18 likes2 stack adds
so-soMagical pencils that unlock memory? I was all in. Loved the family legacy, the historical Shanghai storyline, and the bond between Monica and her grandmother. But the romance subplot lost me—too quick a reconciliation after a betrayal that left a bad taste. Still, a creative debut that mixes historical fiction, speculative magic, and family drama in an original way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it.
#ABookADay2025
“Burning books is not the same as burning bodies, but when one intervenes...against mass destruction of churches and books one arrives just in time to prevent the burning of bodies.“ --Raphael Lemkin
so-soI am still working on the Booker longlist and was excited that this one was a shorter read. Little did I know it would take me the longest amount of time to read and honestly in the end the effort didn‘t seem worth it to me. It is not a bad book, it just didn‘t click with me.
so-soI loved the first third of this NBA longlister for Fiction in Translation.
Then it got VERY repetitive and long-winded.
The final third was more interesting but I‘d already guessed what was going to happen, although not the ultimate ending, so that lessened the impact a bit. That, and the fact that i5 was all rather depressing, kept this as a so-so..
pick
