July 18, 2023 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Melony's parents moved from Japan to Oregon after unfortunate incidences in the father's childhood lead them to believe that the US would be a safer place to raise their daughter. They are very overprotective and overly concerned about everything that Melony does. At one point, she is so frustrated that she wishes for her freedom. She hears whispers in the backyard asking her what price she would be willing to pay, and she says that she's willing to give anything. School is difficult, since there are not many other students of Asian descent, and there are two boys (whom she calls Miasma and Scat) that constantly make fun of her. For instance, her name is Uriko, but the boys call her Urine. Her name means "melon", which is what prompted her Americanized name, and her father frequently tells her the Japanese folktale "The Melon Princess and the Amanjaku". When a new girl, Chloë Yoshida, starts at her school, Melony is wary at first, even though she hopes that her parents will let her hang out with Chloë since she is also Japanese. Her parents let Chloë come to their house, and it isn't long before they allow Melony to go to the Yoshidas. The girls have a great time, but then something strange happens. Melony hears whispers in the bakyard again, and has been seeing owls come and go, but a creature shows up claiming to be Jack Amano, and Melony recognizes him as Amanjaku, the evil demon who caused the problems in her father's village. The demon takes the form of Chloë, and is soon helping Melony defy her parents, get revenge on the boys at school, and find a little more freedom. But at what price? She angers Chloë, and the demons behavior becomes more and more evil. Will Melony be able to escape its grasp, or will her life devolve into chaos?
Strengths: Melony's irritation at the restrictions of her parents is one which will resonate with many young readers, although I have to side with her mother on the issue of thrift store clothing with purposeful rips in them; no matter how cool it looks, it's not going to hold up well! They restrict her food, control her activities, and provide her with a basic cell phone only so she can communicate with them. It was good to see her make a friend in Chloë, whose parents were farther removed from their Chinese culture and gave Chloë a lot more freedom. The Amanjaku is an insidious demon; it's hard to hate something that gives you everything you desire, even when the evil becomes apparent quickly. This does take a spooky turn at the end that is somewhat reminscent of Hahn's The Thirteenth Cat. It's interesting that Brown loved the traditional tale so much that she wanted to adapt it and update it.
Weaknesses: The story isn't as scary as the cover might indicate.
What I really think: This is not like Brown's first two books, While I Was Away or Dream, Annie, Dream, which were both historical fiction that dealt with cultural and racial issues. I've seen this compared to Doll Bones, How to Trap a Tiger, and I would argue that it's even a bit like Reese's Every Bird a Prince.
No comments:
Post a Comment