It's a pretty cool book about Min as a fox and traveling to the space forces in search of her brother. I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's pretty good!
Dragon Pearl
By Yoon Ha Lee
Rick Riordan Presents Yoon Ha Lee's space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min's mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.
Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She's counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min's quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination.
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
ISBN-13: 9781368014748
ISBN-10: 1368014747
Published on 1/14/2020
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 320
Book Reviews (7)
This was a cool sci-fi book with a background of Korean mythology. I really liked it, except I think the plot moved along rather slowly. I takes place in space, which means it's definitely an awesome book. I mean who doesn't like space? The main character, Min, is a fox spirit, which means she can shape shift. But.......her and her family have to keep their heritage secret because everyone thinks foxes are untrustworthy. They have to stay in their special human form all the time so that people don't get the wrong idea. They live on a planet that had a bad job of terraforming (making a planet livable) and they have to wear masks so they don't breath in the toxic dust. Min's older brother joined the Space Forces a few years ago, and Min is set on following the same path so she can visit different planets besides the one she is stuck on right now. One day, an investigator came to their house to inform Min and her family that Min's brother was a deserter. Min is certain that her brother would never do such a thing and the details just aren't lining up. So Min decides to do some investigating of her own. This did take a pretty long time for me to read, but it was a great book overall and I would recommend it to all middle schoolers who are interested in sci-fi books.
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I think it is the worst game ever and it has a nice atmosphere
*NO CRITICAL SPOILERS* (Entirely subjective) Dragon Pearl is about a fantasy world taking place in space. And yes, I picked it up because it said, "Rick Riordan Presents" on the cover. In this world, humans coexist with "supernaturals" in space and the summary above pretty much gives the rest of the synopsis. A critical review: Kim Min is the protagonist of the book. As far as characters go, she's one of the most interesting in the whole book. The idea of a supernatural fox-pseudo human going to space to save her brother while is such an enticing premise that is fully realized in this book. She possesses many shades of grey that make the reader question her moral values and the decisions she makes, going so far as to have them decide whether she can even be considered a good character in the first place. She is determined, rebellious, and willing to do anything, even abuse her shapeshifting abilities to pose as another individual. She deceives her closest friends and infiltrates a private room to find information about where her brother (the main motive) has gone. The reader's choice to decide whether or not she can be forgiven gives the book a more immersive feel to it and makes her character more relatable. The most interesting thing about her is her grey shades that leave the reader One of the book's biggest strengths is its worldbuilding elements. The world itself is full of supernatural creatures and is so fully realized it feels almost real. Part of the reason for this is the fact that it's able to reflect real-world prejudices in a realistic manner that mirrors prejudices of our own. In this book, fox species are frowned upon as deceptive and cunning, and while it's a nice nod to Zootopia (ha), it manages to be different from that with its sci-fi theming and setting that takes place in the confines of a military-like spaceship. The Korean mythology that is implemented in this futuristic setting feels so incredibly creative and mind-blowing at times, as the parallels between the legends and the events of the book are so cleverly executed. However, there are some serious criticisms that I feel should be addressed about this book. The book seems to drag on and on forever and is riddled with poor pacing. Lots of patience is needed to go through this book as the "high-octane thrills" that are promised on the cover only come occasionally. This is likely due to the setting, which is restricted within the spaceship. Although Kim Min has lots of drive behind her, the rate at which the goals themselves are accomplished sometimes happens at a staggeringly slow pace. The characters spend lots of their time expressing their opinions on previous events in the book or spend a long time contemplating what to do. And when the destination is finally reached, it doesn't feel fulfilling. The brother Kim spends so many pages looking for is actually in the book for only twenty pages/ The first and last act of the book is where it truly manages to shine as that's where it feels most appropriately paced. Some side plots also unnecessarily intrude in the main story. Kim's two best friends, Haneul and Sujin, are not expanded to their full potential and while they start off strong, get less and less developed as the book drags on. The villain also feels one-dimensional at times, with the generic "I'll take over the world using this epic powerful item" trope. Even Jun, Kim's brother, struggles as a character with the same problems and lack of a proper arc. Jang, the ghost out for revenge, is the only other character that actually feels fleshed out enough. Overall, this book is good. That much is true. It has a fully-realized world and protagonist that is hindered by poor pacing and side characters. But hey. That's just my opinion. If you're patient, go enough and read it. 3/5.
Reaction:WOW.......Just Just..wow.So thrilling and cool.A tiger captain who hides his real intentions!! Very cool. :)
This book is a thrilling read, full of ghosts, dragons, goblins... and foxes. Kim Min, the crafty young fox spirit, pursues a sole mission-- to find her older brother Jun, who went missing during his service in the Space Forces. Little does she know that she'll find much more than a mysteriously absent fox cadet. Among her discoveries are two friends who believe Min is their dead comrade, Jang; the dead comrade himself, in his new ghostly form; a tiger captain who hides his true intentions, and who might have something to do with Jun's disappearance; a pearl that, if in the wrong hands, can change entire worlds, and... Ah, but I'm not going to tell you the entire story! Go read it yourself and find out! You won't regret it. Trust me.
Dragon pearl was an amazing book not only did I get the book when it first hit the bookstores but I got to meet the author. Which was amazing Yoon ha lee is an amazing author. I love to read mythology and this is all about Koran mythology. This book is basically mythology mixed with star wars it was amazing. Highly recommend.