Play Book Tag discussion

The Ghost Bride
by Yangsze Choo
3 stars

In late 1800s Malaysia Li Lan lives in diminishing financial circumstances with her academic-minded father, still mourning the loss of his wife in Li Lan's childhood. Her Amah, nurse to Li Lan's mother as well as herself, is more superstitious. An offer to become the ghost bride to the recently dead son of a very wealthy family starts Li Lan on a mysterious adventure through this life and the next.

This is a fiction book in my library, but it has many aspects of a teen novel, likely since the protagonist is a young woman coming-of-age. The explicit existence of ghosts and the afterlife is typical of fantasy, though here is strictly religious. It's also an adventure, but full of historical and cultural explanatory notes. It's hard to pin down, and I hesitated rating it very high, but I absolutely tore through it. It was such a fun read on a sunny afternoon that I finished it that evening.

The book was first published in 2013, with the author inviting readers to visit her blog in the afterword. My library's paperback edition had a cover advertising a Netflix series based on the book. I could see the story translating well into a teen adventure show, or perhaps an anime since the afterlife descriptions brought illustrations to my mind.

It was a 3-star read for me as well. Pretty good debut novel. I have not yet read her second novel - The Night Tiger - but have it on my tbr.

I am intrigued! Good review.

I absolutely loved the night tiger, by the way. More than a ghost bride!