I have heard a lot about Yoon Ha Lee's adult books and was thrilled when I heard about this middle grade science fiction story. 

Min is a fox who can shapeshift to resemble other people or event objects like a table. When she finds out that her brother has gone missing while serving with the Space Forces, possibly having deserted to go find the Dragon Pearl which can terraform planets, she knows something is wrong. She immediately sets out on a journey to find her brother. Min is also interested in the Dragon Pearl because it might change her planet for the better, giving everyone a better life on Jinju. Along her journey she makes friends in unexpected places as she and learns a lot about life. There is some mystery thrown in as she is trying to piece together clues about what happened to her brother. Min is brave with a good heart on her journey into the unknown. I hope we get more of this universe!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! DRAGON PEARL by Yoon Ha Lee is one of the new books on the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, but I'm here to tell you that even if you haven't read or liked a single Rick Riordan book, you need to get your hands on this one when it releases. 

Now, the Rick Riordan name is strong and definitely conjures up some associations. I say this with all love, as I generally fill out his name under 'favorite author' when forced to choose. But, back to those associations. Generally, you'll think of kids who are demigods that get prophecies of doom and go on quests to save the world, showering you in fun mythology of varying backgrounds all along the way. For some people, this isn't interesting. I get it, we all have our genres. DRAGON PEARL is NOT this. 

The blurb I remember seeing for DRAGON PEARL was "space opera meets Korean mythology." This encapsulates the book pretty perfectly. DRAGON PEARL is not the contemporary world meets ancient mythology - DRAGON PEARL is an entire Thousand Worlds crafted lovingly out of Korean mythological themes. The mythology is never othered in this compelling story. Rather, it is the foundation and lifeblood for the world and characters. I am not Korean and have no prior knowledge of Korean mythology (other than some commonalities that it has to other East Asian ideas, of course). Despite this, I found myself immersed seamlessly in this world. 

Thirteen-year-old Min comes from a long line of fox spirits, but her family avoids showing their identity to be supernatural because of prejudices against foxes. She has always lived at home on her impoverished, world of Jinju, but when word comes that her brother Jun is accused of deserting the Space Forces to search for the Dragon Pearl, Min sets off to find her brother and clear his name. Through the twists and turns of this adventure, she will find herself as well. 

The story is exciting from the start, and even the slower information-gathering sections of the book are still tense with the pressure of dangerous secrets. The ending was unexpected and sets up nicely for what I hope will be a series of stories, but even if this is the end, I'm very happy. 

Something DRAGON PEARL does well that I appreciate is that it sets up gender variance as an accepted fact of life. Characters wear pronoun pins that tell our protagonist how to refer to them, and that's all we need. The ideas of prejudice and racism are also touched on in the tension between supernaturals (such as foxes, dragons, tigers, ghosts, and goblins) and humans. Ultimately, Min shows that ALL should be accepted and respected.

Dragon Pearl will appeal to kids who love stories with magic, adventure, or space travel. Fast paced and full of surprises, this story will be a big hit with the middle grade readers!

Korean mythology meets space adventure. Yoon Ha Lee does an amazing job of marrying two seemingly opposite ideas. You don’t have to know anything about the mythology because explanations are worked seamlessly into the story. Not once does the story seem patronizing; instead the subtle fill in of background information draws you more completely into the story. There’s no shortage of adventure or suspense: animal spirits, ghosts, magic, and epic space adventures keep the pages turning.

Thirteen-year-old Min, a fox spirit, learns that her brother, Jun, has deserted the Space Forces but refuses to believe it. They had a plan to visit all the Thousand Worlds together and Jun would never do anything to jeopardize that. So Min sets off on a quest to find out what really happened to her brother, and along the way she meets some unexpected friends, realizes the true extent of her powers, and unravels the mystery surrounding the mythical dragon pearl.

Yoon Ha Lee takes the Rick Riordan Presents imprint to the next level-- instead of showing our own world with a layer of mythology on top, he creates a new world where Korean culture, history, and spirituality are deeply embedded in every day life. The characters are interesting and complex, the narrative is fast-paced and full of action, and there is a perfect balance of heart and humor.

It's nice to have more to offer students who love Rick Riordan. I'm looking forward to reading the modernized mythology of many cultures from this imprint. I love Korean anything and love the inclusion of non-binary gendered main characters in this story. There is also no romance storyline, which is incredibly difficult to find in books for teens, even middle grade. The plot and writing is definitely middle grade, not YA, but students who got hooked on Riordan at a younger age will still enjoy this.

This is a really delightful middle-grade space opera infused with Korean mythology and I hope to see more books for younger readers from Yoon Ha Lee in the future! Min is a firecracker of a protagonist who rolls with every punch she gets, and while the combination of mind control and shapeshifting powers might be a little much for YA or adult fantasy, I think it really works for this age range -- it lets the story keep moving despite Min's (age-appropriate!) lack of long-term planning. As I'm sure many more reviews will note, it was wonderful to see pronoun pins and nonbinary characters so seamlessly integrated into the story, and while it might have been interesting to know more about Min's feelings about gender (all foxes choose what gender they want their human form to be, with female being the "traditional" choice and how Min initially presents; she then spends a significant chunk of the book shape-shifted into a male body), it's also kind of cool to have a story for young readers where gender variance is something so accepted that it's boring and not really worth commenting on. Really, just a wonderful book -- exactly what I want in a middle-grade read.

Dragon Pearl will draw in fans of fantasy and manga alike!   This ghost story will have all the manga devotees trying to illustrate the characters!

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee is another book coming from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.  This book is a space opera featuring Min, a 13-year-old fox spirit in a world of many fantastic beings.  When Min's brother deserts the Space Forces, it is up to Min to try to find out what really happened and clear his name.  Her wild journey takes her across many worlds, spaceships, and definitely has an abundance of adventure.

Dragon Pear was an enjoyable book, but it did not seem to fit as well in the Rick Riordan world as the other books.   Aru Shah and Storm Runner both seemed to have the same feel as a traditional Rick Riordan book, and that feeling was missing in a lot of this book.  Still, it was an enjoyable read that was definitely exciting in its own right.  It was more of a "slow burn" excitement as opposed to the typical bonfire you get in most Rick Riordan titles.  The book also seemed a little light on culture compared to other Rick Riordan and Rick Riordan Presents books.  

If you're looking for an exciting adventure that is a little different, this book could be for you.  It was enjoyable, although a little different than what I expected.

On an impoverished and remote planet, Min and her brother Jun dreamed of one day traveling together among their civilization’s “Thousand Worlds.”

Jun joined the Space Forces and Min’s plan was to enlist alongside him as soon as she was old enough — but now Jun has seemingly deserted his post to pursue a mystical object. Min decides to run away to space, to find out what really happened to him.

This story kept me reading, so interested was I to learn what would become of Min’s mission. What had really happened to her brother? Would she ever find him?

Insufficient world building left me confused and, eventually, utterly disinterested. I know the author has written an adult series built on a similar theme, perhaps this work would have made sense if I had read those? The fact that the author self reports they are the only person in the Rick Riordan Presents series to NOT be granted a series (this is a stand alone) makes me wonder if the publishers were similarly underwhelmed or if the author just phoned it in.