This is one of the best YA books I've read in a long time! It's like survivor meets Thai folktales! I absolutely adored Alaia and loved the OCD representation.

This is an interesting take on bizarre Thai folktales, but it has a slow start. Once things are in motion in the story I didn't get the promise of Squid games and fantasy. There was never a high stakes feel. A character might get to a point of expecting death or even injury, but it never came nor even any significant consequence. Sure there were scrapes and bruises and a hint of being hungry for a short period of time. Perhaps, that's because it is a YA book? The lack of consequence kind of makes some of the experiences fall flat. I enjoyed watching the heroine's growth and discovery when faced with adversity but did not connect much with the other characters. The strongest character development of the story was Alaia's OCD learning to handle it when she doesn't have time to allow it to get the better of her.
What followed was an adventure for sure, but it moves slow. The interesting twists to figure out what was going on were delightful but it's a lot of effort for a slam-bam finish since a lot of the story happens in the last third of the book.
The writing is enjoyable with the expectation this is a YA novel. This is a clean, adventurous YA novel with fascinating use of Thai folktales.
Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled for providing this ARC for an honest review.

This was both very different from typical YA literature and still felt all the same - the biggest surprise was probably that the main protagonist Alaia has OCD and the book both explores her and her condition really beautifully, making sure that people who not have OCD can understand her struggles and also see how strong she is when she learns how to work with her condition. While Alaia is written quite well and in-depth, this makes all the other not so well characterised castaways seem less than actual people but more like walking two or thee word character descriptions. So it comes to no surprise that most of the personal conflict falls quite flat.
Plot wise there is a lot to say. The book keeps comparing itself to ‘squid game’ and ‘Peter Pan’ and both are not really true. But it tries to follow the typical trope of „castaways surviving in a game-like environment with one big bad who has been controlling everything from the beginning” and is very predictable with it’s plot. Both the romance and th character developments, deaths and who is going to be the Lotus Flower Champion are quite easy to guess from the beginning. The myths are interesting by themselves but a quick look at the source material reveals that the book uses quite many without real depth or accuracy to the real stories to further the plot.

The writing style could use some work in parts but I overall enjoyed reading this book, even if it has its flaws and doesn’t work for me all the way through.

The Lotus Flower Champion by Pintip Dunn is a fantastic Young Adult Novel.

The main character Alaia has OCD. This is a great representation for mental health conditions.

Alaia's mother's dying with is to go to Thailand. That is where things go badly. The ship goes down and Alaia is on an island with 11 other survivors, her mom included.

This is when the magic/myth/lore come in. It was kind of like the TV show Survivor, pushing the survivors' limits to expose Thai folklore secret abilities.

This was such a unique spin on magical abilities and myths.

There were a variety of characters and I really enjoyed each and every one of them.

This is such a fun novel that I really enjoyed.

Dating Makes Perfect was one of my favorite books of 2021, so I was really excited when I saw another Pintip Dunn book available here! The Lotus Flower Champion is completely different from Dating Makes Perfect but it's still a good read! I really liked the book conceptually, my only problem was that I couldn't liked much of the characters, which spoil the experience a little in this style of book in my opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to enjoy this book - it has such an interesting premise. The selling point of reading this was "Squid Games meets Peter Pan" aspects of the plot, however, they fell completely flat for me. The vivid setting and descriptions of the backdrop of Thailand and the deeper dive into the folklore was the main thing I enjoyed about this book.

3 ⭐️

The supporting characters, plot and dialogue were the main parts I had a problem with. Even as a YA novel, the dialogue was extremely childish. The first 30% was extremely slow and I really had to skim to get through it. Once the bulk of the plot started rolling, there were several twists I did not necessarily see coming which was a nice change from the extremely predictable beginning.

Overcoming and adapting to topics like grief and mental illness
OCD Representation
Easy, quick YA read
Adventure & Romance
Thai folklore
Hint of Magic

The Lotus Flower Champion publishes October 31, 2023! Great for a younger YA or pre-teen audience.
Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for this digital galley in return for my honest review.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Lotus Flower Competition was an interesting read, as it was my first time reading about thai mythology, however I don't think I was the best target audience, as I often found myself losing interest just enough that I wasn't itching to pick the book back up after breaks. I feel like the pace was slightly rushed/the story would do well with a slightly younger reader than myself. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This was a really easy read. It dives into Thai mythology when the premise of being stranded on an island to unlock supernatural powers. I actually would have liked a bit more gore considering the story line but nonetheless it was a good young adult novel.

I liked the abundance of characters although it was sometimes hard to keep track of.

The challenges were entertaining but some parts were quite slow. I think I would have liked a bit more natural dialogue about how certain powers manifest according to specific Thai myths instead of one of the characters telling us the answer because she majored in Asian mythology.

The protagonist also has OCD and I think the novel did a good job in portraying the disorder and having to learn to live with it.

4.5 Stars!! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever rated a ya book this highly before but honestly following the characters and their journey was the best thing I’ve experienced. This book had me hooked from the get go and I 100% recommend it. Thank you to the publishers on NetGalley for letting me read a copy of this amazing book!

I really wanted to like The Lotus Flower Champion more than I did. Although it was an easy read, it felt a little rushed. I enjoyed the way that Thai mythology was interspersed throughout and being exposed to some of those stories was wonderful. Alaia is a wonderful character that overcame some very large obstacles (personal and external) that would've taken a weaker spirit down. There were several twists and turns that made you wonder where the story was going to take her which were well thought out. I just felt like this book could've slowed down a bit more to take time with the characters and their feelings and give the story a bit more room to fully develop.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me this ARC!

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the book. The story felt stiff, disjointed and weird. The characters are way too cartoonish, the dialogue is VERY weird in places and their reactions to what unfolds in front of them is unnatural.

the Thai folktales and description of OCD were the only saving grace for this book for me. I would be interested though to read more books from the authors.

No escape. Follow the rules. And don’t count on reality—in this uniquely vibrant romantasy from NYT bestselling author Pintip Dunn and daughter Love Dunn…

This was fine, nothing special. I didn't hate it but I don't know that I would necessarily recommend it.

I didn’t know what to expect when going into this book, I wanted to read it solely based on the cover and I can honestly say that I don’t think I read the description for it before I started reading it. I found this book to have a slower start and it took a couple chapters to set up the world before the story really started to get good. Once we got to the boat, the story just kept getting better and better. This book is a YA fantasy book with a hint of romance and it was as if Lord of the Flies was combined with asian folklore. I have always found asian folklore to be some of the most interesting stories and it’s always weird to see how stories differ in different regions of the world, and the asian ones have some of the best. The fact that this book had such high stakes for the characters and a hint of magic, really kept my focus on never wanting to put it down. I can honestly say that the plot twists really got me, I was caught off guard when everything was revealed. But wow, this book was such a good read, I highly recommend it if you like magic, escape rooms, life or death situations, romance, or high stakes in books.

The Lotus Flower Champion is an enjoyable read. It is described as Squid Games meets Peter Pan. I can understand why, but its a stretch. Once I stopped thinking I was going to get a sense of Squid Games I enjoyed this much more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this book.

The book was a hard read for me. I am not into Thai mythology and just had a very hard time getting into this book.

The book s not fast paced and almost totally lost my interest. Not sure what could be done but it just did not engage me and I really tried to become invested.

I found myself putting it away, coming back and, rereading chapters.

I finished, but it just wasn't interesting to me in any way.

Maybe for someone interested in this subject, it would be different.

Two stars for me. Would not recommend.

The Lotus Flower Champion was a wild ride. I can honestly say that for the entire book the only thing I felt like I could predict was who became the champion. The story definitely keeps you guessing as you try to figure out the fate of each of the castaways. There were so many things I enjoyed about this book and a couple things that just fell short in my opinion.

Things I liked:
It was so nice to see representation of what dealing with OCD can look like and how it affects your day today. The character growth Alaia experienced was also written very well. I also really enjoyed the fact like I there were several twists that I didn’t see coming when usually I feel like I can predict what happens next. The use of Thai folktales was really interesting too as I have know prior knowledge to such things.

Things I didn’t like:
At times I felt like the pacing was strange. It felt a little clumsy to read through. If anything this would be what knocked a star off my review and kept the rating from 4 stars to more like 3.5 stars. It took me a while to get interested enough to sit and binge read mostly because of the writing style.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and would recommend for a preteen to teenage audience.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy from Entagled Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and options are my own.

Unfortunately this wasn't the "squid games meets Peter pan" that it was marketed as. I think that if it wasn't marketed that way I honestly would have rated it higher but if you go into something with a very specific expectation and it feels to meet that you feel a little dissatisfied with the book. It was also a bit more middle grade than I was expecting.

I absolutely loved all of the folklore. It was the shining star throughout the entire book and I could have read pages upon pages of it. The writing itself was also fantastic. The way things were written out gave them almost a magical feel to it. Add that in with the vivid descriptions and you easily have a very clear picture of what's being described to you and that's something that I love in books. Being able to clearly see what I'm reading in my head as I read.

It's by no means a bad book. I just went into it thinking it was going to be something completely different so I was a bit let down. It's still an extremely enjoyable read.

Rated 3.5 Stars

The Lotus Flower Champion was an enjoyable read but it didn't work for me all the way. The challenges grated on my nerves after a while. I got the point of them and even though I loved seeing the growth, strength and resilience come forth in the heroine I still found them annoying. I wasn't all the way sold on the romance either. It felt lacking in some ways while also being cute and sweet. What I did like was the infusion of Thai folklore into the story and the edge of the seat moments of which there were a few. While this didn't fully work for me I am interested in reading other books by these authors.

I received this ARC in exchange for a fair review.

CW: conversations around death and dying, loss of a parent, cancer, child abuse and neglect

This was such a great read! It's full of magic and myths! It's diverse and full of twists and turns. An island where X-men meets Maze Runner and entwined in Thai folklore. And representation of mental disorders as the main character Alaia has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, I cannot speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of the condition since I do not have it myself.

Alaia's mother is dying of cancer and to give her one last moment of true peace before she passes, they head to Thailand for one final adventure. While on a sightseeing cruise, the ship goes down after explosions in the engine room compromise the ship's integrity. The last thing Alaia remembers is getting on the lifeboat before waking up on a sandy beach in the middle of the ocean. Eleven other survivors are with her, including her mother. A series of events reveals that they're here for a purpose: to push them to their emotional and physical limits in hopes of revealing hidden abilities all around Thai folklore. Many refuse to play the game of their captor who has set up the island in such a way as to facilitate their research and experimentation.

I liked the variety of magical abilities. They weren't your typical set of pyromancy, telekinesis, and shapeshifting. Some served a single purpose and others were fairly useful. I don't want to give too much away without spoiling the adventure but I will say one character either spews flowers or worms from her mouth depending on the words she says and another person can turn into a crocodile!

As someone who is very close to her mother, this book definitely keeps me on the edge of my seat because I already struggle with the concept of losing my mother. I can't imagine what Alaia's going through knowing her mother is dying.

I like that every character gets a moment in the story. Something that highlights who they are. Not many stories do that I feel. It's like once those characters are introduced, they just remain in the periphery until they're needed again. My favorite characters were Mateo and Sylvie who show so much strength and spirit throughout the story.

I also liked how my questions were actually answered. I have a habit of looking for continuations of details that are brought up and love when I get answers to them. If I don't, it tends to impact my review without me realizing it. (whoops!)

Ok, clearly you see this isn't a 5-star review so let's talk about the things that weren't my favorite.
-I didn't think that they went as in-depth with the myths as they could have. There were definitely some stories told, but not all of them.
-I wanted to love Rae. I think she's still a strong character but she went back and forth from being this (pardon the phrase) badass to being "the mean girl". She'd redeem herself and then say something pretty crappy.
-There's a plot twist that I won't go into specifics of but it basically happens twice and as good as a gotcha moment is, it's less effective the second time. Kinda ruins the vibe because then you're just looking to have it happen a third time.
-There's also a scene towards the end that I wish we had dwelled on just a little longer. To really feel in that moment. Granted, I'm sure it would have ruined me if it did, but it just happened so fast I think it would've been more impactful on the reader if we held that moment just a little bit longer both before and after.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the read!

This was a great read! The cover instantly drew me in and I fell in love with the story right away.

The co-writing was good and overall it was well written. I really enjoyed the concept with Thai mythology.

The authors did a fabulous job of bringing the world to life with their amazing descriptions. I felt like I was right there with the characters.

I definitely reccomened this to any YA reader who likes an easy read with a bit of magic and lore!

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read this ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.