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whatjasread's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An Arrow to the Moon had a rough start for me. I went into it with very different expectations, thinking it would be high fantasy rather than a simpler magical realism novel. YA novels that focus so much on the MCs going to school don't tend to work so well for me, it's just not what I enjoy reading. However, with the subtle elements of magic and the forbidden friendship-turned-romance element added to it, AATTM was a genuinely great read. Writing wise, the first third was a bit of a struggle for me -- if the whole book had been like the final third, I think this could have been five stars.
One of my favourite things about this book is that it doesn't shy away from important, difficult topics. They're not presented in an overwhelming or overbearing way, either. There's an argument to be made that it does fall too easily into the stereotype of the strict East Asian parent who is only ever focused on academic achievement and pushing their child to the limit. While it does, the book also pays important attention to political issues such as the Taiwan China conflict (which I'm genuinely intrigued about and will probably go and research more!) It also doesn't shy away from open discussion of periods - blood, cramps and everything in between. It seems like such a minor thing, but it's so important, especially in YA.
The ending was just phenomenal, I think if similar snippets had been woven throughout more than just in the journal, it would have been amazing and added a bit more to the story. I adore all the relationships in this book, particularly between Hunter and his younger brother Cody! There were some storylines which I didn't much care about (Rodney, mostly), but otherwise this book surprised me in a good way!
TWs: asthma attacks, racism, sexism, overbearing parents, strained family relationships, cheating, financial difficulty, child abuse, depression
One of my favourite things about this book is that it doesn't shy away from important, difficult topics. They're not presented in an overwhelming or overbearing way, either. There's an argument to be made that it does fall too easily into the stereotype of the strict East Asian parent who is only ever focused on academic achievement and pushing their child to the limit. While it does, the book also pays important attention to political issues such as the Taiwan China conflict (which I'm genuinely intrigued about and will probably go and research more!) It also doesn't shy away from open discussion of periods - blood, cramps and everything in between. It seems like such a minor thing, but it's so important, especially in YA.
The ending was just phenomenal, I think if similar snippets had been woven throughout more than just in the journal, it would have been amazing and added a bit more to the story. I adore all the relationships in this book, particularly between Hunter and his younger brother Cody! There were some storylines which I didn't much care about (Rodney, mostly), but otherwise this book surprised me in a good way!
TWs: asthma attacks, racism, sexism, overbearing parents, strained family relationships, cheating, financial difficulty, child abuse, depression
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Sexism, Torture, and Racism
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