The Pearl Hunter was a gorgeous Asian mythology-based young adult novel that I absolutely devoured. I loved the characters, and this felt like a very character-driven story to me which I typically enjoy. Definitely one I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good fantasy!

Such a beautiful story. Full of characters with fully fleshed out backstories and understandable voices. I really enjoyed this book.

High fantasy, Asian folklore, young adult book. It was good :) The book follows the characters Kai and Kishi, who are pearl divers. They are considered unlucky, and as much was true when Kishi was killed by a ghost whale. Super interesting story, I would recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Pearl Hunter is a fast-paced adventure I initially couldn't put down. When her twin sister is killed by the Ghost Whale, Kai will do anything to save her sister Kishi, including making a deal with the gods to steal the Fox Queen's pearl. Kai's journey is filled with danger as she encounters bandits and other entities but she faces each head-on because of her love for Kishi.

Kai's anguish over her sister's death was one I felt deeply. I don't know what I would do if something happened to my sister--I'd probably also try to make any deal I could. Kai is a resilient character, and I kept rooting for things to go her way--there were some calls.

While I mostly enjoyed the novel, the pace is somewhat inconsistent. It slowed in the middle, making it hard to binge read like I normally do. I almost wished it had started off slower to temper my expectations for the middle.

It's a magical adventure with Japanese myths woven throughout. Fans of East Asian myths, the bonds of sisterhood, and stories focused on journey may enjoy the book. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

I don't read middle grade books all too much but I thought this one was a cute one. I like how the main characters are twins and I really enjoyed both of them and their dynamics.

NormAlly books like this are right up my alley. I love mythology and hearing stories from other cultures. And while the writing style and imagery of this is beautiful I found myself not gripped by this story.
Kai was kidnapped for over half the book and didn’t really seem to mind or think about trying to escape. Kishi was rude and treated her sister horribly.

The end felt rushed and vague. Overall this wasn’t the book for me

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this entry in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Beck does not hold back on the grave reality of the task Kai undertakes to rescue her twin sister. Even though I loved the story, I did find the ultimate conclusion a bit confusion and dissatisfactory, especially when it comes to the character of Ren.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. It's a fun adventure and I enjoyed Kai and Ren as characters. There are some issues here right out of the gate. There are inconsistencies with timing during travel and things like that. There were also some things that happened that didn't seem plausible, like the meetings with the Gods at the beginning...for some reason no one else in the world really believes they exist but our main character just takes interacting with them for granted?

An absolutely lovely tale of one girl's journey to save her twin. It is filled with characters from Japanese folklore, with plenty of twists to keep readers guessing what will happen next. I adored the main character and her determination to save her sister. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an adventure filled story, particularly one inspired by Japanese folklore.

This novel is about a young girl who goes on a journey to save her sister. I really liked Kai. She was strong, independent, and caring. The story was very slow and repetitive at times. The main villian’s motives to capture Kai did not make sense. I also did not like the ending because it seemed like a cliffhanger. Hopefully, there will be a sequel to tie up loose ends. I recommend this novel for fans of Shadow of the Fox, Six Crimson Cranes, and Kitsune!

The Pearl Hunter has a lot of positive elements going for it - a story based on pre-Shogun era Japan, strong familial relationships and the changes happening therein, magical creatures and mythical gods, and a classic adventure quest! I enjoyed this story quite a bit until the ending, but first, a couple things to point out:

* I'm not sure how old Kai and Kishi are supposed to be.

* The book reads like a Middle Grade and the writing is lovely and atmospheric, but also light in that way Middle Grade books often are. However, there's a lot of violence, death, blunt threats against our young (?) main character, a casual mention of suicide as the honorable choice (per historic Japanese culture), plus a scene of animal euthanasia.

* The pacing moves very quickly and certain events are not given much depth or rumination (which I found fun, but at times felt a bit rushed). Think similar to the pacing in Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the story! It read very quickly, and I was invested in Kai's quest to rescue her sister.

Unfortunately, where I had the most difficulty was in the last couple of pages. The book ends abruptly, and it genuinely feels like a chapter is missing. I was expecting a happy ending, given the general tone of the story, but the ending is sour. There is a lot left unexplained and unknown, and it truly left a bitter taste on my tongue, like tea steeped too long. I'm not sure why this particular plot move was made, and while in hindsight I may see a tiny bit of foreshadowing (maybe?), I nevertheless did not find the ending satisfying in the least.

However, I will be looking out for any future books Beck writes, as I did enjoy this debut despite its perceived shortcomings in my mind!

A tale of a twin who would do anything for her sister.

The Pearl Hunter by Miya T. Beck is a standalone novel and was an intense ride that a sister would go for her own twin. This is the story of a girl named Kia who has a twin sister named Kishi. Both are pearl hunters but one day, Kishi is taken and killed by the ghost whale. Kia cannot accept this so she makes a deal to get her sister back, but can she actually do it?

This has to be one of my favorite reads this year. Not only is there action, a quest, and lots of fantastical creatures, there’s a sisterhood story at the root of it. I love that it had a focus on twin girls during a time when this was not a good thing. Additionally, the fact that there’s so much Japanese culture mixed and interwoven into the story. I loved the empowered body Kia has automatically and the lengths she goes to save her sister.

It’s also rooted in deep concepts such as loss, grief, and acceptance or lack thereof. Friendships even come about in the process. There’s so much the Kia experiences that help her grow, it’s another coming of age story, too.

I’d recommend this for young adult readers starting around 14. Anyone who is interested in sisterhood, quests, and friendship, this is for you.
*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of The Pearl Hunter from Miya T. Beck via NetGalley

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- this was a solid story, filled to the brim with Japanese legends, an intriguing exploration of pearl diving, and a sister trying to get her twin back. this is a story for those who love adventure and familial love.

In The Pearl Hunter, Miya T. Beck brings Japanese fairy tales to life in a beautiful fantasy world. Following Kai and Kishi, twin sisters from a pearl diving family, the narrative brings in gods, goddesses, mythical creatures, and stories, all of which help Kai on her journey to bring her sister Kishi back from the dead. Full of clever, kind, and cunning characters, Beck’s pre-Shogun Japan-inspired world is dynamic and thriving, full of adventure, peril, and wonder. Her characters are lively and fascinating, as are the platonic relationships between Kai, her family, and the people she meets along her journey. A classic fantasy adventure novel with a strong female lead, Beck has created a wonderful world populated with charming characters and creatures. Her prose is also wonderful, bringing the many aspects of her fantasy world to life, and she seamlessly weaves Japanese fairy tales and mythology into her narrative, adding further dimension to the text. Beck’s narrative, characters, relationships, and world are quintessential YA fantasy, and this book is a great point from which to introduce a sequel or a spinoff. The Pearl Hunter is a brilliant YA fantasy novel that immerses the reader in Beck’s beautiful world.

Although I love asian folklore I'm not well acquaintance with Japanese folklore but I sure did enjoyed it a lot. This is the story of two sisters that picked up after their mothers job and after one of them gets into serious trouble the other one will realize the lengths she'll go to save her sister.
I feel like the story was well written and the world building was really interesting although that there were a few things that did not keep up. I really liked how unique the characters and their motivations were and how important each were to the overall sense of the story.

~3.5 stars

So to start this review, I won’t say I loved this book but I did like it. Yes, I know it’s middle grade and it’s a tad bit shorter but the pacing felt a little off. It was too fast in most spots. A conflict would happen and for the most part it would be resolved by the end of the chapter.

What I did really enjoy was the relationship between the sisters and the strong female presence of the pearl diver’s culture.

Women like them are sneered at by other people, other men, but they truly don’t care. They can support themselves and feel no need to dress up in the style of the other women and give up their culture. And the men they do marry become seen as less than, weak. And they don’t care. We love supportive men!

Our main character has a twin and they’re very close. Close in the kind of way where that person has the innate ability to aggravate the absolute crap out of you. They would finish each other’s sentences, tell stories. Now one of them is more interested in boys than that and her sister is feeling left out.

The whole book is our main character’s journey to get her sister back after she is eaten by a ghost whale and dies. At first, I wasn’t even sure she had died, but yeah, no, she was gone. So she makes a deal with a god to get a magical pearl to bring her sister’s soul back from the underworld.

Some events happened too quickly. Like the main character was drowning at one point and the dragon king popped up and gave her gills and she just adapted very quickly to it. Also, they don’t really come in handy much the rest of the story which was a little annoying to me.

The ending makes it seem like it’s setting up for a sequel maybe. I don’t actually know if there is one planned or not. If not, then the ending was rushed and awkward. Even if there is, the ending was still rushed and awkward.

With all that said, I did actually enjoy this book. It was solid enough, and the character’s growth was easy to see. She wasn’t just some resistant block, she was weathered away at by the events and changed but still herself.

All in all, I’m giving this a 3.5. i

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

So basically its just another rescue mission kinda story. Even though I’m sure that the setting, obstacles, and flavors are different from other books, the overall plot wouldn't vary that much so that’s that

The Pearl Hunter is a middle grade read that sets readers off on an adventure with Kai to save her twin. Japanese folklore and legends are told throughout this story to showcase Japanese culture. This read was a good adventure but I was left unsatisfied by the ending with to many unanswered questions.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.