Language: R (10 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Jolie has always known that her grandfather was special among the Vietnamese seers in her close knit community. Ever since the bizarre incident at a swim meet a year ago, however, Jolie has been ostracized by her best friends and the larger school community. When she saves the life of Huong, the school It girl, however, things start to look up. Huong reveals to Jolie that her grandfather’s powers are directly related to Jolie’s incident - that the two girls are actually reincarnated Vietnamese dragon goddesses and that this is their chance to reclaim their powers and save the world from their scheming brothers, who have continued to kill them through the ages.
Bear with me - I know the summary sounds a bit bizarre, but Phan has done a terrific job of unfolding the story bit by bit and never letting us know more than Jolie does. Phan weaves the story in a way that keeps you reading - especially as deeper forces are at play in several different ways. It is refreshing to have a book about a cultural history and mythology that doesn’t rely on love triangles to further the story. I found this article that shows the history of the sisters.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
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