#Asian authors

[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

[black-is-beautiful18]

And here we go again with the “I just can’t connect to Black characters 🥺” bs. Y’all don’t like Black ppl so that’s why you don’t like reading about us. No one cares if LegendBorn or Children of Blood and Bone are some of your favs, cuz what exactly is stopping you from finding books similar to them???? And then to say that Black authors should be more like Asian authors while also insinuating that we don’t have our own historical or cultural myths, especially when we exist on multiple continents and islands, is absolutely ludicrous. Not to mention that a statement like that feeds into racism and the fetishization of Asian ppl. Children of color are forced to see nothing but white ppl in every form of media all our lives and not once does not being able to connect to the characters stop us from enjoying that piece of media. You can empathize with dragons, elves, orcs, and witches easily. Anyone darker than dry glue however, needs to prove why you should read our stories and have sympathy for our characters. This is exactly why I don’t trust white readers regardless of if they read diversely or not cuz some of y’all don’t even read the books. You just get them for brownie points or judge them harshly cuz you still don’t see the characters as deserving of empathy.

[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!

[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.

[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

[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.

[bookcoversaroundtheworld]

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Brazil

[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!

[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!

[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

[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!

[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!!

[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.

[elliepassmore]

Brides of High Hill review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, novellas, queer characters, light horror

Empress of Salt and Fortune review

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain review

Into the Riverlands review

Mammoths at the Gates review

Big thanks to Netgalley, Tordotcom, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this volume of Cleric Chih's journey, they're accompanying a young woman and her family to the woman's wedding. While the bride-to-be is charming, her parents are more suspicious of Chih than anything, and the groom's household is filled with mystery.

As usual, the story opens with Chih traveling and being with people who have the potential of a story. In this case, Chih sticks with the young woman, Nhung, as she explores what is to likely be her new home. Chih does attempt to talk to the kitchen staff and other workers, but they all shun them for reasons unknown. I was definitely curious because it seemed to have something to do with Chih's proximity to the Phams (bride's family) but more about the Phams' position at the household than the family themselves.

Nhung was charming and vivacious, and I liked her eagerness. She also showed compassion to the groom's "mad" son when everyone else seemed more disgusted or willing to dismiss him. For all her liveliness, she's still young and worries about things in dark corners and the rafters.

Zhihao was an interesting character in this one. He was written off as "mad" by his father and the workers of the household, but Chih clues in immediately that the young man isn't mad but has something else going on. While he does come across as rather abrasive, I think he genuinely was trying to warn Chih and the others.

I'll say this, I knew something was up, not just with the groom's household (which was obvious) but with Chih, I just didn't know what. I'll also say that Chih made some decisions that I was questioning but which made sense once the whole picture had been revealed.

I think this novella is most similar to When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain since both novellas feature some light gore (I actually think there's more in Tiger than this one but similar ideas). I'd seen another review mention horror elements but I was still pleasantly surprised at the turn of events. It felt like it was going more in the direction of Rabbit's story (re: her lover) from Empress but then things took a turn and we got to meet some devourers of flesh.

Overall I really enjoyed this addition to the Singing Hills Cycle. All the characters are pretty likeable even when they don't appear they will be at first. I really liked how the story ramped up and the light horror elements that were added to the latter parts of the book. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of Chih and Almost Brilliant's adventures!

[meowsdesk]

current read: before the coffee gets cold ☕️

[edlboetie]

But someone's face against his--the insistence of another's lips and mouth upon his own--was an assertion of self he'd never been able to deny. Baoxiang kissed the Third Prince, and knew why his impulse had taken this particular form. It was the antithesis of rejection. It was the reciprocal creation of themselves as two people alive to each other, present to each other, each made real by the brush of another's personhood against his own.

- Shelley Parker-Chan, He Who Drowned the World