Review by Booklist Review
They say if you write your troubles in a letter and send it to a certain address, you might be chosen and given a chance to change your life. Serin, poor and without many prospects, writes her letter without much hope, but to her surprise, she is selected to visit the Rainfall Market and choose a magical, new life. With her new companion, Issha, a cat spirit, and the Dokkaebi, the strange creatures who inhabit the Rainfall Market, to help her, she now has just one week to decide what future she wants. But the futures she thinks she wants turn out to be not so nice after all, and there may be a mysterious force working against her. With all the fantastical magic of a Studio Ghibli film, the world You YeongGwang creates in this short and moving novel will enchant readers. This is a perfect story to share with the whole family. For fans of Diana Wynne Jones or anyone who loves fables and fairy tales.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Yeoung-Gwang's sweet but uneventful debut introduces schoolgirl Serin, who wins a "Golden Ticket" to a marketplace of dreams by writing an essay describing her misfortunes. There's no need for her to embellish; Serin's father died when she was too young to remember him, her house burned down, she lives with her mother in a dank "semi-basement" apartment, and, last year, her little sister ran away and has not returned. In response to her essay, she's invited to the market at the start of the next rainy season, where she can trade her misfortunes for "a happier story in our stock." The market is run by Dokkaebi, goblin-like creatures from Korean folklore, among them Toriya, a gentle giant who loves to pick flowers despite a phobia of insects, and Mata, who owns a bookstore. Serin's quasi-adventures include getting a haircut and visiting the shops and food stalls accompanied by Issha, a cat with a ravenous appetite and a keen sense of where to find the best bargain. The tale meanders with little sense of forward momentum as Serin considers her options for a better life. The result is a cute but predictable fairy tale that feels better suited for a younger audience. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Serin is lonely, depressed, and desperate. Her only chance at a fresh start is to win a ticket to the magical and remote Rainfall Market, where she can trade her predetermined misery for a fresh start. Winning that ticket takes Serin on a journey to a place where magical creatures buy misery and sell hope--or so it seems. With the help of a feline spirit guide, Serin samples all that the market has to offer and makes friends along the way, only to discover that what the market wants from her is not just her terrible past but also any possibility of a future. This mix of cozy fantasy and magical realism plays on all the tales of mysterious night markets and tricky fae creatures who promise fabulous things in return for a price that is much too high to pay. VERDICT A delightful story of friendship, found family, and the knowledge that happiness may merely require a change in perspective. Fans of cozy magical realism, such as The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee and Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, will love this.--Marlene Harris
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