A powerful and poignant new book by Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu about family, romance, sex, shame, trauma, and how she found her voice on the stage.
Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. “Good girls don’t make scenes,” people warned her. And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold, emotional nature, she found an early outlet in local community theater—it was the one place where big feelings were okay—were good, even. Acting became her refuge, her touchstone, and eventually her vocation. At eighteen she moved to New York, where she’d spend the next ten years of her life auditioning, waiting tables, and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians.
Through raw and relatable essays, Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood. Her stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at being Asian American in the entertainment industry and the continuing evolution of her identity and influence in the public eye. Making a Scene is an intimate portrait of pressures and pleasures of existing in today’s world.
Overall Recommendation
A poignant collection of essays about different moments and time periods in Constance’s life, I thoroughly enjoyed the personal stories and lessons she drew from all these experiences she’s documented. Looking at both her childhood and the people/places that have shaped her into the woman she is, this isn’t just a book about being Asian in Hollywood but a well rounded story of the heart of Constance Wu and that makes it ever more so worth reading.
April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.
Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.
Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide… including a murder.
Another Ruth Ware, so of course I just had to get my hands on it. I heard some mixed reviews on this one, but I personally really enjoyed it! Overall it was quite the thriller, with all the expected literary baubles that I have grown accustomed to from Ruth Ware.
The IT girl revolves around our protagonist, Hannah, who was once friends with Oxford’s IT girl, April. Hannah came from a humble background but unexpectedly gets swept up with Oxford’s elites by virtue of being friends with April. All this comes crashing down when April is found dead and Hannah is never the same. The perpetrator is supposedly now dead, but everything changes when new facts come up suggesting that he may have been innocent. Hannah goes on a quest to discover the truth…which may lead to something she wished she didn’t know.
The characters were all excellent in this book. There were characters of all types among the friend group, and it stays as basically a closed room kind of scenario, so all the suspicious people are in sight (of course, everyone is suspicious). Most of the characters were well developed, and I felt that for the most part any or all of them could have been involved, and the plot was always thickening. I certainly enjoyed the character development and the intrigue surrounding all her friends.
A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.
Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.
With such a gorgeous cover, how could I not? I finally got around to this one and man am I glad I did. It was a wonderful mix of fantasy, romance, adventure, and intrigue, and honestly quite satisfying all the way through. I may or may not have shed a tear or two over this lovely story.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess revolves around our main character, Xingyin, who embarks on a long, long journey in the attempt to free her mother, who has been imprisoned by the Celestial Emperor on the moon. Xingyin must start all the way from the bottom and grow to challenge the emperor for her mother’s freedom. Through all the friends and terrors she meets along the journey, her powers and skills grow. But will they be enough through all the challenges she faces?
Truly an emotional journey, and all the characters that come in and out of the story really make it come alive. Each character felt quite real, and I thought that the connections that the main character maid were all quite believable, which really drew me in. The main character’s own growth arc and the relationships she specifically makes were certainly excellent, and one of the most inviting parts of this book. She does start off a little bit childish (but she is young to begin with), but her character strengthens and grows in a natural manner which made me root for her the whole way through.
The book is divided into three parts, yet I felt the transitions were fairly smooth and it almost didn’t need the segmentation. The plot was very well executed, I thought the pacing was pretty fast, and a lot of things happened in what felt like a very short time. I couldn’t help but race through this book in just two sittings! Perhaps nothing was particularly surprising, I still felt that the twists and turns were well executed and I couldn’t help myself but want to know how it ends and wishing the protagonist the best, which I think is a sign of a good book.
The world building was actually amazing. The mechanics of magic, and a lot of the mythical and fantasy elements were all well-explained. I found this extremely satisfying. It left enough to the imagination but also explained enough to seal loopholes. This is the best kind of world building; the kind where it makes me feel like I’m actually in the story, AND makes me interested to want to know more. Just enough information was given me to dangle and tempt me to want more.
I thought the romance was pretty well planned out, executed, and resolved. I don’t claim to be an expert on the romance parts of these kinds of books, but I felt really strongly for all the difficult choices that the protagonist faced, and honestly didn’t know what I would do in her position either. I thought this was another sign of great execution of plot! On the other hand, it was overall a bit predictable what would kind of happen in the end (or what I felt had to happen to have it resolve – lo and behold I was correct), but I wouldn’t take that away from the experience I still had reading through it!
Overall Recommendations
Daughter of the Moon Goddess revolves around our protagonist, Xingyin, daughter of an unfavoured immortal. She must by herself learn to brave the cruelties of the world and the intricacies of political drama and rise to the top if she wants to earn her mother’s freedom. Along the way she meets a plethora of friends, enemies, and people in between, and she must learn whom she can trust, and the price of trusting. If you’re into romance, fantasy, intrigue, and adventure, this is likely one for you!
The sequel, Heart of the Sun Warrior is coming out just around the corner, so if you have already read this one, look out for its sequel coming out November 15!
Down the Rabbit Hole 