Reviews

The Moonlight Palace by Liz Rosenberg

iamthatonechick's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

reading_giraffe's review against another edition

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2.0

This book was in many ways just ok. The plot was fairly interesting and kept me reading further but but was not remarkable in any way. My biggest problem with this book was that it constantly felt like it was written from the perspective of a culture tourist. There were numerous instance of information dumps where the author used phrases like: this is how things were done here or this is how it was in Singaporean culture. These made the book feel forced as though some who had just returned from sightseeing in Singapore was trying to show me what they had learned. This subtracted from the believability of the narrator and made the story much less enjoyable.

emilyjb's review against another edition

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3.0

An enjoyable story, but underdeveloped. I recommend it with one reservation: it is too short for the reader to appreciate the characters. It was, however, pleasant and well written.

mindyb33's review against another edition

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4.0

good book

This was a good fiction book slow at first but entertaining satisfied reading could imagine the characters in the book

snwsandy's review against another edition

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2.0

I chose this book from the Kindle First selection since it was a historical fiction set in 1920s Singapore. Having been to Singapore, I thought it would be more descriptive about what was happening during this timeframe in Singapore and the changes. Although it talks about the palace itself, it glosses over what was going on within Singapore and the impacts of Muslims, Chinese and more. Also, the characters were not so identifiable and the relationships among them seem so unlikely. The main character who has been sheltered most her life doesn't really grow much beyond her hidden world. The stories were left so open-ended that I just grew tired of it. Hidden romances weren't explained. A lover that betrays somehow just conveniently disappears at the height of the story. A terrorist act is glossed over by just deporting the guy. The jewelry shop owner had mysterious relationships that were never explained. And it goes on like this...It would have been a good story if it had been developed better.

leeleew's review

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2.0

I had to put this one down. Not my kind of book

ananya343's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

lorimichelekelley's review against another edition

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3.0

Audible edition: Interesting enough story, but never really engaged. I never really cared about the characters much, and it was really more of a telling rather than a showing, so it never created an atmosphere. Also, the narrator was straight up American, which is a rather lame choice for a British, Chinese, Indian-muslim Singaporean girl.

wubbarub's review

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4.0

Coming of Age?

Agnes must find a way to save the ancestral home in which she grew up. Both of her parents and her brother, the last hope for a male heir, died in the palace. Agnes learns some of life’s hardest lessons along the way in this engaging story.

tikitami's review against another edition

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2.0

Least favorite read this year. Just did not get involved with the characters. Had a few good moments.