Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee is a space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. To keep the family safe, Min's mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times. Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She's counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds. When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name. Min's quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
Dragon Pearl is so much more than I expected. It is a coming of age adventure full of science fiction, mythology, and more. I loved Min's character- she has her faults but is willing to admit them (at least to herself). While in most cases she is reactive to the world around her, she also takes steps in a proactive way when she can. I liked the collection of characters and that no one is fully what they seem- there is good, bad, and mistaken inside every character. I really loved the amount of fantasy and mythology that is woven through an adventure travelling between planets. Ghosts, goblins, dragons, other supernatural characters on spaceships and being people with flaws and the urge to help themselves and/or others made even the most unexpected character real. There were plenty of twists and turns along the way, and lots of personal character growth for Min. I simply loved the read and am sad only in the fact that I finished the book, and that it took me so long to start reading it!
Dragon Pearl hits all the right notes of science fiction and fantasy for me. The characters and adventure blew me away and I cannot wait to see what Min and Jun get up to next.
