Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

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?

The story follows Kai as she seeks to recover her sister from a legendary Ghost Whale by stealing a pearl from a legendary fox. Her adventure leads her through many trials and she makes an important friend along the way. There are heavy coming of age themes and also discussion of twins who start to grow apart. The world-building has a heavy Asian influence to it.

I would have rated this four stars except for the ending. I mean what the heck?! The author ruins this book in the last paragraph. It ends up feeling incredibly unfinished and leaves the reader with a million questions. The very end of this made me feel like I wasted my time reading this. This definitely could have used some better editing and consistency throughout the story and the author should have re-thought that ending for sure.

SPOILER ALERT---------------------
I absolutely cannot understand how the last two sentences are supposed to undo everything that happened earlier in the book. Why didn't Kai forget everything too? Is the General still alive and coming to invade their village now or did he stay dead? Is Ren still stuck with the bandits and miserable? Just so many questions, it really pissed me off.
SPOILER END-----------------------

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was a decent middle grade fantasy read with a lot of adventure and magic. The book is engaging and decently written. Some inconsistencies throughout the story and a horrible ending made me drop this from a 4 to a 3 star rating. Personally I would skip this, but I did like some aspects of the story so I might try and read something by Beck in the future, as she matures as a writer.

***Thank you, NetGalley & HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for a fair review.***

The Pearl Hunter by Miya Beck begins as an ordinary tale of sisterhood and rivalry in pre-Shogun era Japan. We discover that twin pearl divers Kai and Kishi resemble each other physically, but their personalities couldn't be more opposite. Kishi is the "good daughter" while Kai plays by her own rules. A diving race between sisters to collect pearls quickly turns into an epic tale that takes Kai through many adventures as she tries to rescue her twin sister from the iron grip of death. The hunt for a special pearl to bring her sister back takes Kai leagues away from the sea and far out of her pearl diving area of expertise.

Miya Beck interlaces Japanese folklore and legends throughout this gripping story of bravery, love, and redemption. Her story will keep readers of all ages engaged as they root for Kai through her many successes and setbacks.

Twin sisters, Kishi and Kai make their living diving for pearls to sell to the upperclass. One day, during a routine dive, Kishi is taken hostage by a ghost whale, an evil demon. This send Kai on a fantastical adventure to save her sister, before it's too late.
This gorgeous story is a wonderful introduction to the wonderful creatures residing within Japanese mythology for middle grade readers. As Kai comes face to face with the different yokai and deities of her culture, so do the readers. Readers are also whisked away on a fantastical adventure. From underwater castles to a murder of crows (literally), Kai faces dangers all for the sake of saving her sister and protecting her family.

I did like this book and thought the main characters were delightful. Its weaknesses, to me, came from trying to do a bit too much with one story.

I loved our main character, Kai. She and her twin sister, Kishi, are opposites in many ways but share the same love for each other, familiarity with the ocean, and competitive nature. Kai’s family are pearl divers who have very specific rules when diving in order to stay safe, but Kai’s curious nature means she isn’t always the best rule follower. Kai and her sister get a little too competitive in the ocean one morning, and Kishi is taken by the legendary Ghost Whale. This tragedy propels Kai to go to the many gods of sea and land for help with rescuing her sister.

As someone who grew up near the ocean (practically in the water), I felt so comforted by Mia T. Beck’s beautiful imagery. While there were a few too many characters, I thought the author did a great job at describing the important characters’ feelings and motivations. I thought the themes were pretty smart too, especially the way the author explored the class system.

I did expect this book to be inspired by more than one Japanese legend, and I was looking forward to what the author would create. However, it seems as though the author couldn’t choose just a couple of legends and decided to weave as many as possible into one book. As Kai goes on this adventure, she meets many side characters—some immortal others not, some helpful and others dangerous. With every meeting, we get another legend or fairytale. While this sounds fine in theory, it actually took away from the main story line for me.

Even though I didn’t love every aspect of this book, it was a fun and heartwarming read. Kai, the Dragon King, and Ren were my favourite characters. The ending was surprisingly open ended, and left me wondering if there might be a sequel to this debut? Anyway, I do recommend this book and am interested in the Author's future work.

Oh how I wish this book existed when I was young enough to read middle grade. It reads like a Percy Jackson novel. The imagery that Beck uses is just beautiful and they way she interprets the complexity of siblings relationships and grief is just amazing.

Wonderful story. I loved the relationship with the sisters. Recommend this to everyone who wants stronger characters and fast pace story

This is a hard one for me to review. Because on one hand, I really enjoyed the setting, the mythological story inspiration, the magical epic quest, the hint of humor within the writing, and the subtle feminist themes engrained into the story. There were a few things that surprised me as the plot unfolded, as it was a bit unpredictable. It was more gritty than I expected it to be, with the action sequences and (minor spoiler here) the death of one of the horses.

But on the other hand there were a few times where the writing felt a bit choppy... like it needed one more round of edits, some plot items were perhaps a bit too convenient, and the ending was not as satisfying to me as it could have been (I'm a big hea fan). One major red flag for me was at about the 25% mark: a casual mention of suic*de. I understand this is set in a time and place were suic*de is not viewed as it is now, but in a children's/middle grade novel I feel like this should be further explained or edited out completely.

Honestly, this could be a duology if it wanted to be. The ending was abrupt and left a lot to be desired. I would definitely read a sequel!

Genre: Middle Grade/Children's Low Fantasy
Age Rating: 13+
Overall Rating: 3.25/5

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great high/fantasy, Asian-folklore-inspired story for not only young readers but adult too. I loved how the author wove in several stories and myths into the story, even if that’s just what they were - stories.

Kai is the exact kind of heroine I love - determined but self-conscious, beautiful but humble, intelligent but inexperienced - she’s the underdog badass we all want to root for. And her love for her sister gives her the motivation and ability to move the gods, do the impossible, and achieve her potential.

Great read, highly recommend for any reader middle-school and up.

I have seen alot of asian representation in books which take inspiration from asian culture and this book is the same.
The plot follows twin girls who share a "twin connection" in their journey to save each other and recover a stolen artifact. The premise sounds interesting but was poorly excuted and felt overly cliche and overdoing by many authors. This book felt like a lot of other books already written. There was nothing unique about it.
The characters themselves had this cliche twin connection which i did not like.
The desciptions of creatures and writing style was very clear, precise and a huge strong point of this book for me. It really provided me with a vivid idea of what I am seeing in my mind as I'm reading the book.
Overall I think this was a quick fantasy read although i could have used a map to help visualize the locations.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

High action nature adventure meets immersive Japanese mythology retelling in this bittersweet coming of age. This one as "I Survived" meets Rick Riordan and my go to for the 12-14 year olds who are headstrong, reluctant to bloom or who wage major war with rock, paper, scissors.

The story tackles grief and the unlived life by contrasting it with courage and perseverance. Promises are built up and paid off in surprising ways and the twist ending leaves you thinking long after you've left the page behind. Stand alone with strong sequel potential, bring me more Kai and Ren, I want a full happy ending for them please!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and the publishers.

3.5/5

The past couple of years have seen a lot of YA releases inspired by or related to East Asian cultures and histories, and this book is no exception. It does stand out in the sense that it’s inspired by Japanese history and folktales, whereas most other titles have been written by authors of Chinese descent, with some Korean-inspired releases sprinkled in; however, I’d say that’s where the differences end.

In terms of the plot, I don’t think it brought much excitement to the table. The twin-mystical-connection thing is a bit overdone, and the overarching theme of family ties didn’t feel particularly groundbreaking. It’s nothing new for protagonists to go to the end of the world and back for their families; it’s how they do it that makes their narrative stand out.

That being said, I can’t say there was anything wrong with the narrative either. The storyline is straightforward and the prose is clean and suitable for its marketed age range. And I usually have a lot to say about YA authors’ tendency to produce juvenile writing, but you don’t see much of that in this book.

I just know every reader will have something to say about the ending, so I might as well contribute my bit: It was certainly abrupt. Not enough to make me mad, but I think that may have to do with the fact that my connection to the story didn’t develop enough to warrant my having a significant response.

Overall, just an alright read. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, but there’s nothing worth really delving into either. It’s super quick (and this is coming from someone who reads super slow), if that’s any consolation. I’d say this is a promising debut and I’d read something from the author again.

The Pearl Hunter is a lyrical tale of family, perseverance, and growing up that captivated me from the first page. This is a book I'll be thinking about for days.

There is a rawness to Kai's emotions that made her really feel like a real girl. Her relationship with her sister is complicated and compelling. All the characters, from Kai to General Takagi are well-written with believable motivations.

The world-building is another positive of this tale. It strikes a good balance of drawing from Japanese myths while still being grounded in reality.

My biggest point of contention is the ending. It was abrupt and unsatisfying. I believe that is was meant to mirror classic fairytales that end almost immediately after the climax. The good ole' "princess is rescued from the dragon and then marries the prince. The end." However, it didn't do this story justice. If I didn't like it, I don't imagine middle-schoolers, the intended audience, will either.

If the author writes a sequel to this story, I'd absolutely check it out.

"O Wandering one (...) show me the way to Sky Mountain."
An epic adventure and journey for the sake of her twin sister. She has many trials to accomplish at the hands of the Gods. Amazing characters and homage to Japan's mythology.
Kai's sister is taken by the ghost whale and Kai doesn't accept it. She strikes a deal with God to get her back. This sends her on a journey. The solutions and interactions are quite whimsical (with cunning and childish games) although the themes in the dialogue try to remind us of the cruelty and violence of the time.

About the end: the stage of "the return home" seemed to me a bit abrupt and I didn't quite understand the author's intention with the result of Kai's journey.

Overall I really liked it for being focused on the journey/quest and not romance.

The Pearl Hunter was a magical and adventurous read, with powerful gods, whimsical events, a beautiful bond between twin sisters, and with the vibes of a Studio Ghibli film.

The story pacing towards the beginning and near half of The Pearl Hunter, was very quick and transporting. The pacing then slows down considerably, setting up the rest of the story, in clever ways that is understood, upon completion of certain events and/or the story itself.

The world building is incredible, weaving the fictional and nonfictional, into a fantastical land full of culture, magic, and colorful settings.

The tone of The Pearl Hunter is quite young, and with events that could be hard hitting, such as, as stated in the synopsis, losing a sibling.

I felt the characters had relatable qualities, and were easy to read for and root for. I enjoyed the character development for Kai, seeing her character blossom into a changed person, in order to bring her beloved twin sister back to life.

I enjoyed watching the realistic family dynamics, as well as seeing the family work together in the family business.

I enjoyed the added tidbits of random 'fairy tales' given throughout the story.

I could see the ending not working for everyone. The ending is not a cliffhanger.

Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience with The Pearl Hunter, and I would highly recommend this book to other readers. I could see myself reading more books from this debut author as well as rereading The Pearl Hunter.

If I had had more time, I would have finished The Pearl Hunter in one reading session, for I was captured by the gripping events of the story; I had finished seventy-five percent of the story before I had to put it down.

I also think the cover artwork is pretty.

I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy through Netgalley and I give my honest review voluntarily. My review is my own thoughts and opinion; my experience in reading this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and Balzer + Brayfor the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Publish Date: February 7, 2023)

“The Pearl Hunter” by Miya T. Beck is a standalone book set in a world inspired by pre-Shogun era Japan.

The cover is absolutely stunning! Upon further analysis (once I completed the book), I was astonished to realize that the cover reveals all the major highlights of the story within the artwork.

The story follows Kai, a teenage girl with a twin sister named Kishi. As the only children of a freshwater pearl diving family, twice a season, they sell their pearls in a rainbow of colors to the noble houses in Chowa – the capital of the Heiwadai Empire.

When Kishi is suddenly taken while pearl diving and killed by the mysterious Ghost Whale, Kai will stop at nothing to bring her sister back from the dead. Kai manages to make a deal with the gods to steal a magical, legendary pearl in exchange for her sister’s soul. This is no easy task – even for a skilled warrior.

Kai has many struggles but does find some help and guidance along the way. I really loved reading how Kai changed over the course of the story. She was extremely likable and relatable. I found her to be a wonderful heroine who relied on her skills and cleverness to get ahead.

I was a little disappointed with the climax and ending to the story. Without giving any details away, I just would have preferred more closure than to have so many loose ends. Because this book is a standalone, I took off one star for that reason. Should the author decide to write a sequel to tie up the loose ends, I would eagerly read it!

A map wasn’t included in the ARC I received, but I’m dying to see it in the final publication – especially if it’s done by the same artist who created the cover. Kai travels throughout much of the story, so I know having a map would have enhanced the experience for me.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all age groups looking for a great coming of age, fantasy adventure they’re sure to get immersed in!

With immersive world building and a protagonist whose love for her sister cannot be stopped, The Pearl Hunter is sure to be a hit with lovers of middle grade fantasy.

Miya T. Beck drops readers into protagonist Kai's world, where her family is tightknit but magic seems faraway because her family's status as pearl divers makes them low class. However, legends quickly become real after Kai's twin dies, and she encounters gods and magical beings she thought were only fairy tales. And she's ready to bargain with them all if it means getting her sister back.

Kai's bravery and determination are some of the things I loved most about the book. Even places where the plot slows or falters, Kai's personality helps the book keep shining. This is, of course, another instance of a book where the strong sisterly bond is almost always in flashbacks because the one sister isn't actually present in the story, but I love a good sister bond nonetheless, and The Pearl Hunter delivers.

I do wish some of this charisma had been present in the romance. The love interest is an interesting person in his own right, and I like him well enough as a character, but there isn't a lot of development showing how he and Kai actually come to care for each other. It seems that one moment they're enemies, and the next they're all blushing and willing to risk their lives for each other. Possibly the target audience will not take issue with this, however. I remember being in middle school and thinking some books that have maybe 3 pages total of romance were wildly romantic, whatever that says about me.

The bold choices the author makes at the end of the novel, however, definitely earned my respect. Things didn't go quite the way I might have hoped or imagined, but they're memorable and make a lot of sense in the context of the book. I also don't think there will actually be a sequel, but there's a lot of room left for me to imagine the adventures Kai might go on next and how she might try to change fate, and I like that a lot.

This is strong, solid fantasy. The pacing is slow at times, but the heart of the protagonist is inspiring and the folklore woven in will appeal to a lot of readers, so this is one to check out.

I really liked this book! It took me a while to get into, but I really enjoyed the lot and how the story unfolded. It's a great read!

I loved how captivating the book is with nods to fables and folklore of the area. I felt like the story was captivating and exciting with an emphasis on the bond that the two sisters share. A story brimming with magic and adventure and strongly written characters I think that this book is one that should not be missed.

AWESOME STUFF OF NOTE

--throughout the book, Kai's relationship with Kishi is very complex exploring sisterly love as well as relationship strains that can only come from being attached to a sibling.
--this book has amazing imagery! examples: hair being compared to the color of squid ink
--atmosphere while inspired by Japanese culture also has a lot of Moana vibes when exploring Kai's pearl diver history
--description of bakekujira and other horror-esque things are a huge strength; book in general is good at touches of eerie
--vivid prose, clear and for the most part concise
--mythology especially explained from the viewpoints of different regions is compelling
:--i love the instances where the characters establish the concept of requiring consent for even non-sexual physical touch
--horse names (burden and encumbrance) are great and kai's sense of humor is accessible and familiar
--such as with general takagi's compound the descriptions of everyday Japan living are beautiful and the imagery is clear even to those unfamiliar with the culture
-throughout, general takagi was very well written in terms of being physically intimidating and mentally terrifying and ambiguous as well, the second conflict with him at sky mountain was excellent
--im glad the book stuck with kai having a crush on ren, it was really innocent and relatable
--loved all the mini quests while kai was trying to get to sky mountain. she escaped the obstacles very well but most of them didn't feel too easy. she's not a mary sue which is great
--fave quote among themes of self assuredness, womanhood and autonomy: "i won't be somebody else's wife
--vulnerable conversation between ren and kai in the woods was one of the best in the whole book. beautiful humanity and reflections on siblings and grief
--something of note: second eastern-centered novel i've read (other one being rf kuang's the poppy war) that uses poppy as a psychedelic for interacting with the magical world
--strongest quote in the whole book: "...Kai wondered, too, if it was possible to truly know someone if you didn't understand their silences"
-i like the treatment of kai's androgyny a lot
-nice twist regarding ren at the fox gathering towards the end
-lol, are these foxes using pearls as butt plugs? wtf haha
-AMAZING SEQUENCE WITH KAI AND DAKINI. illusory magic is always beautifully done in this
--the cut from ren's scene there to kai reflecting on her grandmother is very nice
--final scene with encumbrance: incredibly powerful. transitioning to a new place of life, the wrong thing vs. the right thing, relationships with ren and hamako
--interesting choice how the dragon king's castle was fantastical and bright whereas benzaiten's was grimdark
--beautiful resolution of the sister-searching plotline--setup for next novel was smooth
--there was a teenage crush element but familial bonds were more prominent
--book in general tied up all characters' stories very nicely and sentimentally for now

GENTLE CRITIQUES
--some misuse of capitol vs capital
--somewhat unclear how old they are
--a little surprising how quickly the initial conflict is resolved but the breadth of the book explains it later
--i would love if a map were included in a final copy, would add a little more cohesion to the long journeys
--some chapters like 2 and 3 could perhaps been separated or broken down a little differently when introducing a new character
--would love to know from where the magic pearls draw their power
--what is the target demographic of this book? I love the prose but it might be a little loft for younger readers (not necessarily a bad thing though)
--some of the magic items seem to be born of convenience but they are cool
--I don't like the casual su*cidality of Kai and the instances where it's mentioned flippantly. it's in alignment with certain historical elements of Japan but for a young adult/younger audience it needs to be more delicate from a specific angle to make it more gentle and well-explained, not necessarily normalized
--occasionally some redundancy in sentences, but no biggie (example: "walking where he walked"
--names like ren and rin etc are used in basically everything nowadays...
--i need an explanation as to how Kai learned flying acrobatics in like two days considering how difficult it was at first lol
--the fox fist game with little nene maybe didn't need to be so play by play
--infrequent passages where sentences do not flow/are very choppy but it doesn't really distract from the voices
--not sure the archery contest (not the ones Kai is in i don't think or i might be remembering incorrectly) was really necessary to contribute to main plot, cute sidequest though but i wish it characterized people more
--not a fan of inclusion of arranged teen marriage...some things could be not so historically realistic maybe
--i wish chapter 12 was split up, there's so many changes in setting that it almost drags a little bit even though everything is exciting
--chapter 13: do NOT refer to a disability or physical impairment as a handicap
--i feel like we didn't really need that closure on doi
-i thought the journey between the freshwater sea and sky mountain was like two weeks without the cloak so what's that about
--not gonna lie i did not like the last 2 sentences. not enough about other kinds of magic was explained in order for this to be a good hook instead of "wtf".

OVERALL: an excellent read, took me about two days, only 1 star removed for some reasons that could be refined. a great depiction of a family bond, resilience, and creativity.

A precious story full of adventure, perseverance, and sisterhood that is sure to warm the hearts of young and adult readers alike. The Pearl Hunter is unique from many recent fairy tale releases in that it doesn’t feel like a retelling—it has many fairy tale elements but feels fresh.