Welcome to the Thousand Worlds

Dragon Pearl
The Thousand Worlds #1
By Yoon Ha Lee
Publisher: ‎Rick Riordan Presents; Illustrated edition (January 15, 2019)
Hardcover: ‎320 pages
ISBN-10: ‎136801335X
ISBN-13: ‎978-1368013352
Reading age: ‎8 - 12 years
Lexile measure: ‎780L
Grade level: ‎3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

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.

 My Thoughts:

This book was a lot of fun for me, as I was only vaguely familiar with Korean mythology. Lee has given us a look at his mythology and culture in a way that is very accessible for the target audience. It’s also a fun and occasionally nail-biting adventure.

 In order to find her brother and clear his name, Min finds herself getting deeper and deeper into deceiving those around her. She gets into a lot of scrapes. She makes some good friends, and feels bad that she does so while pretending to be someone else—and she does face consequences for her deception.

 While she does ultimately triumph in the end, the road to that resolution is a bumpy one, and not all in this story is a “happily ever after.”

 Secondary characters are all round, complex individuals. I especially enjoyed Min’s bunkmates.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Min basically runs away from home. Lots of lying and deception. Some violence, not graphic. No swearing, no romance. There are nonbinary characters who use they/them pronouns, and this is taken as a matter of course, nothing exceptional. Those who have strong ideas about gender might find this offensive. And, of course, mythology and magic may offend some readers.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like space, adventure, mythology, and learning about other cultures. Min is female, but the story is very accessible to both boys and girls.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing and ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 Tiger Honor
The Thousand Worlds #2
By Yoon Ha Lee
Publisher: ‎Rick Riordan Presents (January 4, 2022)
Hardcover: ‎256 pages
ISBN-10: ‎1368055540
ISBN-13: ‎978-1368055543
Reading age: ‎8 - 12 years
Grade level: ‎3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan, wants nothing more than to join the Thousand World Space Forces and, like their Uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday. But when Sebin's acceptance letter finally arrives, it's accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently the captain abandoned his duty to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero's name and restore honor to the clan.

Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and Yi's assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there's an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It's up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battle cruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that Min is the most dangerous foe of all...

My Thoughts:

This second tale from the Thousand Worlds gives us a young relative of the villain of the first book, trying to restore their family’s honor. Themes of loyalty to family are strong in this book, and Sebin has to figure out when loyalty to family has to be set aside. Sebin also is forced to confront prejudices—such as those against Foxes—in order to do what is right.

It was good to see Min return, and see that she is thriving, although not without challenges. But this story is Sebin’s and I might like it even more than the first book. Watching Sebin try so hard to do right by both family and the Space Forces, with all the challenges that entails, was enjoyable.

As with the first book, the secondary characters are all well-drawn. Again, Sebin’s fellow cadets are a varied and interesting group. Our protagonists are not superior to the other characters, just different, and they are able to recognize that each person has skills to bring to the table. I also enjoyed seeing the antagonist come to a realization about his behavior.

As with Min, Sebin’s resolution is not entirely tidy, but it is satisfying.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Some violence, not graphic. No swearing, no romance. Sebin and other characters are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns, and this is taken as a matter of course, nothing exceptional. Those who have strong ideas about gender might find this offensive. And, of course, mythology and magic may offend some readers.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like space, adventure, mythology, and learning about other cultures. Those who read the first book should enjoy seeing “what happened next.”

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing and ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.