DRAGON PEARL: Booksta Review
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Original Instagram post: June 26, 2021
How many books have you read that take Greco-Roman mythology and run with it? A lot? Me too. They’re some of my favorite books, and I get so excited when I hear about books that explore other mythologies. While I’ve known about the Rick Riordan Presents imprint for a long time, I had yet to read one of the books.
WHAT WAS I WAITING FOR?!
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee was absolutely delightful. It is a middle grade, sci-fi space opera with its share of epic space battles plus Korean folklore. Min, our hero, comes from a family of fox spirits. Fox spirits can shape shift and use charm magic and have not been trusted by the Thousand Worlds for a long time. When Min’s brother Jung is accused of treason because he is searching for the Dragon Pearl, an ancient terraforming relic, Min knows it can’t be right. She sets off to find her brother, clear his name, and bring him home. Min’s quest takes her through gambling dens, space pirate ships, and onto the Space Force ship where Jung served.
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My favorite thing about the world-building was the ship-technology. The ships have energetic meridians that control all of the functions. If something is blocking a meridian, then the things start to go wrong. Min observes that the meridians correspond to those in the body, as practiced in ancient medicine. That fusion of space opera and classic lore was just brilliant!
Lee also normalizes the gender spectrum, which is so important for young readers! Every one in the Space Force, or other law keeping forces, have color-coded name tags for pronouns. It is just there. No discussion, no debate. One of Min’s new friends is a non-binary dwarf who has a magic spork that summons snacks, especially shrimp crackers. I mean… c’mon! So fun.
Dragon Pearl is an example of the kinds of stories that we need more of for all readers: these books that show us that stories can easily transcend boundaries - that you can have a space ship that basically runs on qi and fox spirits as heroes rather than trickster villains. AND that girls and enbys can move through space as easily as boys.
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As an adult reader, this book feel a little flat for me. But I think my want for a bit more character growth really comes mostly from my age. I think this is an excellent book to give middle schoolers who love space and space adventure.
I also highly recommend the audio book. Kim Mai Guest is an excellent narrator.
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