Dnf 30%

Couldn't tell you why but I couldn't get into the book.
The vibes, the writing, the story, none of it pulled me in and made me want to read or even finish, sadly.

I really enjoyed this it was completely different from my usual reads, I decided to try and read quite different from my usual genre and I’m really happy that this was a pleasure to read and I’m definitely going to keep trying different genres as it’s working well so far, thoroughly recommended read.

Sadly a DNF for me. The story was just not a good pace for me
I tried multiple times to just restart and try get into it but it wasn't meant to be

What a great concept for a book! I have really been into Asian fantasy fiction and this one slid right on in. The story was great, and the characters were written well. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot.
There were a few spots that I got a little lost in, like a piece was missing in that part, but it didn't take away from the full picture of what the author was trying to say.
I look forward to more stories from this author in the future!

4/5 stars


Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Girl with the Hickory Heart by Lauren Nicolle Taylor is a YA fantasy told from the dual perspectives of two Asian women from different tribes. The story revolves around Lye, who is a slave to her Emperor, and is tasked with awakening the elemental powers of children who want to become fighters. The story also revolves around Luna, who lives with her brothers in a less-developed area. Also, Luna has a hickory heart.

"We don't belittle him, crush the ideas that spill from his mouth, or add stones to his guilt. Ben NI is the hopeful one. He dreams. He's uncorrupted. And we need him this way. So that when the pigs shrink to hide on bones, when the charred side of the village grows blacker and bleaker, we will remember what we were fighting to protect."

Overall, The Girl with the Hickory Heart is a YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. One highlight of this book were the Asian characters. I was excited to read a book with Asian or Asian-inspired names. I was also intrigued when the synopsis said that the island nation in the story is similar to a "wooden Hong Kong." Since my parents immigrated from Hong Kong, I wanted to know how the author would translate that setting into the book. I took 2 stars off, because the dual perspective POV didn't work for me. I didn't care about either of the characters and gave up on this book halfway through. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, you can check out this book, which is available now.

I LIKE IT. The concept was like nothing I've ever read before. There's some issues like inconsistencies, but the story was overall enjoyable.

For Luna, the price of peace in a time of war is a heart of hickory. But to have a hickory heart leaves no room for love. When the lives of her three brothers are tied to refugee siblings from the warring tribe, Luna must test the limits of her wooden heart, trust those she’s been taught to hate, and now she’s destined to destroy.

In an island nation akin to a wooden Hong Kong, two Asian women from warring tribes: Lye, a powerful slave of the Emperor and Luna, a Char defying tradition, must put aside their pasts in order to move forward.


The cover and the blurbs make me request this book but oh my...I'm so so disappointed. How I wish I dnf'ed this book. It really makes me struggle the whole time while I was reading this book.

The Girl with the Hickory Heart is a fun and exciting new YA story. Brimming with magic and action, this book puts an exciting new spin on the magic story genre.

This was a really epic and interesting story! I enjoyed the culture and development behind each decision and move the characters made. The idea of having these "wooden" type characters as a way to make them stronger in battle was super cool, and the flip-side of having elemental type powers for the enemy to battle... loved it. The only thing I struggled with was the writing style of the author. It was difficult for me to get through some parts because they used so many metaphors and descriptors it made my head spin. Otherwise a highly recommended novel!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Book was okay, the pacing definitely threw me off though. It was a struggle to get through at times. Magic system was interesting, wish it had showed up more throughout the story.

I'm a little behind in reviewing this book.

I felt like the magic system was very unique. The world building was decent. It was more of a character driven story for me. I wont' lie, I had a very hard time starting this story as it didn't grab me right in the first few chapters - it wasn't until maybe chapter 10 I started getting into it. I typically will DNF a book if it doesn't grab me by then.

The writing style was good - but perhaps starting with Lye first rather than Luna would've grabbed me. I felt like I wanted to know more about her from the very beginning of reading her chapter. Otherwise, decent read.

This is one of the most original, creative books I've ever read, and the unique premise was the reason I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it!

The magic/ability system is something I'd never seen before, and the explanations of how it worked were detailed enough to be helpful in understanding what the characters were doing, but not so overloaded with technical description that it took away from my engagement.

That being said, there were a few things that made this a bit tiresome to get through at times. The pacing was a bit like sitting in stop and go traffic--several entire chapters would go by with only interior character thoughts, or the same type of event/discussion repeated over and over, but then eight different inciting acts would be dumped into the next chapter or two. It made it difficult to stay engaged from chapter to chapter.

One other thing that really took me out of the story, but that probably doesn't even get noticed by the average reader, is the somewhat stilted dialogue that happens at times (not too often, but often enough that I found myself rolling my eyes every few chapters). Calling family members by their relationships (sister, little brother, younger brother, etc) in every line of dialogue; characters saying things that sounded inorganic as conversation because they were details that usually are told in narration ("your silky brown hair"; "a humble yet beautiful village"); and characters voicing their interior monologues for pages at a time.....I kept reading because the story was intriguing, but I stopped and started MUCH more often than I normally do, just to keep myself from shelving the book permanently without finishing.

Overall, worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, who provided me with an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

So I'm a little behind on this review but nevertheless I'm happy I took my time with this and gave it my full attention. The story starts off a bit slow but about 50% of the way in, the story picks up speed and things become so page turner, it was hard for me to put this down. I'm so glad I did and now I'm sitting there going - wait...there's more, right???

The world building of the story is clever. It reminds me a little of Avatar: Last Airbender meets Mulan though there were definitely major differences as well. This story is very interesting and I like that it's not from just one POV but two strong female characters. A few times, I worried over one of the character's spirals with self harm (warnings to that) but overall, there's a reason.

Definitely hope to read more of this story.

Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC with honesty.

My Rating: 4 stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed this tale. The character voices and magic systems felt unique and fascinating, and while I can understand people referencing Mulan and The Last Airbender, I feel like the story stands on its own well enough.

Bits I liked:
- strong female characters that develop throughout the story
- fascinating magic systems that felt well-rounded and unique
- lyrical writing that gave the POV chapters stand-out voices, with wonderful visuals and emotions
- the MC didn't compromise her aims/beliefs for the sake of a romance
- the small creature illustrations were lovely, though they didn't show up well on my kindle
- the world-building, history and cultures are well-crafted and I'd love to know more

Bits I liked less:
- needs some serious trigger warnings at the start for repeated self harm, talk of suicide and suicide attempts, along with misogyny, violence and death
- romance element was a little predictable and rushed, but I'm glad it didn't become the MC's main focus
- pacing was varied, which I liked most of the time, but it felt somewhat slow in parts
- similar to above, the ending is rapid and cuts off unexpectedly

It felt like a big cliffhanger at the end, but I read the majority of the book in one sitting, so clearly I was invested in the story and am excited for the next installment!

The reviews do seem mixed, and no book is for everyone, but I do feel like this is a book I would recommend. I feel the characters are interesting, believable and relatable, no matter your culture or background, and the fantasy elements are excellent.

I'll certainly be keeping my eyes out for the next installment! Thank you to Net Galley, Owl Hollow Press and Lauren Nicolle Taylor for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

THE GIRL WITH THE HICKORY HEART is a unique and beautiful story of two girls on opposing sides of a war, and how they both must unlearn what they have been told about each other in order to save the ones they love.

The story has a slow start that does much for characterization but that leaves world-building and plot lagging. The narrative is deeply embedded in the minds and emotions of Shen Lye Li and Char Luna: each girl is solid and steady in voice while showing distinct traits. Taylor's style is rich with metaphor and incredible new concepts; however, the pacing stays erratic throughout the story, never quite capturing a clear theme.

A definite recommend for fans of Mulan retellings, though the story isn't so simple as to be distilled into a "retelling." Overall, an enjoyable tale, driven largely by the wonderfully expressive voices of Lye and Luna.

I loved the novel story that is told in this book, the very well designed cover, a plot that begins to unfold slowly and without haste, but becomes more interesting as the story progresses until it reaches the point where it cannot be stop reading the book. If this book has a continuation, you can be sure I will read it!

Luna has never known peace in her Char village, for the Char and the Shen have been at war for generations. So when the call goes out that the Shen have broken their treaty, she enlists alongside her brothers to fight in the war, sacrificing her beating heart so that she will have the strength to do what is necessary.

I had so much fun with the worldbuilding in this, as it draws mainly from East and Southeast Asian influences. The island setting plus the unique magic systems that the Char and the Shen use are fascinating. I did feel that there were a few too many food analogies at times (e.g. one character's face crumples like a rice paper wrapper and that felt a little strange to me) but I loved seeing how the magic would manifest in the characters as they learned to use it.

I also enjoyed the character journeys of Luna and Lye as one grew to harden her heart while the other became more human. The important roles that their brothers played in the story really reinforced the value of family and added heart to the story amidst all of the war and conflict.

Unfortunately, this book sagged a bit in the middle, and the romance didn't quite feel earned. Alas, the cliffhanger ending is very painful and I look forward to the sequel!

☆☆☆ /5
(english review below)

C’est mitigée et quelque peu déçue que je ressors de cette lecture. Le pitch de départ est plein de potentiel et l’histoire plutôt intéressante. Mais avec le recul, peut-être avais-je trop d’attentes ?
¤
Pour Luna, le prix de la paix en temps de guerre est un cœur de bois. Mais avoir un cœur en bois ne laisse aucune place à l'amour. Lorsque la vie de ses trois frères est liée à celle de frères et sœurs réfugiés de la tribu en guerre, Luna doit tester les limites de son cœur et faire confiance à ceux qu'on lui a appris à détester. Maintenant elle est destinée à détruire.
Dans une nation insulaire semblable à un Hong Kong en bois, deux femmes asiatiques issues de tribus en guerre : Lye, une puissante esclave de l'Empereur et Luna, une tradition défiant les Chars, doivent mettre leur passé de côté pour avancer.
¤
Je n’en parlerai pas forcément en détail car je pense que ce roman est réellement plein de potentiel et qu’il peut plaire à beaucoup. L’univers est dense mais très intéressant. Dès le début, j’ai été intriguée par ces royaumes en guerre et l’histoire de cette nation insulaire. Aussi, le système de magie est incroyable ! J’ai été fascinée par la créativité et l’imagination de l’autrice, vraiment. Les informations à propos de la magie présente dans le roman m’ont fait rêver et j’ai trouvé le style d’écriture poétique et beau. Cette histoire d’union entre deux personnes qui normalement et historiquement parlant doivent se détester m’a beaucoup intéressée dans l’intrigue.
Pourtant, j’ai eu énormément de difficulté à trouver de l’intérêt aux personnages. Peu importait si je m’y attachais ou non, je n’arrivais quand même pas à les apprécier ou à les détester. Ils m’ont laissé de marbre et j’ai trouvé qu’il manquait un petit quelque chose dans chacun de leur personnalité pour que l’intérêt soit là. Et c’est en ayant du mal à les voir aller dans l’histoire, que j’ai fini par me perdre aussi au fil des pages.
Sans vouloir paraître crue et en même temps ne trouvant pas d’autres façons de le dire, les personnages me paraissaient sans éclat face à l’incroyable univers dans lequel ils évoluaient. Et ce déséquilibre qui m’a malheureusement désarçonné durant ma lecture.

-----------
ENGLISH REVIEW:

It’s mixed and somewhat disappointed that I get out of this reading. The starting pitch was full of potential and the story quite interesting. But looking back, maybe I had too many expectations?
¤
For Luna, the price of peace in a time of war is a heart of hickory. But to have a hickory heart leaves no room for love. When the lives of her three brothers are tied to refugee siblings from the warring tribe, Luna must test the limits of her wooden heart, trust those she’s been taught to hate, and now she’s destined to destroy.
In an island nation akin to a wooden Hong Kong, two Asian women from warring tribes: Lye, a powerful slave of the Emperor and Luna, a Char defying tradition, must put aside their pasts in order to move forward.
¤
I won't necessarily go into detail about it because I think this book is really full of potential and that it may appeal to many. The universe is dense but very interesting. From the start, I was intrigued by these warring kingdoms and the history of this island nation. Also, the magic system is amazing! I was fascinated by the author's creativity and imagination, really. The information about the magic present in the book made me dream and I found the writing style poetic and beautiful. This story of an union between two people who normally and historically must hate each other really interested me in the plot.
Still, I had difficulties finding interest in the characters. It didn't matter if I got attached to them or not, I still couldn't seem to like or hate them. They left me unmoved and I found that there was a little something missing in each of their personalities for the interest to be there. And it was when I struggled to see them go down in the story that I ended up getting lost over the pages as well.
Without wanting to sound crude and at the same time finding no other way to put it, the characters seemed dull to me in the face of the incredible universe in which they lived. And this imbalance which unfortunately surprised me during my reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I had the immense pleasure of reading this absolute masterpiece because it is nothing less than one. Lauren weaves this story so naturally and effortlessly that I'm left spellbound. Her writing style was easily the biggest thing in this book that made me love it. Absolutely lyrical. Her words felt at home in my heart and I'm forever grateful for that. The characters were unlike any I've read before. They had dept and were complex as all should be. The family bonds and friendship were beautifully written. It was amazing to have the experience of being in a different land without actually going there because it felt exactly like that. Thank you Lauren for writing the book of my heart.💖
4.75🌟

3.5 round to 4 stars

While this was a fun read, I think I went into it with too high of expectations. I was sold off of the blurb alone when it said “Mulan meets Avatar the last air bender” and was expecting an instant 5 star read… which is my bad.

Still a fun story with a cool magic system and new characters to love. Would recommend.