Fury of the Phoenix

Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon 2011 (ARC) Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins

Incredible Quote "I would fast for you, Li Chen Yong." Ai Ling pg. 310

*No spoilers for Silver Phoenix (well 1 tiny spoiler about relationships and a big one about a death) or Fury of the Phoenix are in this review*

Oh my goodness if you've read Silver Phoenix (and if not WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, GO!) then you understand the significance and awww factor that line has. And I rarely aw, especially not out loud, but that line made my heart melt a bit. But things aren't purely sweet for Ai Ling and Chen Yong. Chen Yong has decided to go search for his birth father, to do so he will need to set sail from Xia, heading for Jiang Dao. Ai Ling has a dream that Chen Yong will be in danger on the voyage so she decides to follow him by sneaking on board. Hopefully she won't be discovered until after the ship sets sail and hopefully she will be able to save Chen Yong. But it's Ai Ling who may end up needing to be saved as well.... There's less action in this book but still plenty of excitement leaping off the pages! Everything is described in meticulous detail from the food, clothes, Jiang Dao, the ship, and of course, the mythical creatures that terrorize Ai Ling and Chen Yong.

While I was both delighted and disturbed by the new creatures and fantasy elements we were introduced to (the Sea Shifters, learning more about reincarnation, etc) I was even more pleased by the character development. You all remember Zhong Ye, the villain from Silver Phoenix right? He was evil, eviillllll! Well not quite. I didn't think Cindy Pon could make me care about him, but to my complete astonishment (and I'm not exaggerating) Zhong Ye's story tugged at my heartstrings. While he starts off ambitious, he wasn't always power mad and there's a lot of talk about the sacrifices made by an eunuch. In a way the process of being an eunuch is like genital mutilation and rarely does anyone voluntarily go through that. So to think that Zhong Ye willing gave up such a delicate body part. *winces* I still don't like him but I understand how he was driven to do what he did in the previous book.

And for those who like some romance with their fantasy, be prepared because there is a A LOT of sexual tension and it's intense, smoldering. I was equally annoyed, happy, or heartbroken because of Ai Ling and Chen Yong not being able to pull themselves together. Everyone else can see that they need each other, they complement each other perfectly. Why can't they??? There's lots of teasing, stolen glances, misunderstanding and awkward moments (awkward for the characters, not the reader ;) There is also the romance between Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix and it actually borders on sweet, again, the author makes you start to care about Zhong Ye. There are a few new characters introduced in this book and they move the plot along, adding significant intrigue. *SPOILER: highlight to read* Not that I ever seriously though Chen Yong would marry Ah Na, but I did wonder if he would want to stay in Jiang Dao.*End of Spoiler* The afterlife is explored and I don't want to give much away but it's absolutely spellbinding and I wanted to stay in that afterworld for a little longer, to learn more about how it works (the Mirror of Retribution!)

Fury of the Phoenix is a seducing, irresistible tale. I loved this book even more than the first. The worldbuilding is just as wonderful as in the first, but we also get to see further character development and while in the first book I wanted more character interaction I felt thoroughly satisfied in this sequel. At first I was sad to leave the action-packed world of Xia behind, but it was a nice change of pace to slow down and really observe (and smile knowingly) at Ai Ling and Chen Yong's relationship. Life in Jiang Dao seemed slower in general and while Xia reminds me a bit of China (says the girl whose never been), Jiang Dao reminded me more of a Western European country (loosely based of course). The ending was satisfactory, although I did think that a certain relationship was a bit too perfect (not between Ai Ling and Chen Yong but another significant relationship). A discerning attention to detail, smooth transitions from present to past, fabulous wordbuilding and great, fully-realized characters.

And guess what? Cindy Pon is coming to Chicago on May 10th so I can get Fury of the Phoenix signed! YES

PS while I didn't know what the Chinese characters meant, I thought they were a lovely touch. Such a talented and well rounded author is Ms. Pon ;D

Half World

Half World by Hiromi Goto, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki 2010
Viking/Penguin Group

Melanie Tamaki is fourteen years old, an outsider at school and struggling to make ends meet with her mother. Melanie's mother clearly loves her, but she tends to forget to run errands and can't hold down a job, and she has trouble holding down a job. One day, Melanie comes home to find that her mother is missing. She has been kidnapped by the gruesome Mr. Glueskin and taken back to the Half World. Melanie must save her mother and so she makes the frightful journey into the Half World.

Melanie is chubby, dubbed a 'slow learner' in school, and so she is bullied. I never felt connected to Melanie though. I sympathised with her being made fun of, but that was about all I felt for her. Sympathy. We don't learn much about Melanie's life, all we know is that she is poor, picked on and loves to read. I wanted to learn more about her history. I also would have liked to know where her story took place in the real world (my guess would be Canada just because that's where the author lives but I'm not sure). Melanie seemed rather immature too, maybe it's just me thinking I was oh-so-mature when I was fourteen. I also NEEDED more story about her parents and the other secondary characters Melanie runs into. I realize that Melanie didn't really have time to learn the life story of all the people she met but I wished we had gotten a better glimpse of all the characters. Perhaps a prequel is needed? Or a sequel? I would read it! I could take or leave the illustrations. They were nice, but they didn't contribute a great deal to the story. However I loved that the illustrator never drew the creatures of the Half World that were described in such vivid and stomach-churning detail (keep in my mind, I get scared easily so this was good for me). This allowed the reader to imagine the characters and I think that works better for this novel, the creatures are YOUR worst nightmares.

I did admire Melanie's soft power. Melanie is brave because she has to be, but like any teenager, she's utterly terrified of Mr. Glueskin and fears for the safety of her mom. Yet Melanie doesn't make any grand heroic gestures, she pauses and really weighs the consequences. She resists doing what she knows she needs to do. She's SCARED and that's normal and did make her a bit easier to relate to. Another favorite quote of mine that shows her power: "How much can a person bear? she thought hollowly.
The silence of the entire penthouse floor was profound. Only the steady beating of her foolish heart.
As much as she had to, Melanie thought grimly." (pg.121) In order to enter the Half World, an unpleasant task is required (and it's rather random, I wonder if the particular body part is meant to symbolize something?). The Half World is the place where mortals go after dying, it's a sort of dream world. In the Half World, mortals must relieve their greatest trauma they experienced while living (also known as the Realm of Flesh) until they are able to resolve the issue. It reminded me a bit of Purgatory. There are three worlds: the Realm of Flesh, the Half World and the Realm of Spirit (which is like Heaven in my mind). I was reminded of a recent post at The Enchanted Inkpot called Lost in Translation which talks about how symbols used in fantasy in the West can mean different things than in the East. For example, in Half World, I think crows are meant to be a good omen, but in Western culture, crows are a bad omen. I did some research and found that crows in Japan are thought to be a sign of the gods and thus are held in high regard.

Half World is a splendid book. The world building is excellent, the characters and scenes described are grotesque and yet completely enthralling. The action is fast-paced and Melanie is not the typical heroine who can do anything and has mysterious magical powers. She's mostly normal and her feelings of terror at being in the Half World and facing the dreadful Mr. Glueskin (and his glue-y tongue, yuck!) are ones that I could relate to as a teenager. While I think there is a lack of character development and back story, I'm ecstatic that I can confidently recommend a YA fantasy with a multicultural cast (or just a great fantasy read) and strong females who are not the typical 'warrior'. In fact, most of the women in this book are fierce but they would be considered fragile, their power appears almost out-of necessity, the adrenaline kicks in and then they harness this new found strength. Also, I think it's a bonus that this book has no hint of romance, instead it focuses on a strong mother-daughter bond and that is absolutely refreshing. Melanie starts out too dependent on her mother and she becomes more independent and at the same time her bond with her mother is strengthened.

This review originally ran at Reading in Color.

Read our interview with the author

The Latte Rebellion

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson 2011
Flux

Incredible Quote "'Because you're brown and they can't tell what you are.' Miranda picked at her cheese sandwich. 'You know, this is why the Latte Rebellion is a good thing. It'll open people's eyes. I mean, it's not like we just automatically identify with whichever group we look the most like.'
'Yeah.' I [Asha] nodded. 'Not to mention, ethnicity isn't anybody's whole anyway.'" pg. 158

Asha and Carey would love to have a best friend post-graduation trip to London. In order to raise the money, they decide to sell t-shirts that praise being mixed-race (or bicultural, what have you), they dub it the 'Latte Rebellion.' The girls expected to make some money, but they didn't expect people to actually get excited about their cause and turn it into a nationwide student social movement. Asha is both apprehensive and excited about this, but the Latte Rebellion is starting to mess with Asha's life. Her grades start slipping and she and Carey are fighting more and more. Before she can say 'latte', the peaceful Latte Rebellion turns violent and charges of terrorism are being thrown around. Does Asha believe in the Latte Rebellion enough to disprove the charges and fight to keep the group alive?

I don't usually mind slow starts in contemporary novels and this one was no exception. I liked getting the backstory and feeling completely immersed in Asha's world, I was satisfied with the little everyday details. I would warn you though that it takes awhile for the actual rebellion to start but stick with the book. I was a bit peeved at how some characters emerged for a chapter and then faded away, only to be called again a few chapters later. Thad and Bridget were both brought into the story but then they just disappear, Asha doesn't give them another thought. The biggest problem to me were the awkward transitions. Just when a chapter was starting to get really good, the story would stick to the present where Asha was in the middle of a school board hearing on her possible expulsion (her school viewed the Latte Rebellion as a terrorist group). Then just when the hearing started to get interesting, the story would change to the past events leading up to the hearing. Sometimes it seemed like the hearing was rushed, for example, I almost missed the decision the school board made because it was rushed over.

The most fascinating point to me was that Asha (half-Indian, a quarter Mexican and a quarter Irish) and Carey (half Chinese, half European) resent being forced to pick a side or idenitfy with what they are the most. I admit I'm guilty of thinking that way. I'm bicultural but I've definitely thought at times that if you if have more than three different cultural backgrounds, you can list them all but if you join a club, join them all or pick the one you identify most with. I get ticked when people do the whole '10% Irish, 10% Scottish, 15% Swedish, 2 % Cherokee' etc. Just pick your top two! However this book showed me that it's not that simple. I shared Asha, Carey and Thad's frustration at the lack of understanding/options for multicultural people. Just today I was registering for the SAT and I could only pick one race or chose to be 'other.' I ended up selecting Black but I was peeved that there wasn't a way for me to pick Black AND Latina. Real-life moment right there. I love that Asha starts The Latte Rebellion for purely selfish reasons. She wants to travel and needs the money so why not open a business that would appeal to certain people? That's what entrepreneurs do all the time and I thought it made the book even more fun. Asha starts off self-absorbed and a bit clueless but that makes the end result even better. I also really liked that the book showed why the term 'latte' is so appropriate for multicultural/multiracial people and that the school thought of the group as a terrorist movement. As if. Gotta love school bureaucracy.

*Please be warned the next paragraph will contain some lame coffee puns/jokes*

The Latte Rebellion is filled to the brim with coffee for thought ranging from how multicultural people are viewed in the world (should we have to choose what culture we identify the most with, how do we do that?), prejudice (Asha is called a 'towel head'. Wow), race and the college process (and it was nice to read a book about a senior who is stressing out about college because the process sounds SCARY people) and friendships drifting apart. We aren't meant to be best friends with the same people all our lives. It's nice if that happens but it's a rarity. I loved Miranda (fight the power!) and even though I didn't see much of him, I was a big fan of Thad. But then again, I'm a complete sucker for a guy who has a sense of humor and yet still wants to save the world (and manage to make enough to get by). The rough transitions and disappearing characters made this book a bit hard to swallow but there is a great balance between hilarity and seriousness that brings out the sweet flavor. The parents have a role and they aren't a complete caricature of overbearing-must-get-good-grades kind of parents. I sipped a vanilla latte while reading this book. It was my first latte and while I'm not a fan, I've been told to try chai lattes and a gingerbread latte. So we shall see if I become a latte fan. I applaud the author for keeping up the latte metaphor throughout the whole book, it could be a bit silly at times but who doesn't like a little silliness? A stirring novel. Oh and I love the cover, the symbol of the Latte Rebellion in the coffee (which is a coffee cup with steam rising to to from the shape of a hammer and sickle) along with the coffee rings, napkins and a cartoon drawing are perfect for the cover.

Disclosure: Booouuugghhhttt

PS Doret and I want T-shirts that say "Ask not what Brown can do for you. Ask what you can do for Brown." (this slogan could also apply to Brown University which makes it rock even more) <3
PPSS I'm buying a mug. You can also buy a shirt. $1 of each purchase goes to Reading is Fundamental. Social justice for the win. You're welcome

Women Writers of Color: Cindy Pon

Full name: cindy pon

Birth date: august 29

Location: taipei, taiwan

Website/blog: cindypon.com

Genre: young adult fantasy

WiP or most recently published work: Fury of the Phoenix, the sequel to Silver Phoenix.

Writing credits: Silver Phoenix was my debut novel.

How frequently do you update your site? once or twice a week i'll post on my blog.

Is your site designed for reader interaction? yes! i love blog comments as well as emails from readers.
Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:

http://cindypon.com/2008/when-they-were-young/

i recently thought about my maternal grandmother. i dedicated Silver Phoenix
to her and my grandfather. i share some fotos and thoughts about them in this
post.

Top 5 reads you’re looking forward to reading in 2010 (or have already read)?

i really loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Demon's Covenant, Clockwork Angel, Tipping the Velvet and Unwind. all read this year.

100 words or less how would you describe your work?

Chinese inspired fantasy that may read epic at times but really grounded in very personal journeys about growth, friendship, family, love, choices and change. there are demons, cute boys, and food. =)

You are unafraid to write about sexuality in Silver Phoenix. Were you nervous about writing those scenes and seeing how people would respond?

not really. i wrote what i felt was appropriate for my story and the culture i created. when a society's expectation of a girl is for her to make babies, there's no tip toeing around that fact. i think it has made some readers uncomfortable, how forthright i am with that aspect of the storytelling. but i think i remain true to to it--and perhaps, being made uncomfortable isn't such a bad thing. this was a reality for many girls in societies and cultures of the past, even today.

You were recently the subject of a cover controversy. How do you propose we bring more attention to books about PoC so that publishers don't feel the need to whitewash the book in order to support the author and so that bookstores are more receptive to selling them?

The truth of the matter is, publishing is a business and money does need to be made. i think when we see a young adult novel featuring a main protagonist of color gain commercial success, we'll be taking strides in the right direction.

I've always said that The Story is the most important thing to me. after all, it's what i poured my heart and soul into. i understand readers being upset over the cover change, because it was symbolic in many ways. there simply isn't anything like Silver Phoenix on the young adult shelves right now. but if the cover change is necessary to give the book a second life in bookstores, of course i'll support it. is the situation ideal? no. but again, until we have that breakout novel...

the very fact that Silver Phoenix is out there amazes me. i did not have a book like that while growing up.

what can readers do to help? buy the novels!! i realize not everyone can afford to buy hardback covers of novels or perhaps, even paperback. but you can certainly help
PoC stories in other ways :

1. request it at your local library.

2. blog about it. talk about it on twitter, fb. almost everyone agrees that word of mouth still carries A LOT of weight when it comes to a novel's success--especially for debut authors who may not be very well known or carried widely in bookstores.

3. review it (this goes with blogging about it).

4. talk about it with your friends!

5. suggest reading the novel for a book club. if participants can't afford to buy, share the novel. or request through the library. i actually had so much fun doing local library teen book club visits.

6. email the author if you've read her/his story and enjoyed it. i can't
tell you how heartened i've been to hear from readers who really connected with my novel. it's why i wrote it in the first place--to be read by others. it takes a lot of courage to write what you love--and hearing from fans is always a courageous reminder for me.

i'm really a believer in being active through positive action.

thanks so much for having me, ari! i really enjoyed this interview
and thanks for all your support of Silver Phoenix.

Thank you for the interview Cindy! I can not recommend Silver Phoenix enough. It is so very unique. Ai Ling is a fighter while still trying to remain true to the time period she lives in. She can be shy, but she is passionate, committed and brave. Plus she loves to eat and the food descriptions are divine!

Furthermore, even if you are angry at the whitewashing of Cindy's covers, don't refuse to buy the book. Email/write to the publishers and bookstore chains decrying the whitewashing of covers. But the fact of the matter is, the publisher is sticking with Cindy and I, personally, appreciate that. I would be highly upset if I never got to read the sequel to Silver Phoenix.

PS The above is a postcard that you could win later on in a swag giveaway! It's a postcard of Silver Phoenix and a new character, Zhong Ye. It's so pretty :)

The History of the West Wing: Visiting 8th Century China

The History of the West Wing
Sun Jiayu and Guo Guo
Yen Press
2009
Reviewer: Ana

The History of the West Wing is a graphic novel based on a traditional Chinese story of the same title. It closely retells a play by thirteenth century dramatist Wang Shifu, which was in its turn based on a ninth century story by Yuan Zhen.

It’s the story of a romance between a young wanderer and the daughter of a government official. Their love is initially forbidden because the young woman, Pianpian, is engaged to another man. But it’s easy to tell from the very beginning that the two will end up together after all. So yes, the plot is simple and more than a little predictable, but there’s a reason why The History of the West Wing is still a charming and very satisfying book: Guo Guo’s stunning art.

The setting and cultural details were what interested me the most about this book, and the artwork conveys them perfectly: the interior of buildings, the scenery, the character’s wardrobes, and even their mannerisms, the way they move, and what this implies in terms of social structure and power dynamics – this regardless of the fact that we never actually see them move. But Guo Guo’s art brings eighth century China to life so beautifully that we almost believe we do.

Because the story is not only set in the eighth century, but also originally from around that period, I was expecting to do some major eye-rolling when it came to gender roles. However, things weren’t quite as bad as I feared: Pianpian doesn’t do much, but she’s not helpless either. Furthermore, and much to my satisfaction, the romance was actually believable.

There was a beautiful scene early in the story that made it more than the tale of a man who sees a beautiful woman and decides that he has to have her: we see Pianpian and Yuqing, the hero, sitting and talking together while taking shelter from a rainstorm The scene is completely wordless, but it conveys so much: the art shows them talking and laughing; we get the sense that quite a few hours have passed in this manner, and we see changes in the way they look at each other. Guo Guo’s beautiful drawings convey this better than I could possibly explain. This one little scene makes the story rise above yet another tale of star-crossed lovers who have never exchanged two words – a kind of tale of which I’ve never been a fan.

Still, I wouldn’t advise going into The History of the West Wing expecting something highly emotional or very complex, one of the reasons being the fact that this is such a short book. But if you’d like a glimpse into another time and place as well as some eye candy, then by all means read this.
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Ana is a twenty-something reader, recent graduate and future librarian from Portugal. Read more of Ana's reviews at things mean a lot.