Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games is how I've described Pintip Dunn & Love Dunn's The Lotus Flower Champion. Alaia's story is written in such a way that I was sure if I looked up she'd be in my living room.

The new trend of making culture a character and emphasizing character traits that previously would have been hidden is done so spectacularly well in this story.

I truly enjoyed learning so much about Thai folklore and the nods at honorifics and cultural norms was blended in so well that I didn't even realize I was learning those things until I had learned them.

I would have liked to have gotten a better look into the side characters instead of many of them just seemingly being there to further the plot elements. Some of the twists were predictable, but the ending still managed to surprise me.

I look forward to reading more from this writing duo.

"But now I know that numbers aren't magic. They never have been. They may be a part of my life. But they don't have to rule me" (chapter 45).

Congratulations to Love Dunn on her debut novel, co-written with her mom, Pintip Dunn. This story was such a fun introduction to Thai folktales for me, and had me invested from beginning to end!

Two things that I feel like Dunn and Dunn do well here is give a great representation of OCD and grieving someone who has not passed yet. All encompassed in a story about a magical island and the lengths people will go to survive. 

As someone who does not have OCD, I felt such empathy for Alaia as she is forced into a scenario where safety and certainty are non-existent. As she is thrust into situations where her OCD was screaming at her, where she couldn't get clean enough, where she couldn't complete her counting rituals to keep her and her mama safe, her emotions were deeply tangible. I do wonder what someone with OCD would think about this portrayal, though, because at the end of the book, it seemed like Alaia's OCD is practically non-existent. I do feel like her personal growth in overcoming hard situations in the midst of her disorder is believable, and maybe, just maybe, she was able to take some of that magic home with her to help her manage her day-to-day life better, but it really felt almost forgotten at the very end and I had a hard time believing that.

As someone who has watched someone die, had to say goodbye before they were fully gone, Dunn and Dunn handle this theme very well. Alaia's mama has terminal cancer, all she wants is to go home to Thailand once more with her family to go in peace. All Alaia wants is to make her mama smile 121 times on their trip so that she will feel like she's given her everything she can before they part. While they are stranded on this strange island, fighting for the opportunity to leave, Alaia is not only battling her OCD, but the ever present grief in knowing when to stop holding so tightly, learning how to function without the person she loves most while she is not yet gone. The emotions in this story are plentiful, painful, and beautiful. 

While this is such a beautiful story that I obviously thoroughly enjoyed, I do wish we had a little bit more to make it feel more complete. I wanted a little more character building from the other people stranded on this island with them. I also wanted to know more about Bodin's family dynamic - granted, I realize why we didn't get much for a while; there is a great sense of mystery around him - do we trust him or not? But once more is revealed, I wanted just a little bit more: to understand his family more, to help with his character development, to give his and Alaia's romance a little more sustenance. 

Pintip and Love Dunn wrote a very engaging, enchanting story of magic, learned strength, found family, and a deep admiration for the traditional Thai folktales they grew up with.

This book tells the story of the heroine's adventure filled with Thai folktales and a bit of romance.
The heroine's dying mother wanted the whole family to visit Thailand. However, the heroine's family ends up stranded on an island with ten strangers while being tested to awaken dormant powers by facing their own fears and possibly end up with a deathly outcome. The heroine must try to find a way to escape and survive this ordeal while also facing her own issues that can either derail or help her during this chaotic time.

This is nice, quick read that features a relatable character that is facing so many things during the story. I liked the main character and her growth in this book. There were also some secondary characters that were memorable in the book, including the heroine's family. I liked the Thai mythology aspect of this book, though the romance didn't stand out as much as I would have liked it to be. Though easy-to-read, I would appreciate a bit more details in certain areas of the story for a smoother transition. Overall, a nice introduction to the authors' writing style and the Thai folktales.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Alaia is supposed to be honoring her mother's dying wish with a once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Thailand. But everything is not what it seems. Instead, she is stranded on an island with ten strangers and her dying mother as Thai folktales come to life around them. And her father is missing. As things get more and more desperate, Alaina has to see if she can outsmart their captor to save her family.

Written by a mother-daughter dup, The Lotus Flower Champion is a romantasy steeped in Thai folklore and mythology. There is action, adventure, mystery, mythology, magic, and just a dash of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed diving into a culture and mythology base that I previously had no exposure to. This is a fast paced, emotional read that will wreck you! Alaina is an amazing character and I loved watching her overcome everything thrown her way.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and Entangled Publishing for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I have only read a few books by Pintip Dunn, but I really enjoyed them. So I was very excited when I heard about this one and was happy to get a copy from the publisher to read! While I’ve categorized it as a fantasy for the title of this blog post, it almost had some sci-fi and magical realism to it instead, or as well. The authors took different folktales from I believe Thailand or maybe some other Asian cultures that are similar, and then kind of cherry picked bits and pieces to create the different abilities the characters might acquire while on this magical island. But it was more than just the abilities, all of it fed into different situations from the folktales woven from these bits and pieces.

The science fiction aspect comes from the fact that it is a scientist holding them on this island and studying to see how they will develop the powers/abilities, and then trying to use it to bring someone back from the dead, as well as possibly other things. While I had a feeling about one person who does betray at some point, I didn’t see some of the other things that came, or that there would be more than one betrayal, or was it really? I’ve seen the complaints in the reviews, and I guess I do see their point that it isn’t really comparable to some of the things it was suggested to be like. But in the end I quite enjoyed it. It was a bit long for me overall at 400 pages, but again, I will definitely look for more books by this author, and her daughter, together or on their own!

3.5/5

I had a really hard time writing this review, as the plot really intrigued me, and I loved most aspects of the story, but I was left feeling rather disappointed.

I absolutely loved the way Alaia was written. She is 17 and has OCD, and is struggling to come to terms with her mothers deteriorating health due to cancer. She has to learn to overcome her fears and live independently, and I enjoyed seeing her personal growth throughout the book. The OCD representation was a fantastic touch and gave me insight as to how the condition can affect people in their daily lives.

I loved learning a little about different Thai folklores, but it seemed like some of the tales were just thrown into the mix without being explained in any detail. The first two thirds of it was really slow paced, but the ending seemed too rushed. The twists and turns were great, some of them I didn’t see coming, but the outcome was predictable. It was marketed as a romantasy ‘Squid Games meets Peter Pan’ but I feel like it missed the mark here.

I enjoyed reading it, and I’ll be giving it another read through to see if my opinion changes at all. Overall, it’s definitely perfect for a younger audience.

*I received an advance review copy for free (thank you Pintip Dunn, Love Dunn, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

Thailand folklore retelling!

17yo Alaia struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder and she’s taking a trip to Thailand with her parents to give her terminally ill mother a last trip of peace. Before they reach land, there’s an explosion on the yacht and her family is separated. Alaia and her mother wake up stranded on an island with ten others from the yacht. Things just get weirder and more dangerous as they discover they are on an island where Thai folklore comes to life. They soon find out that they are the main characters in the legends and they’re going to have to fight for their lives.

Likes/dislikes: I appreciate the folktales of Thailand resources the author shares at the end of the book. I enjoyed the premise of folktales coming to life. This book is a quick and easy read.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 38 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fight.
Ethnicity: Asian American is dominant. The yacht captain is white. Preston is white. Lola and Rae have warm brown skin. Elizabeth is white. Sylvie is Filipina.

Drawing from Thai folktales, this novel follows a young woman fighting with both her OCD and the last days of her mother's life. Because of her terminal cancer diagnosis, the family decides to take a cruise but finds that they are in the clutches of a mad scientist determined to bring magical powers out of people.

I really enjoyed the mash-up of folktales with Survivor vibes. Alaia shows such strength as she battles her mental health as well as the outside forces.

Well, that just wasn’t for me.

I rarely DNF books, but I’ve tried to read this book multiple time, and just couldn’t get into it. It’s actually been one of my goal this year to not force myself as much to read books that I feel like I’m forcing myself to read. I’ve read about 50% of it, and it just wasn’t for me. I just was expecting something a little different, based on the Squid Games meets Peter Pan comparison, but it didn’t really give me that vibe as much.

I truly think that this book will find its reader, but it just wasn’t me. I felt like I couldn’t get into the story.

I would like to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for generously providing me with access to this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Lotus Flower Champion" proved to be an enchanting and magical book, interwoven with captivating Thai folktales. It takes readers on a journey with twelve individuals stranded on a remote island, where they confront their emotions, strengths, fears, and adapt to the challenges of their harsh environment.
The portrayal of Alaia's character was particularly skillful. She is a young girl who, struggles with OCD, seeks solace in comfort of her parents and and burdened by the impending loss of her mother due to terminal cancer. Alaia's journey resonates with the challenges faced by many teenagers in similar circumstances. Her growth as she conquers her fears, learns to live independently and battles her OCD is portrayed with great depth and authenticity.
Bodin, my poor boy, didn't deserve his father's shitty behavior. However, the way he cares for Alaia with tenderness and love was heartwarming.
The supporting characters were equally delightful to follow, especially Mateo, Sylvie, and Rae.
Overall, it was a good read. However, at times I felt like the story telling could have used some improvements. The plot twist was a bit predictable and ending felt a bit rushed..

En bref, j'ai aimé le contexte et les personnages mais le début un peu long a freiné mon envie. Ils vont petit à petit comprendre ce dans quoi ils ont mis les pieds et vont devoir jouer sur l'entraide, les capacités et les croyances de chacun. J'ai apprécié les personnages, la façon dont ils se battent pour ce en quoi ils croient et les gens qu'ils aiment et on va petit à petit découvrir une mythologie que j'ai adoré et qui nous tient en haleine au travers de tous les détails que l'on visualise sans peine grâce aux mots des autrices. Le final est plein de surprises, j'ai eu une petite larme mais aussi le sourire. Un chouette moment en bonne compagnie !

Alaia and her parents go to Thailand as one of her mother’s last wishes before her cancer takes her away. They go on a yacht tour when suddenly the yacht starts sinking and they abandon ship. While on a lifeboat, they drink water that puts them to sleep and they wake up stranded on an island with the other survivors trying to figure out how to get off this island.

I’m not quite sure what to say about this book 😅

What I did enjoy is learning about Thai myths and their stories, which I found fun and interesting to read about. There’s a unique found family that occurs here, and some interesting magic that occurs.

I do feel like the book was a bit thrown together. I didn’t really understand why certain people were selected to be on this island to gain powers, it was very random. A lot of what happened kind of just happened and it was rather confusing to me, I guess the pacing was a bit abrupt and fast for me. Not enough world and character building for me.

It also seemed like it was two stories, a story about the island and a story about Alaia and who she is and about her learning to control her OCD. It was all kind of mushed together.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the romance. I mean it was okay, Bodin wasn’t my favorite, but it was a cute first love.

There were some twists, but I saw them from the beginning and some of the “evil” that occurred seemed a bit over the top, and excessive. Although, I have to say, when one is grieving, they may do things without thinking, so there is that.

Overall, it was an okay story. I mean it kept my attention and I wanted to know how it ended. It just wasn’t my favorite. Definitely was an easy read! And I recommend it since I know others would enjoy this unique story!

I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A good story makes you feel all kinds of emotions. This story makes you feel so many emotions. It does a great job of helping you understand the main characters anxieties. The folklore used to tie all of the characters together is interesting. The world building is good. I can't think of any complaints I would have. After I read about the authors, it made me like the book even more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book though I wouldn't classify it as YA. It seems more middle-grade to preteen. That being said, it was a fun and sweet read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve always wanted to read more from Pintip Dunn, and I was drawn to the blurb for The Lotus Flower Champion. I was also touched by the idea of her collaborating with her daughter, although the concept did mean the book was more likely to be hit-or-miss. Sadly, this book was more in the “miss” category, but there are still some things I enjoyed about it.
I loved the Thai folktale influences. I don’t know a ton about Thai culture, but I feel like I got a good feel for the folklore and even some of the customs. And having them distilled in a somewhat familiar tournament style setup was quite cool, creating a fast-paced read, and high-action environment for the characters to navigate.
I also really liked the insights into how Alaia navigated the world with OCD. I was particularly struck by one particular passage: “It’s strange: most kids crave independence from their parents, but to me, they’re safety. When I’m with them, it feels like things can’t go wrong. And that’s all I ever crave, really. For things to feel right.” That and a few other sentiments spoke to me, as while I don’t have OCD, I am neurodivergent, and I definitely feel that it has impacted how I navigate the world in a similar way. So, despite any other issues I had with this book, her character and how she was pushed from her comfort zone to take on new challenges absolutely made me feel seen.
But I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed otherwise. I did find myself excited by the action, but it felt mostly superficial, as the story otherwise didn’t have much impact. And for a book billed as a “romantasy,” any romance that was present felt very shallow and underdeveloped.
But this could also be chalked up to it being “too young” for me, and it’s doubly the case with one of the authors themselves being a high schooler. I am happy there are younger authors like Love Dunn coming on the scene and helping to curate YA to their taste, especially since it feels like publishers have gone out of their way to push teens out in order to appeal to older readers.
So, while I wasn’t super-won over by this book, I am still a Pintip Dunn fan and will continue to read books from her, and follow Love’s potential career prospects going forward. And if you’re a teen reader or shopping for a teen reader in your life, and looking for a fun romantic fantasy-adventure that takes influence from Thai folklore, I’d recommend checking this out!

The Lotus Flower Champion is a story written by the mother daughter duo of Pintip and Love Dunn. It is being marketed as Squid Games meets Peter Pan with folktales from Thailand in this contemporary thriller with a fantasy twist, featuring a Thai heroine. Seventeen-year-old Alaia knows one thing for sure: her mama is going to die of cancer and there's nothing she can do to stop time. She and her family are on vacation in Thailand, the last chance for Mama to find peace before she succumbs to cancer. Alaia has a goal of making her smile 121 times.

Alaia's final holiday with her mama and father is interrupted when she’s forced to evacuate a snorkeling cruise due to an explosion. Floating away to safety, Ali watches the boat explode with her father still onboard after he stayed to help a woman in labor. Ali drinks water and passes out on the lifeboat. She wakes up on an island with 11 others. Although beautiful, the fruit on the island is poisonous, no fish swim in the waters, and the lifeboat is gone. She, Mama, and the survivors are all trapped.

The survivors journey across the island in search of food, finding a cave with a maze, swirling red waters, crocodiles, and a magic crystal. To save himself from falling to his death, a young boy manifests into a crocodile. Xander, the boat’s captain and mad scientist who reminds me of Dr. Moreau, announces that they have all been brought here for a purpose. The island has been outfitted with horrific games and they must participate in them to win rewards that will aid in their survival. With no food, water, or shelter, Alaia has no choice but to win the games to keep Mama alive.

The survivors must manifest their abilities or everyone dies. As the survivors compete in the games and are pushed to their emotional limits, their abilities manifest. With each passing day, Alaia seems to be the only one who hasn't manifested any sort of latent power. With the dangerous scientist looking for the fabled Lotus Flower Champion who is said to be able to bring back the dead, as well as other powerful abilities, it seems as though it will take a miracle for her to survive and save herself and her Mama.

*Thoughts* This story is told using Thai folklore in which key characters discover that they are somehow linked to past glory and it is up to each of them, including Alaia, (not Alisara) to manifest before they are all killed by Xander. In many ways, the story is predictable since we all know that Alaia is the Mary Sue of the book and that she will find a way to manifest no matter what. The romance between Alaia and Bodin was cheesy to say the least. No matter how many times Bodin breaks her heart, or betrays her, they always seem to come back to each other. Also, I am not a fan of how this book ends. You struggle for days to get this great power, and then? (NO SPOILERS!) In many ways, I liked the fact that the co-authors used Alaia to be one with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It's a really thing, and many people look down on people who have this condition.

PS- The spelling of the characters name is not Alisara but Alaia. The date of release for this edition is October 31, 2023, not October 3, 2023 which should be edited on Goodreads and other places.

I really liked the main character Alaia and how real she felt, the description of her OCD was fascinating and how that affected her life. I had not read of Thai folk tales before and knew nothing of them so will probably do more reading on that subject. It was a decent read with some highlights but not making my top 20 list.

I love YA novels and this one will be gobbled up by a YA audience and anyone who likes YA novels! It kept me interested right from the start!

Nothing is quite as it seems when a mother’s wish to die peacefully back home in Thailand on a beautiful Island, turns into a nightmare when they go on a yacht excursion and end up trapped on a magical island.

Alaia, her mama, and 10 others must fight to find a way off this island where magic is running wild and their captor has set up traps for them. Can you trust anyone around you? Is anything what it seems?

Find out October 31st when this action packed, emotional YA novel is released!

Thank you Entangled Teen and NetGalley for this ARC!

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book starts off with Alaia and her parents going on a trip for her mother’s last request before she dies from cancer. Everything started out magically and they spent a lot of time together until one day they went out on a boat and nothing from that point went the way that they thought it would. Their boat starts to sink and when they board a raft, they find themselves drugged. When they awaken people from the boat are on a deserted island. Where nothing is as it seems, there are no animals or any people other than other people from the boat.

Everyone on the island soon finds out that they were not just washed up to this island, but everything was planned by an evil man who is running experiments on the survivors to see if he can find the only one that shows the powers of being The Lotus Flower Champion. Not only is Alaia and her mother together on this island with the other survivors but they cannot find her father and for Alaia that is even worse because she has OCD, and she struggles with things not being perfect, she is having to deal with being all around sand, dirty and no clean clothes. Alaia thought this was her hell, but she would soon find out that it was just the start.

I really enjoyed the mix of mystery and mythology in this book. I thought the author’s writing style was fresh and the plot was something that I have not read before. I loved that the survivors had to wait to develop their powers, and having to wait it out to see who got what was done well. I thought the Thia mythology was interesting to learn about and see how mythologies matched the survivors. There was some romance in this book, but it was more of a subplot, it was still there but it was more about Alaia and her disorder along with trying to unlock everyone’s powers.

I thought the author did an amazing job shining the light on OCD, I know a few people in life that have suffered with OCD. So, it was nice to an author add the real struggles that Alaia was/went through in this book. I enjoyed learning how Alaia coped with it, but more than that the strength that she had to help her overcome her moments when it was bad. I also enjoyed that the author added characters that didn’t know about OCD and ones that did and helped Alaia in moments that she was too far gone.

The other characters in the book were well developed and you can easily find their place in this book.

I did find that at times the book did slow-down in pace, and I found myself thinking about other things, but it didn’t last long and then I was hooked again.
If you like YA fantasy, mythologies, great rep on OCD, mystery, all with a little romance. You should pick this book up

I want to thank Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

At first, I was drawn to the cover of this book (Graphic Designer problems) and decided to check out the description, which caught my FULL attention: "This was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Thailand. One last wish for my dying mama. Instead, we're stranded on a lush, stunning island with ten strangers—held captive as Thai mythology unfolds around us…and within us."

Although The Lotus Flower Champion by Pintip Dunn; Love Dunn had a slow start, taking a couple of chapters to set up the world, the story eventually picked up pace and became more engaging but never fully caught me. It's heartbreaking because I did love so many aspects of it!

It is a YA fantasy book with a touch of romance, and I loved the touches of folklore and contemporary references. The book had high stakes for the characters (Your Hunger Games/Squid Games), and the hint of magic and mythology made it even more captivating and a great twist.

I recommend this book if you enjoy magic, competitive life-or-death situations, romance, and the YA writing style.