Review by Booklist Review
Evie Mei Huang is in hell--literally. When her mother died 10 days ago, it rocked the family, but now, with help from a secret magical society, Evie Mei intends to bring her mother back from the underworld. Inspired by Chinese mythology, this Diyu, the realm of the dead, is no joke. Evie Mei and her companion outrun murderers, negotiate with animal-headed demons, and swim through pools of blood on their way down. But what initially seems like cathartic wish fulfillment (who among us hasn't wanted to find out that someone we loved isn't really gone?) eventually reveals itself to be a more-complex exploration of how Evie Mei finally faces her loss. A relatable Evie Mei candidly navigates questions about bereavement: how to be brave for her family, how to find meaning in senseless tragedy, and how to reconcile her love for her mother with their strained relationship. Lim's debut middle-grade fantasy will appeal to readers who appreciate a grim (and sometimes darkly comical) bureaucratic underworld and ask questions about how we learn to accept unavoidable grief.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Twelve-year-old Chinese American Evie Mei Huang traverses the netherworld searching for her mother in Lim's imaginative debut. Evie always disliked helping her mother operate her tailor shop. But now that her mother is presumed dead following a drowning accident, Evie doesn't know how to feel about the empty building. While alone in the establishment, Evie startles when a mischievous yaoguai resembling a monkey arrives. He tells Evie that her mother was the head of a magical guild and possessed the power to command the Spindle of Fate and, as her eldest child, Evie must now take up the mantle. He also claims that Evie's mother is in Diyu, the netherworld, and that if Evie wants her back, she must go there to save her. Accompanied by Chinese and Icelandic American Kevin Chengsson, the son of another guild member, Evie hones her magical and innate strengths and battles her way through Diyu, a multilayered maze of hellish obstacles--"There's a mountain covered with long swords and pits of excrement and flaming cattle"--populated by denizens intent on capturing her. Fast-paced action and dark humor combine with Chinese mythology to deliver an engrossing fantasy adventure about grief and healing. Ages 8--12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (June)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--8--Twelve-year-old Evie has never seen eye-to-eye with her hardworking, no-nonsense mother. She always hated helping in her mom's tailor shop and hearing the constant reminders that if Evie just worked harder, she could do better. Then her mom dies suddenly in a car accident, and Evie finds herself desperate for any remaining trace. When a talking monkey appears in the shop and tells Evie that her mom was the master of the mythical Spindle of Fate and is now trapped in Dìyù, the Chinese underworld, Evie goes on a quest with Kevin, the awkward son of another Guild member, to rescue her. This novel expertly weaves Chinese mythology with a story about grief. It is at its strongest when Evie is with her family and the other Guild members; it is weaker when Evie and Kevin are in Dìyù. Lim's take on the underworld is a fresh one: Dìyù, while full of the typical horrors, is also a bureaucratic hell of red tape and missing paperwork that adults may find relatable, and kids will find amusing. Overall, the book is at its most compelling when focusing on families, grief, and healing. Evie's journey will be one that builds empathy in readers, while having broad appeal with its fantasy and adventure plot. VERDICT A worthy addition to any library where readers are gobbling up fantasy, and more importantly, a poignant story about family grief and love.--Kristin Brynsvold
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
California 12-year-old Evie Mei Huang ventures into the depths of Dìyù, the Chinese netherworld, to save her mother and reunite her family. It's been 10 days since Evie's mother disappeared and was declared dead. The first time she returns to her family's tailor shop (just downstairs from their apartment), Evie encounters talking monkey Monk, who's really a yāoguài, or demon. He delivers a mysterious birthday gift containing a scroll with an embroidered message from her mother: "Help me…Find me in Dìyù." Evie soon discovers a whole world she knew nothing about: Not only was Mom a member of a secret society of magical weavers, but she was also "the master of the Spindle of Fate, which can change a person's destiny." Armed with the famed demon--repelling Staff of Mùlián and a magical spool of red thread to lead the way, Evie embarks on a treacherous, action-packed race to find her mother in the multilevel underground labyrinth that is Dìyù. Detailed and descriptive both in characterization and scene-setting, Lim's evocative language builds a fun modern fantasy that draws from Chinese mythology. She doesn't shy away from the macabre, with her tween protagonist swimming through a pool of blood, navigating knife-covered mountains, evading pursuit by desperate dead penitents, and fending off demons of various forms. This debut, which explores grief, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and family dynamics, also has a lot of heart. An enthralling adventure. (Fantasy. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
