#Asian Authors

[black-is-beautiful18]

Just wanted to say that it is alright to be fans of books like LegendBorn, Children of Blood and Bone, and Raybearer but if you are not Black you are not the targeted audience. They deserve your support but the author is not writing with a nonblack audience in mind. The same goes for other nonwhite authors no matter where they come from. Usually these authors are writing for themselves and ppl who look like them. Seeing ourselves is much more important than whether or not white readers like it.

[whereshadowslive]

Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.

― Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin

Release date: 18 March 2025

Genre: adult urban fantasy

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐���

Tam hasn’t eaten anyone in years. 

She is now Mama’s soft-spoken, vegan daughter — everything dangerous about her is cut out, repressed. Medicated.

But when Tam’s estranged Aunt Tigress is found murdered and skinned, Tam inherits an undead fox in a shoebox and an ensemble of old enemies. 

The demons, the ghosts, the gods running coffee shops by the river? Fine. The tentacled thing stalking Tam across the city? Absolutely not. And when Tam realizes the girl she’s falling in love with might be yet another loose end from her past? That’s just the brassy, beautiful cherry on top.

Because no matter how quietly she lives, Tam can’t hide from her voracious upbringing, nor the suffering she caused. As she navigates romance, redemption, and the end of the world, she can’t help but wonder…

Do monsters even deserve happy endings?

Content warnings

Death, blood, violence, body horror, injury

Animal cruelty, animal death

Parental death, grief

Child abuse

Terminal illness

Cultural appropriation

Car accident

Self-harm for magic purposes

Sexual harrassment

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I feel majorly conflicted about this book, because on one hand, I was really anticipating this and I love the concept. On the other hand, the execution left something to be desired.

I think the themes of generational trauma and repatriation was done really well. Tam has complicated relationships with her mother and her aunt, and feels responsibility to fix her aunt's mistakes. The narrative never shies away from showing the depths and complexity of Tam's internal struggles.

The narrative alternates between the present and the past, with each chapter including a story from the past, which gives more context to what is going on currently. I appreciate the importance of these stories; they are definitely vital for showing the full context of what is happening, but I found that in the second half of the book, this switching became less natural and more jarring. Being constantly taken out of the main narrative made it hard to build-up steam towards the climax.

I loved how the mythological elements were weaved into the real-world setting, I'm always a sucker for magical people seeing stuff that regular people can't type of stories. The overall vibe is very surreal, especially with the lyrical writing style. The magic system doesn't have hard rules and is more vibe-based but I like that.

Unfortunately, I could not vibe with the romance. I don't think they have any chemistry whatsoever. I can't disbelieve that the love interest, Janet, is into Tam for any reason other than the magic, and I have no idea what Tam sees in Janet.

Romance aside, I enjoyed this book as a whole, especially the magic-y folklore bits.

[keystonepublishing]

The House of Aunts by Zen Cho

Well, it's been a while since I updated, and not for nothing. The fasting month has arrived and much of my weekend energy is preoccupied elsewhere. Also, there are several longfics that are currently WIP, full completion uncertain.

So imagine my feelings as they got slammed against the wall by this: The House of Aunts by the Malaysian-born Zen Cho. An original vampire fiction that is set in Malaysia, uses traditional Malaysian monsters die Dracula, and deals with issues that hit close to home for anyone living in this part of the world, such as overbearing parental figures, unspoken religious and ethnic boundaries, and familial shame.

Since the story is Malaysian at heart, I decided to use Malaysian pictures and themes.

The book cover is actually made from drawing paper, printed with the image of a rubber plantation to evoke the story's setting. The front side has a glued-on image of a frangipani flower - the flower of the undead in Malaysian stories — surrounded by Baba Nyonya tilework — the Baba being Chinese Malaysians who settled and intermarried with locals.

The printed endapapers threw me off. I wanted to have a tilework or frangipani motif, but none of the free internet sources came up with anything distinctive. I did eventually find a peculiar color gradient that reminds me of twilight, considered the time when Malaysian monsters strike the most.

The Malaysian motifs continue at the title page, where I used Baba Nyonya tilework and Malay woodcraft motifs to frame the title. Same thing too with the copyright page — believe it or not, I actually intended that part to be minimalist! But one curious placement of images led to another and soon, I was looking up different websites to find the right Malaysian decorative features to bedight the logos!

The story is divided into three parts, and I also wanted the headers to be minimalist. Something of that won out here more, as I decided to use plumerias to highlight the 'undead' parts of the story and the greyscale tilework/woodwork to highlight the human connections of the main character, whether they were broken or not.

This bind took me less than a week and it was actually refreshing to get my hands busy again. Full rights to the story goes to Zen Cho, who really deserves all the awards for writing a monster tale that hits at so many themes, it's quintessentially Malaysian!

[hughesgarnet]

went out to have a rabies shot and went home with an empty bank account and 3 books (it was hours later when i realized i bought books that were written by Asian authors ugh we love it hereeeee)

[starshipreads]

review: in the miso soup by ryu murakami (1997)

192 pages / started nov 5th 2024 / finished nov 8th 2024

spoiler free!!

Summary: It's just before New Year, and Frank, an American tourist, has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo's nightlife. But, Frank's behaviour is so odd that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion: his client may in fact have murderous desires. Although Kenji is far from innocent himself, he unwillingly descends with Frank into an inferno of evil, from which only his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Jun, can possibly save him.

I picked this book up from the store on a whim a few days ago, mostly because of how cool the cover looked. I went into this book completely blind, and I am so glad I did. I got through the book in only three sittings, which is a rare from me. This is my first book by Murakami, and for sure not my last.

Kenji is such an interesting protagonist, and his relationship with Frank is what really drove the story for me and got me invested. The pacing within the first half of the novel was fantastic, and it really set you up with the fear that something awful was always around the corner. The eventual awful something (which i won't spoil) was very much worth the payoff, and honestly completely shocked me even though I was still expecting it.

The novel really paints a gritty, unglamorous portrait of Japan which isn't often seen in literature, something I believe is a staple in murakamis work, but I'll have to fact check that. The setting of kabuki-cho is a character in and of itself.

Frank is such an incredibly interesting character that I don't think I could explain it without telling you what he does. Once you read the book, I think you'll understand what I mean.

The third act was a little bit monologue-y, and some of the language is a bit outdated however. If you are sensitive to violence towards and the exploitation of sex workers, you may not be able to stomach this. Kenji is not an innocent character, he is well aware of how exploitative the sex industry is yet he still uses it for his own financial gain, not even mentioning his underage girlfriend. I believe thats what makes the story even more compelling. The more Kenji falls deeper down the rabbit hole of madness Frank leads him down, you start to doubt if he will make it out or not.

Critiques aside, I would 100% read this again and I would definitely recommend this to my horror loving friends and family! If you like psychological thrillers, you'll love this!

7/10

ty for reading!! feel free to follow me for more reviews plus other bookish related stuff!!

[lazehaze]

I definitely buy more books than I should…

I got this after hearing some amazing reviews from some peers at a book club. It got me really intrigued, so here it is.

When I’m reading it? Oh, I have no idea.

[samanthakgarner]

Historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: Pre-colonial Philippines

Seeker of the Lost Song is a historically-inspired fantasy novel merging medieval Finnish & pre-colonial Filipino elements, and I wanted to share two elements of Filipino history I included.

☼ 1) Dulang, a low table ☼

One of my favourite tidbits from my research is that pre-colonial Filipinos ate at a low table, sitting on the floor. Part of me worries that readers will think “Hey you stole that from Japan!” but I’m excited for the chance to show my people at their own low table, eating rice with their hands.

☼ 2) The balangay boat ☼

Another pre-colonial Filipino element I included in the book was a balangay, an ancient Filipino boat that’s recently come back into the public consciousness, with ancient boats being excavated and working replicas made. A quote from this article in STARweek, from one of the people who worked to rebuild the balangay, really resonated with me:

“It is very sad because we are a maritime people. We should be gifted and natural in the waters but colonialization robbed us of that consciousness. I am doing this to help rekindle that spirit”

The balangay that appears in my novel has a double outrigger (something that always feels so Filipino to me), but essentially it’s a larger version of the sketch pictured.  And I have to admit, the scenes on the balangay did stir something in me. Something ancient and ancestral, perhaps?

Seeker’s as-yet-unnamed sequel also features elements of pre-colonial Filipino history, but more on that at another time. Suffice it to say I’m enjoying this opportunity to learn more about the history of my people and use it in a fantasy setting!

[chanelslibrary]

🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

@xiranjayzhao

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Zetian is set on avenging her sister’s death. Which is why she volunteers as a concubine pilot in the Huaxian army with the hopes of pairing up with the male pilot that killed her sister! Fortunate is on her side when they are matched, and Zetian must learn how to operate Chrysalises, giant robots meant to battle aliens, while mentally fighting the psychic link to the male pilot that has decimated so many other girls. She gets her revenge by being the only one to survive the battle—but she is now labeled the Iron Widow—and with that title is paired with the strongest and deadliest male pilot, Li Shimin. Who will survive their next battle, and what happens when Zetian digs deeper into the pilot system and wonders why only females are sacrificed during battles?

This book was such a whirlwind! It was giving Handmaid’s Tale vibes but with a dash of science fiction and a Chinese setting. I loved how Zhao drew on Chinese history to paint the backdrop for this story, and it almost seems like Huaxia could be China hundreds of years from now. The main character Zetian is the epitome of a badass female character—strong physically (even with broken feet!) and mentally, opinionated, fierce, and willing to fight for the underdogs—while acknowledging that she needs help sometimes. I also liked that there was a little love triangle (spoiler alert✨) but it wasn’t cliche and felt very organic. This story showed how men/boys are prioritized over girls/women even when war and safety should be the main concern in this battle ravaged country. I loved listening to the audiobook because getting the hear the authentic pronunciation of each of the characters names and some of the dialogue was great! This was a total 5 star read and I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel

Read if you love:

🤖Science fiction

❤️Love triangle

🏳️‍🌈LGBTQ rep

✊🏼AAPI rep

[salemwasinyouryard]

i didn’t know #capcut had a character limit for captions, that’s really lame >:( anyways, i do wanna clarify that this isn’t just about black creators! this extends to hispanic, asian, latiné, indigenous, etc. communities that are constantly having their spotlights taken away.

[previouslyafangirl]

"The memories of spirits and gods may be hazy, but not the memories of books. Stories are eternal."

- Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

[bookcoversaroundtheworld]

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Brazil

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Release date: 25 June 2024

Genre: adult psychological horror

If you like:

Female serial killers

Female rage

Revenge

Cannibalism

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5

Synopsis

Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her Appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.

CW book cover with eye related gore under the cut

Content warnings

Violence

Blood, gore, body horror

Cannibalism

Racism, fetishisation of East Asian women

Misogyny

Sexual harassment

Pedophilia (brief)

Stalking

Psychosis

Hospital/medical content

Alcohol consumption

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC! 🔪👁️🍽️

I loved this so much!

The chapters are rather short and the writing was accessible, which made this a quick and easy read, although at times I found some of the dialogue to be a little awkward.

I am not easily grossed out, but the writing and the descriptions of some of the gory bits were legit gruesome, but also impossible to look away from.

I loved how Ji-Won's descent into madness/cannibalism/serial killing was portrayed. The way her internal narration was written, of growing obsession and paranoia and justification of her actions, paired with the dream sequences, creates an immersive atmosphere of unreality that was unnerving to read.

I found myself relating a lot with Ji-Won's struggles to make and maintain friendships, as well as her struggles to handle all the changes in her life. Although she's manipulative and does some truly awful things (outside of murder), I can't help rooting for her.

I wished Ji-Won's attraction to Alexis was explored more. Given how much the book focuses on male entitlement and the fetishisation of East Asian women, I think it would have been interesting to see how Ji-Won navigates her own feelings of attraction towards women (or just one particular woman) as well as how this attraction affects the way she is viewed by men/society. But I understand that this is not the focus of the book so its fine.

The way the different elements of the story come together and culminates in that ending was sooo satisfying to read.

I know this book is a standalone, and I am not one to advocate for sequels to things that wraps up by itself, but I would LOVE to read a sequel to this.

[franticvampirereads]

This was a lovely, heartwarming read. The mix of fairytales and immigrant family life and coming out in a time when it wasn’t always excepted, were so brilliantly swirled together. The visuals were stunning and the story flowed so beautifully from one fairytale to another. It was so cool to see all of these stories that are so familiar to me through a different lens and different cultural interpretations. I loved this so much and it’s getting five stars from me!

[elliepassmore]

Tideborn release!

A tsunami and a dragon's wish have wrought changes upon the city of Tiankawi that have never been seen before. But shared experiences have not healed the rift between the city's fathomfolk and human citizens, and scars from years of oppression still remain.

Mira, a half-siren and activist, fights politicians and her own people to rebuild her city, and to uncover a deadly conspiracy. And Nami, the dragon princess, undertakes a daring ocean voyage alongside friend and foe, in order to convince a mythical Titan not to destroy Tiankawi for its crimes...

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

The ending of Fathomfolk left the characters in what was essentially a new world. Only...it is a world built on a wish and not the time and energy it usually takes to produce meaningful change. It was really interesting to see how Tiankawi and its citizens dealt with this new world and how that played into (or around) the politicking we saw in book 1.

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs in this one, perhaps even more than in Fathomfolk, because this new Tiankawi has different ramifications for Mira, Nami, and Cordelia, and it was really fascinating to see how that played out for each of them and how they grew and changed as characters.

New to the Mira and Nami's world? See where it all began in Fathomfolk!

Already familiar with the world and interested in knowing more about the sequel? Check out my full review!

[bookaddict24-7]

AUTHOR FEATURE:

﹒EMILY X.R. PAN﹒

TWO BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:

An Arrow to the Moon

The Astonishing Color of After

___

Happy reading!