Pros:

World building and characters

Historical perspective

Well-written, captivating storytelling (especially as an audiobook)

Learned about Malay culture and folklore

Cons:

How some of the plot points were “solved”

Lagging at times during second half particularly in the spirit realm

Ending felt very quick, feel like more could’ve been done with it

Overall I loved learning about the history, language, and culture of Malay! Wonderful historical fantasy novel that was good but not great-there wasn’t a “wow” factor for me. I enjoy learning about other cultures and beliefs so I’m happy to have read the book but it won’t be memorable unfortunately. Maybe because I’m not a big fantasy reader that “took away” from my experience compared to other readers?

Picked up this book from a blind pick at the library, and the description had me intrigued but not particularly interested. Reading it, however, I was captivated. I love the world Choo has built by mixing the real worl with folk lore and some of her own spin. It was sweet and sometimes surprising. I genuinely enjoyed the experience.