Four Treasures of the Sky is an emotional story about challenge, the human spirit, and agency. My heart was in my throat for most of the book. Because Daiyu confronts the violence of racism, the assaults of men, and the loss of her family. Not only this, but also the pain of heartbreak and betrayal. On one level, the action of the plot kept me reading. I needed to know what kind of ending would be in store for Daiyu. She doesn't want to be the tragic heroine for whom she is named. But can she escape that?

A thread that continued to tug at me, was this idea of a name haunting us. What shadows it can cast upon our decisions and what prophetic powers it has. So for Daiyu her life is about choice. The active choices she makes to make what she can of her life, of her own fate. And you have to love her for that. That's all we can try to do in our lives. Tragedies can befall us, random acts of cruelty and accidents. But it's about our responses, our moments of inaction, and our quivering hope in the face of it all.

First, thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review! This book will be hitting shelves on April 5!

This was a beautiful story that tugged at my heartstrings, especially the ending. My final rating for this book turns out to be a 3.5 star read. I'll break down why below:

Part 1 of the story sucked me right into Daiyu's story. I devoured this part as I read about 1880's China. My favorite character would be Master Wang and his teachings resonated so much with my soul.
Unfortunately, Part 2 & 3 happened leading to these feelings I was having came to a screeching halt. At this point I realized that this is not a historical fiction book at all but a character driven story. The historical context was very limited which led to a let down for me. I wanted to know more information about the Chinese Exclusion Act and how it pertained to Daiyu's story. I didn't know this was part of the story until I saw other reader's reviews.

Thankfully, Part 4 focused more on a plot driven story rather than solely on one character. I loved this part because I was finally getting more historical context about the world Daiyu was trying to live in. The ending made my heart clench with how beautiful it was.

A young girl is kidnapped from the streets of China and smuggled to America where she faces personal trauma and tragedy as well as anti-Chinese sentiment. Well-written and intriguing, but I'm knocking a star off because of the ending.

If you look at the books I have read, it would be clear I don’t read many like this. However, as a Chinese American, this was a story I both wanted and needed to hear.

First of all, this is not a feel good read. If you plan to read this story beware of potential triggers like rape, racial slurs, and hangings. It can be hard to read, especially knowing that despite all the time that has passed, history has a way of repeating itself and that despite the leaps and bounds we have made in technology, our society’s values hasn’t quite done the same.

Despite this being a difficult read, I still appreciated it because I can connect to this story. Not necessarily the characters themselves, but just the sheer fact that I know Feng means wind or other Chinese references.

Finding out that this story is based on real historical events was shocking, because like the author I wasn’t ever fully taught the extent of hate and racism Chinese people in America have faced. I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that there was some hatred, but I still never knew about the actual events that occurred, so I am also grateful to learn a little more about Asian American history.

Thank you to netgalley and Flatiron books for this eARC.

This book was excellent, it was unputdownable, and it was fascinating historical fiction. It was also very sad - but realistic. I was upset at the ending but I also know that a different end would not have been as authentic. So just be aware when you go to read this book - it's not a happy story.

I loved Daiyu, who was stolen from China and brought to California in the 1880s. She disguises herself as a boy many times in her life and has to face some of the losses that brings her. But it also saves her in a few ways. The connection with Chinese calligraphy through the story was really cool.

Growing up in Central Oregon, I did know about the Chinese Exclusion Act and the terrible way that Chinese people were treated in the area, including Eastern Oregon and Idaho.

I loved the writing and being inside Daiyu's head.

I've been reading a lot of historical fiction set in modern Asia over the last year, and this is one that stands apart from the crowd because of its beautiful, smooth prose that makes reading a delight.

A devastating, propulsive, raw story of pain and strength. Of freedom of the soul. Based roughly on atrocities of 1880s China & the American West—bare, brilliant prose brings loss, family, and bravery to life. I so loved Daiyu & Lin Daiyu as parallel characters, stripping the heart of its walls—and the tangible, powerful motif of Chinese calligraphy, absolutely unforgettable.

I really enjoyed this book. Zhang did a wonderful job writing this very heartbreaking historical fiction. I didn't realize what she based the book on until the end. And when I heard, I was even more impressed. I thought that Diayu was such a wonderful and interesting character. While she is definitely not a weak character by any means, Zhang really enforced that she is a naïve character in some ways and incredibly dynamic in many other ways. We are truly seeing a character grow into herself. I was worried during part II of the book that Zhang was going to make sure our character was always clean and perfect on the page, but she handled it deftly in the future parts of the book in a way that was impressive and understandable.

I also cannot enforce enough how impressive this is as a historical piece of literature. Zhang weaves in real life events that affected Chinese Americans, pointing out how they were affected on the West Coast in the 1800s. She doesn't shy away from these effects, and she deftly handles every moment. I was so impressed, and so glad that this book handled race in a historical context so honestly and in such a vulnerable way. Definitely read this book.

This was definitely not the easiest of reads, but "Four Treasures of the Sky" has already been one of the most memorable books I've encountered this year.

The story is told from the perspective of Lin Daiyu, a Chinese girl who grows up in a fishing village out of Zhifu, China in the late 19th century. Her life gets upended when her parents mysteriously disappear overnight, and she's forced to try and survive on her own. Daiyu's journey takes her across the world, starting with a calligraphy school in Zhifu, a brothel in California, to a small general store in Idaho, Daiyu learns the cruel truths of the world, especially in the midst of the Chinese Exclusion Act which pits her race against the rest of America.

There are a lot of hardships that befall Daiyu, and perhaps here it would be best to note a large TW for sexual abuse, kidnapping, and violence. In between these terrible situations that she's forced into and the people she meets who consistently try to take advantage of her, there are are small glimmers of hope and joy interspersed between them. Her ultimate goal, to claim her own name and identity, is one that many of us can empathize with and the final ending of the book allows her to meet it on her own terms.

I really enjoyed Zhang's prose and sentence structured, and how she was able to convey Daiyu's emotions and thoughts. I appreciated as well that she was able to highlight a point in history that isn't often written about, especially in the midst of the present anti-AAPI violence movement.

Lin Daiyu, born in a fishing village outside Zhifu, China, recounted memories of home. Grandmother had a large garden of vegetables and herbs. "In that garden, I learned to care for living things...my grandmother wanted to teach me...patience." "It was my mother who taught me how to be good with my hands." "My father taught me to work with my mind."

When Daiyu was twelve years old, her parents disappeared. "Any day, the people who captured your parents will come for you, too", according to grandmother. "Go to Zhifu...disappear in the city...". Dressed in boy's clothes, quilted jacket, and with a shaved head, Daiyu became Feng.

His name was Master Wang. "Feng with the good hands" was hired to sweep the steps and the courtyard outside Wang's Calligraphy School. "[Daiyu/Feng] would become someone who did not bend to the will of fate and the stories she was named after...I began at once...I traced over the characters in the stone tiles [in the courtyard] I was ravenous for what calligraphy might bring me."

A daily walk from Master Wang's to the fish market...a man in strange clothes...the promise of food from a noodle shop. At age thirteen, Daiyu aka Feng, was kidnapped. Held captive for more than one year, Feng was taught English, a language spoken half a world away. Smuggled into San Francisco in a bucket packed with coal, another reinvented life would begin. "Once I thought love was simple- a round embrace, a gentle kiss...I never even knew that there could be something that was so not love...Tonight, you can call me Peony."

Daiyu was convinced that her namesake, a heroine who died an untimely death, was the cause of her troubles. Despite these misgivings, Daiyu's ghost becomes her sounding board and confidant. "In calligraphy, as in life, we do not retouch strokes, we must accept that what is done is done." "Lightning splits the sky into pieces and I think, this is what I look like inside, not a whole, but a many, separated by something I cannot control...could I ever be whole...ever call myself unified?" First Daiyu, then Feng, followed by Peony, and now Jacob Li working in the Old West in the mining town of Pierce, Idaho.

"Four Treasures of the Sky" by debut author Jenny Tinghi Zhang is a powerful, eye-opening work of historical fiction which highlights a little known chapter in American history. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 created a ten year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration. A historical signpost on a road in Idaho denoting a vigilante hanging was the inspiration for this magnificent novel. Kudos to Zhang for a well researched, haunting, emotionally filled read with overtones of magical realism and Chinese folklore. Highly recommended.

Thank you Flatiron Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful and shattering read. Do not expect a plucky heroine story. However, you should expect a revealing, raw, dark, and honest story about a young Chinese girl living through an incredibly hateful period for Asian-Americans in American history. This is Zhang's debut and I am excited to follow her career!

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase for your historical fiction readers that want gripping, real, and unsanitized stories about signficant times in American history.

Many thanks to Flatiron and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[3.5/5 stars]

Set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, FOUR TREASURES OF THE SKY follows Daiyu, a Chinese girl who is kidnapped from China to America.

Being a reader of Chinese descent, I was utterly excited to read this debut - Zhang excels at using calligraphy as the base of the story, minutely exploring the ideograms root. I thought it was utterly original tooling calligraphy to cultivate one's character, weaving Chinese history into the characters.

We follow the main character as she desires to be in control of her fate and change the fact that her life has been written by her name (Lin Daiyu), a tragic Chinese heroine. Her journey is heartbreaking and Zhang draws a multilayered character - the moments of introspection and dialogues with her inner self are brilliant and immersive. Furthermore, the story shines with moral between the lines.

I thought the incorporation of atrocities and microaggressions towards Chinese people was well-done, highlighting the Anti-Chinese violence occurred across the country during the mid-late nineteenth century, unknown by many and still a recurrent event nowadays.

With straightforward writing, the story is often depressing. I must say that the characters aren't the most memorable, however Zhang succeeds in an attempt to deliver a powerful message. My complaint is the uneven pacing, so for those looking for a fast-paced read, this isn't it. Having said that, the pacing picks up towards the end and the realistic ending makes this book worth a read. Lastly, I appreciate the author's note that allows a deeper understanding of the story. FOUR TREASURES OF THE SKY is a well-researched debut that you should read.

A gut wrenching tale of a young woman living in the United States under the Chinese Exclusion act. The historical element was my favorite thing about this novel. The story was well paced.

Woah! I don't even know where to start with this one. This is a beautifully written tale of Chinese persecution and one young girls journey to America in the 1880s when foreigners were not welcome in the US - it transported me with her through her experiences.  It gripped me straight from the first line and I read it in 24hours.  I cried, feared and yearned with Daiyu. This is heart wrenching in every way. Daiyu finds calligraphy early in her youth and uses the skills she learned to get her through her lifes experiences good and bad. How to become one with self and how to see things for what they are. It intrigues me to learn the art of Chinese calligraphy! She finds support in her tragic heroine namesake Lin Daiyu as a guide and leans on her when she needs it most. This is such a powerful debut novel for Jenny Tinghui Zhang- I can't wait to see what she writes next! Thank you Flatiron books for allowing me read and review this book.

Heart wrenching sad beautifully written.A book that once I started I could not put down.A difficult story to read and tell but a story that comes alive in a haunting way.Will be recommending this book and this talented author a book of historical fiction that stays with you long after you finish reading,#netgalley#flatironbooks.

Zhang's beautiful prose and the story's compelling plot combine to create a truly fascinating story. You are warned in the synopsis that the book's protagonist is named after a tragic heroine and unfortunately, Daiyu's life follows that of her namesake. The subject material made it hard for me, personally, to read but I would highly recommend it to those who can handle it after reading the trigger warnings.

A very fast and heartbreaking read. Lin Daiyu was cursed from the moment her parents named her after a tragic heroine. Heartbreak after heartbreak in China, she is kidnapped and sent to America during the Chinese Exclusion Act She breaks free from one bind, only to find herself in another. Will her story end like the heroine she is named after, or will she finally find a home and freedom for herself?
Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Got to read this one a little early (Thank You @netgalley ) The Chinese Exclusion Act is a part of history we are not taught about in school. This story is a based on a fictional Chinese girl that happened in a very real time in the United States in the 1880’s. Lots of trigger warnings in this book but it is an important story to be told. This is one of those books where you keep thinking things have to get better for the main character and they only keep getting worse. I really enjoyed following Daiyu’s journey and am glad I had a chance to read this one before it is released in April 2022. Fans of historical fiction put this on your list! 📚”Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story.

At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.” (Amazon)

Being of Chinese heritage, I feel honored to read this book. Zhang has crafted a tragic, but necessary story about the Chinese Exclusion Act. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of symbolism drawn from Chinese characters throughout the novel.

Full review will be posted on Instagram @movedbyprose on April 5, 2022 (publication day).

Would most certainly buy this book if I was looking for a good read.
This author is new to me and I did not really know if I would like this one, but I am so glad I gave it a try.
I will be looking for more books by this author in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend.