Min is a young fox spirit living on a planet that has very limited resources. This means she is growing up relatively poor. When her brother is accused of abandoning his position in the galactic fleet, Min runs away to save her family from her rash actions and to find out what really happened to her beloved brother.

Min makes mistakes, she discovers things about herself and the choices she makes and adjusts to become the person she really wants to be.

Yoon Ha Lee writes a compelling tale of space travel and teenage self discover as Min struggles to find and save her brother. I was invested in the outcome and Min's misadventures. Some of her decision making was cringe worth but relative to a young teen lying her way across her universe. 3.5 stars

I received this ARC copy of Dragon Pearl from Disney Book Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. Dragon Pearl is set for publication Jan. 15, 2019.

My Rating: 3.5 stars
Written by: Yoon Ha Le
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Series: Rick Riordan Presents
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Publication Date: January 15, 2019
ISBN-10: 136801335X
ISBN-13: 978-1368013352
Genre: Space Opera | Scifi | Fantasy | Teen

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Pearl-Y...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drag...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drag...

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Loved the Korean mythology as I’ve loved the other mythologies in Rick Riordan Presents books. This story had a lot of great stuff going on—fox prejudice, gender neutral characters, ghosts, estranged family members who turn out to be unprincipled tricksters. It did feel slightly too long to me, but I don’t imagine kids will mind.

When I read the synopsis for Dragon Pearl, I was immediately intrigued. This book seemed to be right up my alley. Sadly, this book didn’t measure up to my expectations. I never felt connected or invested in the story. I felt as if I was only going through the motions while reading this book. I was never dying to know what would happen next.


My biggest complaint is the slow pace. There isn't much action and a lot of the scenes don't seem to be important to the overall plot. The story didn’t catch my attention until around the 80% marker, and by then it was too late.

Honestly, I don’t think this book and the writing style were for me. They didn’t do anything for me personally, but that doesn’t mean it will be the same for you. I encourage everyone to give this book a try. Despite complaints, I do think this series has potential. I plan on checking out the sequel to see where Min’s journey takes her next.

Another wonderful winner from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint!

13-year-old fox spirit Min can't wait until she's old enough to follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and leave behind her dusty planet and explore the Thousand Worlds. But when an investigator arrives at her house saying that Jun deserted, Min knows that there is more to the story and she will not stop until she finds her brother and the truth. Using her shapeshifting abilities and Charm, she embarks on an adventure of epic proportions.

Dragon Pearl is very different from the other stories within this imprint that have been published so far, which really makes Min's story stand out. The magic is almost more real and vivid because of the setting, and even though Min is essentially the definition of anti-hero you can't help but root for her and sit on the edge of your seat, waiting to see if she can Charm her way out of the new mess she has gotten herself in.

An amazing story, and I can't wait to see if Yoon Ha Lee will add more titles featuring this universe and folklore.

I think part of my issue with this book was that it couldn’t decide between being a science fiction or a fantasy story. I really liked the Korean mythology aspect of the story, the different supernatural creatures that Min encounters were really interesting, but then the space part of the story would just sort of come to the forefront and the mythology disappeared. The two parts just never meshed well together for me.

Min is a likable character, although she does read much older than her 13 years. Her ability to shape shift was very interesting and her ability to charm people worked to her advantage most of the time. I thought it was interesting that with all of the abilities that the fox spirits were not well thought of, but were viewed as untrustworthy and were often persecuted. A little bit more of the background on the animal spirits would have been helpful.

There were some secondary characters that I really liked, namely Haneul and Sujin, two cadets Min befriends on the space cruiser she eventually finds herself on. Haneul was a dragon who could control the weather and Sujin was a goblin who could conjure up food and drink when they needed it. They were helpful to Min and at times made the story more interesting.

This was a plot driven story, more than character driven. None of the characters developed or grew much. The plot was well done, but like I mentioned before, the space and mythology aspects just didn’t mesh well for me. There were also some times when the action slowed down too much. The writing also went from really good to just okay, so like I said I wonder if more editing was being done before publication.

Overall, I think this was a good story that kids will like. That cover will certainly having them flocking to check it out!

I read and loved Yoon Ha Lee's Machineries of Empire trilogy (and associated short stories) and I've enjoyed both of the other books that have come out under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. I knew I needed to read Dragon Pearl from my love of those alone. Even with high expectations, Dragon Pearl did not disappoint me at all.

[su_quote style="modern-orange" cite="Goodreads" url=”GOODREADS LINK TO YOUR BOOK"]

Rick Riordan Presents Yoon Ha Lee’s space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you’d never know it by looking at her.

To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times. Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.

When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.

Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.

This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination. (Goodreads) [/su_quote]

I received an eARC of Dragon Pearl via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dragon Pearl is a gem of a middle grade novel.  If you have a kid in your life who loves science fiction, this is definitely going to be up their alley. It's got ghosts, space travel, pirates, supernatural creatures and a healthy dose of fun.

Lee is fantastic at building worlds and societies that feel absolutely real to you, even when they're entirely outside of your realm of experience.  I never felt like I was having information dumped on me, but I still got a full view of the worlds that Min traveled to.

Dragon Pearl needs trigger warnings for death of a family member, gaslighting, running away from home, gambling, spiked drinks, magical manipulation, threat of execution, and malevolent ghosts.

I personally loved the way that Lee worked the dragons and goblins into this story as fellow soldiers. I felt like I was always getting to know the characters, which I loved, even when they betrayed Min. The Korean mythology truly was the foundation of all of the worlds and characters we got to meet, and I can't wait to see how Lee expands on that in future novels.

I loved this story, and don't want to spoil anything. Dragon Pearl will keep even the most avid of readers on the edge of their seat for the entire novel. I will definitely be pre-ordering future books in this series to make sure that I don't miss out on any of Min's adventures in the future. I recommend you order yourself a copy right now from Amazon or Indiebound!

[su_box title="ABOUT DRAGON PEARL" style="default" box_color="#ff4400" title_color="#f2f2f2" radius="3" class=""]

Title: Dragon Pearl

Author:  Yoon Ha Lee

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Length: 304 Pages

Release Date: January 15, 2018

Rating: Recommended

Genre: Middle Grade Science Fiction

Representation: Korean main character, Korean-American Author

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I have been looking forward to following up Riordan's work with his new Hyperion-Disney imprint. I admire the commitment to promoting mythology-based books for middle grade readers. This is an exciting mix of Korean mythology and science fiction. We have a definite need for this genre, at this age level. Most of the sci-fi available when I went to school was above me (content-wise and usually comprehension too), so I am grateful for initiatives like this for making this genre more accessible to younger audiences.
13 year-old fox spirit, Min runs away from her home planet to get to the bottom of her brother's disappearance/desertion from the Space Forces. I love a story that gives you the feeling things aren't quite what they seem.... Min knows her brother, and she knows there is no way he would leave his post to pursue the dangerous powers of the Dragon Pearl. As a shape-shifter, she is capable of charming her way to different worlds to uncover the truth. Excellent pacing, lots of action, pirates and vengeful ghosts will keep you turning pages. I just wish this was part of a series! Kids will love Min, mischievously lovable... just like Riordan's protagonists.

The mythology was so cool in this book! I would love to be able to shape shift, that is such a cool power to have. However to grow up and not be able to use such a cool power would be horrendous. I completely understand why Min leaves to save her brother and winds up on a epic adventure in the process. A great book about friendship, family and adventure.

This is another Rick Riordan imprint. This book takes place in the Thousand Worlds - outerspace worlds with terraforming, star gates, and space cadets. Min is shocked when officials come looking for information about her brother. They say he has deserted and that it has something to do with the missing Dragon Pearl - a powerful ord that helps to terraform planets. Min decides to go searching for her brother using her fox ability to shapeshift and charm. But can she find her brother to clear his name and find the Pearl before it gets into the wrong hands? This was a clever sci fi adventure. I though it lagged a bit in the middle but good overall.

Just when you'd think you have read enough mythology stories, think again. This Rick Riordian presents book is a wild ride. Never would I think that I would read a story that combines space and pirates and even ghosts with mythology and yearn for more but this book made me a believer. Give this one a try. You wont regret it.

3.5 but I’m having a hard time reviewing this one because there were parts I really liked and get sucked into and parts that fell flat and dragged for me.. I did almost stop this one for a bit in the early stages. For one, the world building shifted from being engrossing to too vague and needing of some fleshing out. The biggest struggle for me was the characters, though. I know this is fantasy but I still expect a believable choice/ quest.. the entire premise of the book felt forced to me and I didn’t feel convinced by the choices the main character made with ease or the reasoning behind a lot of those choices.

I enjoyed the similar age friends Min, the main character made— the dragon and a goblin were both cool and interesting, the Korean mythology (!!!), of course adventure in space, the matter of factness with gender fluidity, and the ghosts.

I think maybe I shouldn’t have read this after Sal and Gabi because that one has been the best one of this new fleet of Rick Riordan presents books to me yet.

I can definitely see a book two for this one though and the world is interesting enough to travel around in for another go.

I kind of vacillated between three stars and four, but I decided to go with four. I was pretty fond of Min by the end of the book, and found myself rooting for her. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but then again, she's just a kid. She has never been allowed to use her Charm (her magic) so she is developing that skill while also trying to discover the truth of what happened to her older brother, and locate the fabled Dragon Pearl. The pacing wasn't always perfect, but there was a lot of character development and I appreciated the world building and humor. I'm not sure I'll buy this for my library because I just don't know that it will circulate, but for middle graders looking for a sci fi/fantasy blend, this is a good choice.

The perfect space fantasy with an Asian twist that is as readable for middle schoolers as it is for young adults. Min can change into a fox like her ancestors but it is something she is forbidden to do - no magic! When she learns that her brother is being accused of desertion from the Space Forces in order to search for the secret Dragon Pearl, Min runs away in disguise to join the Space Forces and prove her brother's innocence. She is a tough yet sensitive girl who believes in her brother and somehow manages to fake out the military and take on much more dangerous missions than anyone thought she could handle. This is a clever spin on Korean mythology and a space fantasy to boot that is exciting and different than most of the middle-grade series. My thanks to the publisher for the advance of the next great Rick Riordan presents title.

I don’t normally read middle-grade books—in fact, I never read middle-grade books—but I am into Korean mythology and space operas, so I figured I had, like, a 50% chance of getting on with Dragon Pearl.

Uhhhhh.

I mean, it wasn’t all bad. The Korean mythology was awesome, and I loved the way it blended into the sci-fi elements of the story. It felt so right. Of course a shape-shifting tiger is the captain of a space ship academy! That’s how it should be! And the worldbuilding was great—at least in the beginning. Jinju is a really interesting planet with interesting people that I would have loved to explore more.

But then we leave Jinju and, if I’m being perfectly honest, things get boring. We spend a lot of time with Min doing menial chores and memorizing school materials. We got to hang out in gambling dens on Jinju, but scrubbing toilets in space is the real thrill here, apparently. After a lot of toilets, I couldn’t ever recapture that excitement from the beginning of the book, regardless of any high-energy action that Min encountered later.

And let’s talk about Min. She was annoying in that whole “getting away with every mischievous trick because she’s unexpectedly super powerful and can basically do whatever she wants” way but she also whined constantly. Ugggghhh, Min, shut up! None of her ideas ever made any sense to me but they somehow worked in her favor every single time. In fact, I didn’t like any characters. They weren’t fleshed out enough, maybe? I don’t know. All of these unique characters had the potential to be great but I just wanted the whole space ship to crash.

(I also thought the writing was horrendous but I don’t read middle-grade so maybe this is what middle-grade should read like?)

I sort of felt at times like Lee was going for a Percy Jackson (bad writing, dubious plot, admit it) meets Harry Potter (trio of friends at magical school, main character had bad childhood) vibe, which I find utterly uninspiring. I guess here we can kind of swing back to my initial concern, which is that I simply can’t read middle-grade novels.

Bonus points to Lee for the very casual challenging of gender norms with his characters. I don’t imagine you see that in middle-grade novels very much (yet!).

Mini review:

DNF

Trigger warning: Trauma after the disappearance of a family member. Being cast out of society. Up till the point I read.

I received this E-ARC via Disney Book Group and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this! I love middle grade. Unfortunately I didn’t like it.

I really enjoyed the beginning and the world building! I also liked the MC and her family.

As I read on I started to lose interest. I no longer cared for the plot or the characters. It was a meh experience.

Still recommend.

There were a lot of things I really liked about Dragon Pearl, but I was a little bit disappointed, too.  I think it was the pacing more than anything.  Certain parts flowed well, but parts were slow and other parts wrapped up too quickly.  Overall, I enjoyed it though.



Min is a 13 year old gumiho, a fox.  She can change shapes and use her magic to get into people's heads.  She can make them believe that they never saw her or that someone didn't  pass by them.  She is rarely in her fox form, and usually looks like a young girl.  Her brother Jun is in the space force and Min was hoping to join him there in two years.  But a man shows up at their house and says that Jun was a deserter.  Min knows that can't be correct, so she sneaks away to find out what happened.  It's believed that foxes are no longer around and people are afraid of them.  So Min has to use her powers, but not get caught.



She is able to finally get onto Jun's ship after a lot of other issues.  She takes on the body of a ghost she meets on the ship and pretends to be a cadet.  She finds out more about Jun's mission and why he was missing.   Min must also get the Dragon Pearl before it ends up in the wrong hands. 



There is a decent amount of action at times and also some betrayal that made the story interesting.  I also loved how there were gumiho, ghosts, tigers, dragon, goblins, space pirates, and more.  I ended up giving Dragon Pearl 4 stars.  It was closer to 3  1/2, but there was enough I liked to push it up a bit.  



Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my copy for review.

This middle grade science fiction story is based on Korean mythology. Min is a thirteen-year-old fox spirit who lives on Jinju - a planet that isn't quite terraformed - with her aunts and cousins. Because fox spirits are distrusted, her whole family keeps their heritage a secret. Her older brother Jun has joined the Space Forces with the goal of seeing all of the Thousand Worlds and perhaps finding a way to find the long lost Dragon Pearl which was used for terraforming in order to finish the terraforming job on Jinju.

One day an agent comes to their house and tells them the Jun has disappeared. It is thought that he deserted from the Space Forces in order to go on a hunt for the Dragon Pearl. Min can't believe that her brother would desert and is determined to go off to find him. She has all kinds of adventures from meeting an unknown relative who runs a gambling den using her fox powers to mercenaries who get involved in space battles.

Once she makes it to her brother's ship, she finds herself impersonating Cadet Jang who died in the battle that resulted in the capture of the ship she was on. Jang has become a ghost who agrees to let Min use his body so that she can find out who murdered him and get revenge. As Cadet Jang, she meets two other Cadets - Sujin who is a goblin and Haneul who is a dragon - and they become her friends. While most of the crew is human, the captain is a tiger named Hwan.

As she learns about being a cadet, she is also trying to find out more about her brother and what happened to him. She learns that many different factions want to find the missing dragon pearl. Her captain can see how it can be used in warfare because something that builds can also be used to destroy. She needs to find the pearl to keep it out of the hands of those who want to use it to destroy, but she also doesn't want to put it in the hands of anyone who just wants to use it to make themselves more wealthy by charging huge princes to fix planets.

She travels to the Fourth Colony and a planet where all the residents are vengeful ghosts who angered the disease spirits with Captain Hwan right on her tail. There she learns about her brother, finds the pearl, and has the course of her life determined.

This was an action-packed story filled with adventure. Middle graders will enjoy meeting Min and her friends. They will also enjoy reading about fox spirits, vengeful ghosts, and a pearl that can remake worlds.

Although I've loved all the other Rick Riordan Presents books, I was a little skeptical about this one because the premise seemed like A Lot?? Like I'm here for Korean trickster fox spirits, and I'm here for space opera, but both of them combined seemed like....a lot?? But it actually all worked together really well, and that will teach ME a lesson about doubting Rick Riordan's empire.

It's a really fun story and a great example of how easy it can be to make a story inclusive! (eg in the space army, everyone's nametags have gender pronoun identifiers, making it simple and easy for the narrator to identify the nonbinary characters)

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC I received! Below is my honest opinion of the book.
This book started off so strongly, but for me, devolved into trying to do too much. For the first 25-30% of it I was hooked. I liked Min's character and her pluck. I thought the scene with her aunt's gambling parlor seemed a bit like a random side-quest, but I was okay with it. I initially loved the combination of mythology with sci-fi elements, and her gumiho family.
The book, however, lost me once she began her life as Jung on the ship, and never really pulled me back in after that. (Although I loved the inclusion of a main non-binary character!!!) The ship scenes seemed to drag, and too many loose ends and coincidences simply made me lose interest. I didn't have the stamina to stay invested in each plot thread, or each magical inclusion (ghosts, plus dragons and goblins, plus various animal shapeshifters, plus space). I think it additionally suffered from pacing issues, with the first 30% of the book moving so quickly, then grinding to a much slower pace once she was on the ship.
I really wanted to like this book, and will still recommend it, as I believe that it has a potential fanbase out there for specific kids that have the attention span and dedication to this mythological sci-fi world. I think it fills a very niche genre, and for that I give it applause.

The latest from Disney's Rick Riordan Presents line gives readers a space opera, Korean mythology, ghosts, nonbinary characters, and moral quandaries! Min is a 13-year-old shapeshifting female fox spirit who lives with her widowed mother and extended family on the planet Jinu. Her older brother, Jun, is part of the Space Force - where Min intends to follow him in a few years, when she hits age 16 - but things change when an investigator shows up at Min's home, with news that Jun has deserted his post and is rumored to be searching for the Dragon Pearl, a mythical object that could help turn planets into paradises... or destroy them. Determined to find her brother and clear his name, Min runs away from home and finds her way onto a starship; when the ship falls under mercenary attack, she wakes up on the very ship her brother served on: the Pale Lightning. Assuming the form of Jang, a cadet who died during the mercenary attack and subsequent rescue attempt, Min tries to unravel the mystery of Jun's disappearance, and stumbles onto a plot much bigger than she could have imagined. She joins forces with Jang's friends: Hanuel, a female dragon spirit, and Sujin, a nonbinary goblin spirit and continues her detective work.

Dragon Pearl is a space opera, complete with space battles, intrigue and shifting loyalties, and a mythos, based on Korean mythology, all of which come together to build an epic adventure that middle grade readers will devour. Min faces racism/species-ism as a fox spirit; she and her family present as humans, because foxes have a bad reputation for trickery being untrustworthy. She has to lie to Jang's friends to keep her secret; that guilt is with her day in and day out, especially as her own friendship with them grows. She has to break rules for the greater good: to find her brother, who's also considered a deserter. She'll deal with the fallout as it comes; Min's family is her priority. Is she a hero? Is she a traitor? It depends on whose point of view you're viewing from. The same can be said of the Dragon Pearl, which can create a lush homeworld or destroy a planet. Is it a valuable treasure or a cursed trinket?

Let's talk about the rich characters Yoon Ha Lee creates. Min and her fellow cadets inhabit a universe where rank and personal pronouns are part of the uniform. Sujin, the goblin cadet, uses "they/their" pronouns and no one has an issue with it. Sujin is a funny, creative character whose gender identity fits seamlessly into the Dragon Pearl universe. They wield a magical spork, for heaven's sake. That's the exciting news! Haneul is a dragon spirit who can communicate with the weather; the Pale Lightning's captain is a tiger spirit who exudes charisma and a more than a wee bit of menace. Min, a fox spirit, exudes Charm to head off potential problems at the pass and is clever, constantly thinking of her next moves to get her to her goal. An exciting adventure, moral conflict, and rich character diversity make this one a nice addition to your fantasy middle grade collections, and yet another hit from Rick Riordan's Disney imprint.

Dragon Pearl has a starred review from Kirkus.