This was such a good read I loved it and was completely hooked from the first page. Definitely recommend

The Lotus Flower Champion how do I cover this without giving anything away?
This is a Thai folktale-inspired story and I found that so interesting (and want to read more books like this.) I love the culture, the island, the mystery of it, and the emotions!
There is a character with OCD, Alaia who goes through a journey of learning about it and developing skills to handle it. Her mother is sick so they go on a family trip and end up in a magical adventure!
This is written by a mother and daughter, Pintip and Love Dunn and I love that! It makes the message of this book so much sweeter.

If you are looking for a magical YA adventure packed with mystery, culture, family, and emotions then you need to read this.

Marketed as Squid Games x Mythology I expected a lot of action and magic... it did deliver on a lot of aspects.

Plot-wise it is not a usual YA fantasy book, tons of wonderful concept mix and matching some unusual tropes. Word building though is something a little bit different as it absrobs all of these intricacies written through middle grade to YA language [which was actually more fun than it sounds]

It's a good starting book for those wanting to dip their toes to YA fantasy.

I had a very hard time connecting to the characters in this book and I found it had a slow start that had me struggling to keep interest. Several times I had to put it down and come back to it and push through.

I found it lacking in character development. It was more of a young teen book even though it was labeled as young adults. There wasn’t anything that was captivating me or made me want more.

I received this book via NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review.

This one was very hard for me to get into, it has a really slow start that I unfortunately was not able to get through. It was not what I expected, I wanted to give it a shot but it turned out to be a DNF for me.

The Lotus Flower Champion drew me in with its premise and held me captive with its plot.
Pintip and Love Dunn have created a story with a goregous settting , diverse representation, and excellent pacing. Some dialogue felt slightly stilted and initial world building could feel like info dumping but both of these factors were not enough to take away from my drive to see how the power of these myths came to play into the main character's journey or the powerful connection that I felt with the character over the way their grief and their OCD presented.
I highly recommend this story for fans of Percy Jackson and Sun Bearer trails as it captures the modern myths in a way that such readers will be delighted to find.

Alaia is the unlikeliest of superheroes and I think that's what made me love her so much. She thought she was on a last trip with her dying mother to learn how to manage her OCD on her own, and to get a chance to say goodbye. She ends up living her worst nightmare, stranded on a (dirty) deserted island with a bunch of strangers. What's worse, her mother only has a few days' worth of medicine left to keep her comfortable. Alaia has to grow up fast with this extreme version of exposure therapy, where Thai folktales hold the answers, and no one is who they seem to be on the surface.

The OCD feels real, and not over-the-top. The anguish of losing a parent is deep and sad. I liked that it focused on a good mother-daughter relationship, one with real struggles and real love. Many YA novels focus on the love-interest, so I found this refreshing. There was a wide array of characters that felt natural, and the Thai mythology angle is a nice twist on the fantasy genre that usually focuses on Western characters.

A good read for fantasy fans and realistic fiction fans. Not a lot of romance and just the right amount of action to keep the story moving.

"The Lotus Flower Champion" presents a promising concept that is undeniably interesting and fun. The idea of a family trip to Thailand turning into a thrilling adventure filled with Thai mythology, a lush island, and the unfolding of extraordinary abilities is inherently intriguing. The potential for excitement and wonder is evident, and the notion of the story holds a unique charm.

However, the disappointment lies in the book's execution. It doesn't fully capitalize on the captivating concept, leaving the narrative lacking in excitement and depth. The pacing and character development fall short, hindering the story's ability to realize its full potential.

Additionally, the writing style fails to do justice to the exciting premise, lacking the vividness and eloquence required to truly bring the island setting and Thai mythology to life. The narrative often feels uninspired, preventing readers from fully immersing themselves in this intriguing world.

It's an alluring and entertaining concept, but the execution falls short in delivering the excitement and immersive experience that the story's premise promises. Despite the concept's inherent appeal, the book's underwhelming execution makes it a challenging read for those seeking a more engaging and well-crafted narrative.

This book follows Alaia’s journey alongside her mom and ten other individuals trapped on an island, forced to awaken their inner abilities.

The concept is interesting but not a unique one. This story does a good job executing the game island scenario while weaving Thai folktales. I felt that the folktales have been simplified enough that they don’t lose their original essence, but are easy enough for someone without any exposure to understand. I liked how each folktale connected with an ability and was related to the events occurring to our twelve stranded individuals.

The stakes for obtaining freedom are pretty simple and there are quite a bit of twists and turns to accompany the added suspense. However, there’s nothing at stake and this makes most of the events fall flat. The supposed “villain” doesn’t really feel like a villain at the end either, although they are by their actions. For me, I think it was the writing as it unfortunately doesn’t evoke emotions. It stays measured throughout, making romantic scenes feel the same as scenes displaying conflict.

The story is descriptive which helps paint a beautiful landscape of the island our characters are stranded on. I enjoyed how the descriptions were mainly painted through the characters’ nonchalant observations as it made it feel more realistic.

I loved how the story depicted Alaia’s OCD. I found the scenes well written and it helped me obtain a different understanding about the struggles with OCD. This was definitely the highlight of the story and an eye opener for me.

That said, the rest of the characters, except Matteo, fell flat in comparison. I’m actually quite conflicted on how I feel about this, because these twelve individuals aren’t on the island for long and Alaia doesn’t open up with a lot of them. So it does make sense to know less about them, but I feel like I have an incomplete picture about them which left me unsatisfied. Maybe this story would have been better as a series so each character could have been ironed out.

Overall, this was a bittersweet and informative read. I can’t say I was connected to any of the characters but I did enjoy reading about Thai folktales and I do love the concept. Also, this book does cover the topics of abuse, neglect and death, so I’d be weary of those. I would recommend this solely for the Thai folktales and OCD representation.

It’s a good book. I think it’s classified incorrectly as a YA though. I think I would have enjoyed it more had it been labeled as middle grade and gone in from that perspective. As a YA it I feel like it should have gone a bit deeper into the harder emotional issues the characters deal with.

Alaia was on holiday with her parents when an incident on a boat leaves her, her terminally ill mother, and a group of other holiday makers stranded on an island. But on this island not everything is as it seems ...

This is a beautifully written fantasy drawing on elements of mythology, and I loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for review

Pintip wrote one of my favourite dystopian series and when I saw this I was excited to dive into her beautiful writing style.

The lotus flower champion is intriguing and the mystery had me looking for hidden clues right from the start. Pintip isn’t afraid to indulge in difficult personality traits and topics. I enjoyed the culture and OCD elements.

Alaia is on a trip to Thailand with her family. It’s a challenging time for her because her mothers sick. When a boat trip goes wrong her family get separated and the magical adventure begins.

She’s told about Thai folklore and starts to see more than before. This gave me a range of emotions- happy, sad and excitement. An interesting read and I’m glad to see more from this author.

YA
Adventure
Mystery
A dash of romance

This book was super cute and I definitely enjoyed the roller coaster of emotions it took me on! I can definitely say that the attributes of a young author shone bright, and I absolutely loved the true depiction of what it's like in the mind of someone who suffers OCD! This book had intriguing components and details from start to finish and even some plot twists I couldn't have imagined if I tried! It truly was a cute little book!

This book is based on Thai lore and fairytales and follows a group who have been abandoned on and island and have to fight their way out, following all rules given to them.
Whilst this book wasn’t as promised, it was enjoyable. The FMC suffers from OCD and I found at times it was obvious the another knew how to write this so well and resonated strongly with the disorder.
This is a YA fantasy adventure novel, packed with Thai lore and mythology, an easy read.

The Lotus Flower Champion is a fun and fast read, perfect for YA readers of all ages, including younger readers looking for more of a challenge. If you have reader in your life who loves Percy Jackson, this is a fantastic option for them!

I loved the pacing of this one, with short chapters that almost always ended with a little reveal or twist that made the novel un-put-down-able. The relationships developed in an interesting way, and there was just enough romance to keep me interested, but it was innocent enough for most young readers.

Thai mythology slams into a teen's desire for her mother and herself to survive on an island, which is filled with dangers...and not all come from the nature around them.

Alaia has only two goals during her family's vacation, to spend every possible moment with her mother and to keep a smile on her mother's face. After several rounds of chemo, it's clear her mother won't hold on much longer. While Alaia's OCD is making the stay in Thailand challenging, it's worth every effort for her mother. When an ship excursion turns into disaster, Alaia and her mother find themselves stranded with several other passengers on a deserted island. It may look like paradise, but every part of it holds unexpected dangers. Add a madman's desire to use them as guinea pigs in testing myth's reality, and Alaia isn't sure that any of them are going to survive.

While this one didn't really hold the promised Squid Games atmosphere (the stakes are nearly high enough for that), it is a quick-paced read with enough tension to keep those pages turning. The beginning takes a little bit to settle in, but after that, the stories flows leading from one situation to the next. The island is as beautiful as it is deadly, and the other characters add the right spice at the right times. Several of these were especially strong and really dug in. The romance wasn't the most exciting, but it settles fine along the way for the extra touch. It's the Thai mythology and Alaia's own struggles, which stick out in these pages to make it worth a glance.

The Lotus Flower Champion is the first book by Pintip and Love Dunn. These mum and daughter have written a book about thai mythology together. I know nothing about this kind of mythology, but do love a good retelling. The book sounded really great so I was excited to dive into it. What will this duo have in store for their readers?

In this book Alaia is the main character. Her mum is dying and she is struggling to let go of her. The whole situation doens't make her feel safe and really triggers her OCD at times. I really loved the way the OCD is worked out, it felt so real which you don't see often in books. In addition, the having a family member with cancer thing is also one lots of people can relate with.

This book is like a mix between The Hunger Games and The I land except the murder part is missing. However this book is described as a mix between Squid game and Peter Pan. I can't really find myself in the Peter Pan part, but the story does have insane games. I really loved the way the game developed, with the upcoming powers. However I really felt for Alaia's mum since she really is on her last strenghts during this book. It all feels so real and you just have to be compasionate with the characters while reading.

This book has the emotional vibes worked out perfectly. I really admire that. In addition the mythology is also a nice add to the story. Nothing in this book is boring and I really enjoyed reading The Lotus Flower Champion. This book is real fun to read and I would recommend it for sure. Therefore I give this book a 4,5 star rating.

I was provided an ARC of this title for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was very Survivor meets fantasy with a healthy dash of Thai folklore thrown in, and it was honestly such an engaging read from start to finish.

An intriguing and action-packed plot and very relatable characters made this YA fantasy an all around very fun and fast-paced read.

Thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a wild ride. I really liked the main character. I felt like I could relate to her a lot, despite not having OCD myself (or at least not to that degree). But the pace of the story felt a bit off. I can't quite put my finger on what the issue was, though.

Overall a good book, but maybe it would've worked better as a duology?

4.5 stars!

This was a super unique story filled with magic, love, history, and tradition. This is a YA fantasy but it’s really sophisticated and complex in it’s story-telling.

I really loved all of the Thai traditions, folklore, and setting. The characters were all well-developed and distinct.

Thank you to EntangledTeen and the authors for this e-ARC! It was such a joy to read