This book is about a girl and her journey of finding ones self. I think this book would be good to have for middle school aged students due to the size and reading level of the book. In addition, I think that the themes of discovering ones self are very applicable for middle school aged students, because developmentally, I feel they would be able to resonate well with the book.

I started out with the audiobook, but I did not like it at all. The narrator's inflections were unusual and overall her voice wasn't engaging for me. It was nice to know how to pronounce words I'd never heard before, but I enjoyed the print book a lot more.

When I switched to print, I couldn't put it down. It's easy to compare this book to things I love: MOANA, [b:Where the Mountain Meets the Moon|5983694|Where the Mountain Meets the Moon|Grace Lin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549333297l/5983694._SX50_.jpg|6157354], and the Rick Riordan Presents books. I like a good scare, too, and this had some nightmarish creatures. I could see Guillermo del Toro making this into a movie.

The second-person interludes ("You are a Sanlagitan.." etc.) were a great way to establish the fantasy world (while also building empathy in young readers). I'm not familiar with Filipino folklore, but that did not interfere with my enjoyment of the story -- though I'm sure knowing the folklore enhances a reader's appreciation of Kelly's imagination.

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Mystical, dark dystopian story about a young girl's strength and vision to change her community. Filled with dark magic and fables.
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Not my cup of tea. Too much sadness and death, for one. Lalani, Veyda, and Cade are relatively likable, but I still didn't feel particularly attached to them. Other characters were unlikable or frustrating.

Don't get me wrong, though; the book is creative and well-written. Kids who like fantasy and (old-school) fairy tales and some sorrow will enjoy it. I'm just not one of those. ( )

Lalani lives on an island where the women must spend their lives mending fishing nets and fearing the deadly disease some contract from pricking themselves with the needles, while the men rule. The natural environment on the island is just as harsh: it hasn't rained in so long that crops are failing and there's not enough drinking water, and they live in the shadow of a mountain they all think is inhabited by a monster and a mountain spirit who's easily angered. Circumstances worsen, especially for young Lalani, to the point that she decides to sail for the fabled land to the north for aid on a mist-filled sea that has yet to allow anyone who has attempted the journey to return.

Not my favorite of Kelly's books, but still pretty darn good. Think Moana but slightly darker and with a slightly more intricate set of fantastical beings. ( )