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Solid middle grade fantasy/adventure.
This was a fun middle grade adventure and coming of age story set in a Thai inspired fantasy setting. The adventure consists of seafaring and exploring distant places with dashes of fantasy through sea dragons. I enjoyed the strong female characters and the theme of earning your place over inheriting it. Though the characters deal with conflict and danger, it all works out perfectly in the end.
#audiobook #MiddleGrade
I enjoyed this enough to read it all in one sitting. I liked Sai and seeing her come to love herself as she is was great. There was even a bit of a twist that kept the story from being too predictable.
Danger and dragons…but there is more to this story. Morally complex characters, atmosphere galore, and a well-paced plot make this one a keeper. I do wish a few more strings had been tied up at the end.
Twelve year old Sai is an assistant to a famous mapmaker, but when she learns about a ship that will explore the southern seas, she takes the opportunity. What she doesn‘t know is that the ship plans to enter the Sunderlands, land of dragons, dangers, and riches untold—she must weigh the cost of her dreams…
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This Thai-inspired historical fantasy follows a conman's daughter who lies to become the apprentice to the empire's mapmaker. When Sai joins him on a voyage to discover the fabled dragon-infested Sunderlands, Sai discovers she's not the only one with a secret and the empire's "discoveries" may not be all that groundbreaking after all...Highly recommended for anyone interested in STEM or sea voyages, mythical creatures or criticisms of colonialism!
A middle grade fantasy inspired by Thai culture and with an adventurous, smart 12-year-old girl protagonist. One of this novel‘s many strengths is that it introduces an ethical dilemma inherent in exploration and mapping: creating a route for unsustainable resource extraction. Consider this propulsive audiobook for your next family car trip.
Author also wrote the award-winning All Thirteen (about the cave rescue of the Thai boys soccer team).
What I‘ve been reading lately:
Saturday Reads June 25
https://youtu.be/TFDPTmi81cM
#CanLit #audiobooks #humour #LGBTQ #weird