it’s limited to books about girls.
A good book by a good writer will avoid those pitfalls regardless of the protagonist’s gender. I put a short list of the books that I think do it well in this review - Pratchett and Hardinge are real standouts in my opinion.
Ugh, convenience is the worse (I mean, I wouldn't mind it in my life sometimes, but that's wishful thinking and certainly wasn't the case for me as a child)! I absolutely agree that "children's" books like Coraline don't need to rely on easy and ill-explained plot devices to make for a fantastic read for kids! I loved it then and loved it now. Hope your next read hits the mark on both engagement and entertainment!
Elizabeth wrote: "Hope your next read hits the mark on both engagement and entertainment!"It will be! I started rereading Beartown - I realized that I need to refresh my memory before proceeding with Us Against You. So at least I already know that I like this one :)
Nataliya wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Hope your next read hits the mark on both engagement and entertainment!"It will be! I started rereading Beartown - I realized that I need to refresh my memory be..."
Oooo, so true. There are a large cast of characters, and Us Against You picks up near immediately from where Beartown left off. If you write a review for Beartown this time round, I know I am going to love seeing your thoughts on it. Can't wait!! :D
![[Name Redacted]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p1/287915.jpg)
Nataliya wrote: "Actually, I’d argue that what you are describing is present in books that are not very good, not just the books about girls but about boys as well, and for much longer. It’s just that there are mor..."...Luke Skywalker? Who is beaten unconscious in the desert, gets his family killed & finds the charred corpses of the people who raised him, witnesses the murder of his mentor, crashes his plane, nearly freezes to death, is clawed and nearly eaten by a snow monster, nearly freezes to death again, is psychologically tortured in a cave, rushes in half-cocked nearly getting his friends killed & himself beaten nearly-to-death, has his hand chopped off, learns the evil guy who killed his mentor & tortured his friend was actually his father (and the man who chopped his hand off), is beaten again by his father, in a fit of rage nearly murders his father and only wins in the end because he stops trying to fight and lets himself be electrocuted repeatedly...but still fails to save his father's life?
I mean, okay.
"Eragon" I absolutely agree about, though, because it's basically a 13 year-old trying to re-write Star Wars without any pathos or pain or suffering or loss. Which was my point -- that sort of thing in male fiction is typically sneered at. I've never actually met someone who liked those books. My 10 year-old can't stand those books simply because there's no real struggle. I'm sure the fans exist, but I have to wonder how much of that came from a lack of similar options at the time.
And I didn't say it's limited to books about girls -- I said it seems to be overwhelmingly the case right now in fiction intended FOR OR ABOUT females, especially those intended for younger females. It's becoming harder and harder to find anything I'd recommend to my daughter at this point -- thank goodness my wife enjoys Diana Wynne Jones too.
[Name Redacted] wrote: "It's becoming harder and harder to find anything I'd recommend to my daughter at this point -- thank goodness my wife enjoys Diana Wynne Jones too."Diana Wynne Jones is great! Granted, I only ever read 3 of her books - Howl, Derkholm and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, but all three were excellent.
If your 10-year-old hasn’t read Frances Hardinge, I’d advise A Face Like Glass. It’s excellently written as has characters that go through struggle and growth, and aren’t just cardboard cutouts.
I guess I misunderstood your comment - I blame the sleepless night yesterday (was on call in the hospital, got just a couple of hours of snooze time, so mental faculties we’re getting a bit dim at the time. You are right that badly written protagonists that get praised for breathing and walking without tripping over their feet are becoming rather common. I’m trying to avoid those as much as I can; this one I was not able to spot preemptively.
You do make a compelling case for Luke Skywalker. Maybe someday I will rewatch those movies keeping what you said in mind and be more open-minded. Who knows - I may reconsider my opinion of him.
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä�
Amanda wrote: "Thanks for the recs!"
You are welcome!
Wow, I was really disappointed when I was turned down for this book on NetGalley. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad. :)
Tadiana ✩Night Owl� wrote: "Wow, I was really disappointed when I was turned down for this book on NetGalley. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad. :)"Yeah, you were not missing out on much, honestly.
I was actually considering this one. Glad I passed on it. I hate it when everything just conveniently goes the main character's way. That's so boring. A return to Beartown seems like a good idea after this one.
Dennis wrote: "I was actually considering this one. Glad I passed on it. I hate it when everything just conveniently goes the main character's way. That's so boring. A return to Beartown seems like a good idea af..."I’m almost done with Beartown reread, and it is helping to clear my brain from the disappointment with this one.
I have a strong dislike of books like that. Books that prop the protagonist up on a pedastal without any real merit. Books that provide the protagonist with all the easy answers. I much rather prefer it when characters have to struggle to work for their happy ending. It feels so much more earned.
Steven wrote: "I have a strong dislike of books like that. Books that prop the protagonist up on a pedastal without any real merit. Books that provide the protagonist with all the easy answers. I much rather pref..."Agreed. Too easy and unearned does not make a good book.
Once again I’ve decided not to write a review because someone else said it so perfectly. It was a fun read, but also a 3 for me for everything you said, plus the very weak beginning where the MC has to act stupidly to get the story moving. I really don’t see how this got a starred review from Kirkus. Can you just pay for those now?!
Michelle wrote: "Once again I’ve decided not to write a review because someone else said it do perfectly. It was a fun read, but also 3 for me for everything you said, plus the very weak beginning where the MC has ..."It got a Kirkus starred review? Really? I guess it proves once again that opinions on books are always very subjective, huh?
Mir wrote: "Sounds very wish-fulfillment."It certainly does.
I agree. My main problem was that the main character was pretty bland and OP and the book seemed too short without much twists and turns, but what you said were problems I definitely think were problems as well
Alex wrote: "I agree. My main problem was that the main character was pretty bland and OP and the book seemed too short without much twists and turns, but what you said were problems I definitely think were pro..."Yeah, this one wasn’t too memorable. I see that his adult works are highly regarded, so I’ll try those at some point, but this one was sadly unremarkable.
Adult sci-fi by the same author, Machineries of Empire, is based on number theory and so complicated I could barely understand what's going on. But it was very engaging.
igorama wrote: "Adult sci-fi by the same author, Machineries of Empire, is based on number theory and so complicated I could barely understand what's going on. But it was very engaging."So is it just that he dumbed it down too much for younger readers?
I really liked Machineries of Empire, particularly the first installment. It was complex, engaging, and unusual, mixing poetry and aesthetics with maths. But there was quite a widespread sentiment in the reading community back then that their books were hard to understand. Maybe this is the response to that? Either way, not going to read it after your review. But I do recommend Machineries of Empire!
Ola wrote: "I really liked Machineries of Empire, particularly the first installment. It was complex, engaging, and unusual, mixing poetry and aesthetics with maths. But there was quite a widespread sentiment ..."Interesting. Perhaps I will give Yoon Ha Lee another chance then. Complex, engaging and unusual sounds like a perfect mix, and hard to understand does not mean bad � so I’ll check my library for it.
Nataliya wrote: "Ola wrote: "I really liked Machineries of Empire, particularly the first installment. It was complex, engaging, and unusual, mixing poetry and aesthetics with maths. But there was quite a widesprea..."I can direct you to my review of the first installment, here: /review/show.... It seems to me you might enjoy this book quite a lot!
Ola wrote: "I can direct you to my review of the first installment, here: /review/show.... It seems to me you might enjoy this book quite a lot!"It indeed sounds quite interesting. Thanks! I just placed a library hold.
It's really creepy when you start noticing it because it's so pervasive and teaches some horrifying lessons. That sort of thing exists in some fiction for males but almost never to that extent -- and when it is to that extent it's almost universally dismissed as dumb and boring. Even in the wish-fulfillment "i'm so special" power fantasies aimed at males, there's usually some actual struggle involved.