There are three reasons why I added this book to my most anticipated reads of this year:
1. THAT gorgeous cover
2. If you take a look at my recent and previous posts, I've developed an adoration for retellings in YA; it's obvious that I could never turn down works inspired from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
3. Asian lore and fantasy ✨😌
If there's anything that sustains a page-turning plot in a retelling of a myth or tale, it's the metaphors and foreshadowings sprawled across the narrative, and how well the author weaves all of these to build up the conclusion. Emily XR Pan does it so well in An Arrow to the Moon. More than just the forbidden romance between its main characters, Pan engages the reader with her lyrical writing --- keeping the story's metaphors scattered in plain sight while wrapping them up in mystery before beginning a new chapter in a different character perspective.
It's evocative, heartbreaking, and bittersweet in ways that will leave you soaking up the last few pages with tears (that's what happened to me anyway lol). Though the end seemed a bit rushed and abrupt for me, it doesn't diminish the essence, magic, and themes of the story.
All in all, this was a 4-star read for me. Kudos to Emily!
Thank you to Hachette Kids and Hannah for the complimentary copy, and for inviting me to join this social tour to celebrate the release of An Arrow to the Moon!
For more reviews, check out my fellow book bloggers and their tour stop dates:
Comments