Mylan Kohler <mvaugeois@gmail.com>

Mon, Dec 26, 2022, 3:41 PM

to Donna


Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Medicine-Mia-Tsai-ebook/dp/B0B8TBFJ69/ref=sr_1_1?crid=VL084GZ5UCC3&keywords=bitter+medicine+mia+tsai&qid=1663036475&s=books&sprefix=bitter+medicine%2Cstripbooks%2C240&sr=1-1
Publication date: March 14
A free copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Elle is a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine, underemployed as a mediocre magical calligrapher at the fairy temp agency. She challenges herself by covertly outfitting half elf Luc with high-powered glyphs. Luc is the agency's top security expert, but had been responsible for a curse laid. He must perform all duties perfectly to earn time off, so the two begin a dangerous collaboration. Elle is loyal to her family, and Luc is bound by his true name. To be free and find happiness, they'll have to take dangerous chances.

Inspired by xianxia, Chinese mythology and Western lore, this novel involves a lot of inventive magic. It's also a supernatural friends to livers story, with both Elle and Luc harboring crushes on each other that they don't really act on until halfway through the book. Each carries secrets regarding their past: Elle holds back on her magic to stay off the radar and remain in hiding, and Luc is relentless at his job because he essentially has a geas laid on him. The scenes involving his job are wonderfully written, and I hope we get a screen adaptation so I can see them! There are mythical creatures from many different traditions, which I also really enjoyed seeing.



Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Solomons-Crown-Novel-Natasha-Siegel-ebook/dp/B0B45CJ7VP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6RFLUE3ZP88O&keywords=solomon%27s+crown&qid=1671916065&sprefix=solomon%27s+crown%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1
Publication date: March 14
A free copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

In twelfth century Europe, Philip was just crowned King of France. His greatest enemy is King Henry of England, and Philip proposes an alliance with Henry's son Richard, Duke of Aquitaine. Richard despises his father and never thought he could be a king. Philip and Richard not only have a potential alliance, but a growing love that is threatened by impending war.

This historical retelling gives a new spin to the rivalry between Richard the Lionheart and King Philip of France. Richard is a second son, raised by Eleanor of Aquitaine, and impulsive. The Angevin brothers expect backstabbing and war, which was all but encouraged by their father. Philip isn't as weak minded or as easy to maneuver as his father was, so he becomes the obvious choice of ally for various brothers as they vie for power and lives of their own choosing outside Henry's plotting. Philip is 18 and was married to a 13 year old for political reasons, so they have a chaste relationship; being an equal to Richard was a fun novelty. There are hints of an attraction before anything happens between them, but once it does, they're willing to betray vows and others for the sake of love. Both love fiercely and love their lands; this is meant to put them at odds and make romance impossible. While history has not decided if there was a physical relationship or not, Natasha decided to write a romance. Love persevered in spite of politics and the terrible example that Henry and Eleanor set. There might be war, there might be loss of territory, there might be pride, but at the end of the day, love remains. That's a wonderful sentiment we all need right now.




Damsel by Evelyn Skye
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Damsel-Evelyn-Skye/dp/0593599403/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WS5V5PT0SU3G&keywords=damsel+by+evelyn+skye&qid=1671916136&sprefix=damsel+by+evelyn+skye%2Caps%2C370&sr=8-1
Publication date: March 14
A free copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Elodie grew up in a famine-stricken realm, so she accepts a betrothal to Prince Henry of Aurea in exchange for her family getting wealth. She's taken in by the beauty of her new reclusive home as she goes through the rituals to become an Aurean princess. Odd things happen, then she discovers that Aurea sacrifices its princesses to a hungry dragon. Elodie is to be the next sacrifice, but the prior women left behind a legacy that might be the key to Elodie’s survival.

This story is being picked up by Netflix, and I can see why. Knowing what we do about the plot, we understand the glimpses of others who fear for Elodie even as she tries to be kind and learn about her new homeland. Everyone knows what will happen, and the price of Aurea's bounty; it becomes an ethical question, and even the anti royal faction can't quite address the problem of the dragon in the kingdom. There isn't even a wedding night, so Henry doesn't get attached. Elodie was a working duchess, however. She had worked hard to protect and care for her people, so she won't go quietly into that good night. Or dragon's maw.

This is going to be an amazing series. Elodie is good at puzzles, languages and mazes, so she's able to navigate the labyrinth that was the dragon's home inside old lava tubes. She somehow has the ability to see memories in blood when she touches it, maybe because Aurea is soaked with magic from the dragons. She wants to be free and while exploring for an escape learns what happened in the beginning, and tries to figure a way out. The solution isn't what we think it is, and I loved it. That sequence is going to be spectacular when done, it's amazing enough to read. A really fun and exciting book that I look forward to seeing, too!



Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Child-Que-Phan-Nguyen-ebook/dp/B09Z8829V9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dust+child+nguyen+phan+que+mai&qid=1671916468&sprefix=dust+child%2Caps%2C300&sr=8-1
Publication date: March 14
Blog tour date: March 24. Assets for it: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15CaEZqP338Ctd5vf7zKJ4wvVLrWhG8sv?usp=sharing
A free copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

In 1969, sisters Trang and Quỳnh “bar girls” in Sài Gòn to help their parents pay off debts. Bar girls are known to drink, flirt and sleep with American GIs in return for money. Trang falls in love with a young American helicopter pilot. Decades later, Dan, returns to Việt Nam with his wife Linda to heal from his PTSD and deal with his secrets. At the same time, Phong, the son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman, searches for them and a way out of Việt Nam. Phong grew up being called “the dust of life,” “Black American imperialist,” and “child of the enemy,” leaving him dreaming of a better life.

The Vietnam War left scars in both countries that for some have still not healed. The Amerasian children left behind were unwanted by the populace, especially those with darker skin. That colorist view affected not just the mixed Black kids on the street, but other ethnic groups like the Khmer who lived in the south. In this novel, those troubles are brought home in Phong's story; he's used and rejected frequently by those around him once his loving caretaker dies when he's twelve. Through him we see what life was like in Vietnam following the American withdrawal of troops. Then we see the dual timelines of the sisters' story in 1969 and Dan returning later in life. His trauma had affected him for years, and he remained silent about the affair with Kim and the pregnancy upon his return to the US. Other soldiers had gone back, had married their girlfriends or abandoned them, looked for their children or rejected them. It was a complex time for so many, and there are no singular experiences. Still, with Dan and Linda's experience coming in to visit, we are told bits and pieces of others' experiences in the country.

This is a novel, and doesn't shy away from the life the sisters had to live in their village and then in Sài Gòn. The quiet country life meant hard work in the fields because of failed exams, while the bar girl scene meant fast money and compromised principles for Trang, who became Kim, as well as her sister. Dan is no saint, just an ordinary soldier, so we see the mistakes he makes as he makes them. His heart might be in the right place, but he's clumsy as he goes about it, hurting Linda in the process. The lives of these people twist and turn around each other; back cover copy likens it to Charles Dickens, and it's an apt description. There is pain and tragedy in their stories, and sometimes people don't get the easy answers they seek. It's brilliantly told, and a wonderful look at this turbulent period.

Historical fiction at its peak.

Dust Child is the moving story about the Vietnam War that spans 50 years. This is a brilliant and moving piece of historical fiction, will hit you right in the heart- and show you perspectives that, as an American, you probably didn't think about.

This is a gorgeous and important piece of work.

Pro:
* Rich, patient development of each character’s story
* Emotionally complex in the best way
* Honest look at the reality of the war and its aftermath for everyday civilians
* Tale of Kieu references
* Well-done audiobook

Con:
* Constant moving among characters and time periods (way too trendy)
* Dual storylines feel a bit gimmicky

Thank you to Nguyen Phan Que Mai, Algonquin Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this book two days ago, and I'm still having a hard time describing how much I enjoyed this book. Set in 1969, a few years after the US entered the Vietnam war, and 2016, when one of the veterans return in hopes of curing his PTSD. AS you keep reading, you will be filled with so many emotions. I was captivated by the very beginning, and it had me in a choke hold right until the very end. Not only did it affect the troops that were sent there, it affected many of the women and their eventual children. This was my first book by this author, but it truly won't be my last. This was such a masterful story and the characters are truly unforgettable. Of course, if you're triggered by war and abandonment, then you will probably need to stay away from this story.

Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s debut novel, The Mountains Sing, was one of my favorite books of 2021. So I was super excited to hear that she was publishing a new book this year.

Dust Child is a moving saga about the Việt Nam War, its effect on the Vietnamese people, and its lasting impact on a generation of American men. The novel is told through dual timelines, 1969 Sài Gòn and 2016 Hồ Chí Minh City (formerly Sài Gòn), as you learn about the city and its residents in wartime and in peace. Dust Child is ultimately a story about hidden trauma, family secrets, forgiveness, and redemption.

Nguyễn leads readers on a suspenseful, heart-wrenching journey through the stories of a Vietnamese woman, an Amerasian orphan, and an American GI. Many times throughout Dust Child I did not know where things were going next. I even gasped at the last twist. So while this book is historical fiction and based upon real experiences, it was easy to become completely immersed in the story and breeze through it in one sitting.

Dust Child is beautifully written with a rich infusion of Vietnamese language and culture. Nguyễn’s writing is propulsive yet lyrical. I found the novel to be emotionally evocative even when I was angry at the decisions a character was making. I was impressed by Nguyễn’s ability to tell a such a complex and powerful story from a neutral point of view. It felt like she was simply recounting three stories as told by the individuals who experienced them. Yet, Dust Child encapsulates and imparts the characters’ histories and lasting psychological scars.

I always learn a great deal from Nguyễn’s novels. It is crazy to admit, but I did not truly know why the war was fought prior to reading. While I was aware of children born to American soldiers and Vietnamese women, I was unfamiliar with their plight in Việt Nam and the term Amerasian. And although I have witnessed the long-term effects of the war on family members, I knew little about its lasting effects and repercussions in the country where it occurred. Dust Child taught me about all of those things and more. It should be noted that Nguyễn wrote this novel after extensive research and interviews conducted as part of her PhD.

I have very few criticisms of Dust Child. Some of the dialogue felt a bit stilted, but I simply chalked this up to the kind of translation occurring during conversations. And if I am nitpicking, I did not feel as emotionally moved as I did reading The Mountains Sing. I think adding just a little more depth to the characters would have solved this.

Still, Dust Child is a book that reminded me why I read. I was transported to a different place and time to learn about history, previously unknown to me, through characters whose feelings impacted my own. It is a story that I will think about for a long time to come. I highly recommend this book and The Mountains Sing. I will be reading anything Nguyễn publishes in the future.

DUST CHILD alternates between three different perspectives to explore the effects of the Vietnam War, as well as trauma and healing. This richly researched novel took seven years to write and the fruits of Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's labor are apparent—the heart and care put into it really shine. Quế Mai’s writing is easy to read and I flew through this book. I loved the Vietnamese proverbs that were incorporated, some of which are wise while others reflect sexist beliefs. I felt so moved by the author’s note at the end. A must read!

I had read The Mountains Sing awhile back and became an instant fan.
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Much in the same vein as The Mountains Sing, in Dust Child we have the type of historical fiction novel that you'll get completely drawn into. With multiple points of view from unique and emotive characters, all intricately woven to tell a story of war, family secrets and forgiveness that you likely haven't heard as much of. This is certainly another novel that will stick with me long after I've closed the cover.

I enjoyed reading ‘The mountains sing’ at the beginning of this year so I was thrilled to receive the netgalley arc of ‘Dust child’!

‘Dust child’ is the name given to an Amerasian child, born to the American GIs and Vietnamese women during the Vietnam war.

The author illustrates this well by telling through three intersecting narratives. Present-day Phong, was born to a Vietnamese mother and an African-American GI. Sisters Trang and Quynh, two teenage girls who leave their village for Saigon to become ‘bar girls' in the hopes of paying back their parents’ debts and finally American veteran Dan, haunted by a love affair he had during the war who returns back to Vietnam with his American wife to find closure.

By giving a voice to Amerasian, Vietnamese, and American characters, we get to see a whole picture of the war and post-war. The aftermath goes beyond the battlefields and the impacts that perpetuate for generations. This book serves as a reminder that no one wins in a war, everyone loses. This is not a perspective we often hear about, but I appreciate the author giving voice to these characters - these real people in history - remembering the devastating and heart-wrenching realities of those we hear less about.

4.5/5

I absolutely loved Nguyen Phan's debut novel The Mountains Sing, so Dust Child was one of my most anticipated reads of this year. It did not disappoint. Nguyen Phan wrote this story with the same gentleness and empathy for her characters, deep understanding of human trauma and its effects, and beautifully poetic language that made me fall in love with her debut.

The title, Dust Child, generally refers to the mixed race children born during and after the Vietnam War. Told in alternating storylines, we follow one such "dust child" and his search for his parents in 2016 while at the same time, an American war vet has returned to Vietnam for the first time in search of the child and mother he abandoned. In 1969, we follow two sisters who come to the city and have to make difficult choices in order to survive and help their parents back home.

The story starts a little slow, but once it picked up speed, I was so invested in these characters and what happened to them. There aren't a lot of books that cause book hangovers for me but this is one of them. The desperation each character had to make peace with their past choices (or choices made for them) while also working towards a better future for their families will stay with me for a long time. Nguyen Phan does such an amazing job of translating her 7 years (!) of research and interviews with real-life Dust Children and Vietnam war vets to the page and putting the emotional turmoil and internal conflict that they must have felt as a result of the tragic war-time choices they had to make.

Lastly, it was a joy to see the growth in Nguyen Phan's writing. It takes skill to convey the weight of such heavy subject matter *and* to also somehow maintain a level of hopefulness while doing so. And to do it in a language that isn't your native one is even more impressive.

In a nutshell: I highly recommend this book!!! If your social studies education was anything like mine, you don't know enough about the Vietnam war and this book serves as both a literary experience and an education on it.

I'll end on this hopeful quote from the Author's Note: “I wrote this book to offer my prayers for a world where there is more compassion, more peace, more forgiveness and healing. May our planet never see another armed conflict.”

This book was a phenomenal historical fiction. I devoured it in two days! It was clearly well researched about the Vietnam war and the Ameriasians left behind. Each character played a major role in bringing this story alive. There are two main characters, one white American soldier stationed in Vietnam during the war that returns to look for his girlfriend and the baby she was pregnant with when he left her and went back to the States. The other a Black Ameriasian, left at an orphanage by his Vietnamese mother and spends his life searching for his Black American soldier father in the United States. Each story is told from a different perspective of the effects of the Amerasian children left behind once the United States soldiers went home. These children were referred to as the "children of the dust". They were ostracized from society and many became beggars on the streets. This story is about perseverance, love, forgiveness, the sacrifices the women left behind had to endure, and most importantly, the affects of war on both the adults and children.
I absolutely suggest reading this amazing novel!

I fell in love with The Mountains Sing in 2020, and have been excited about this new book for months.

FINALLY, pub day has arrived for this new story of Vietnam, of the children left behind by American soldiers and abandoned by Vietnamese society. The tragedy of dust children will break your heart and reminds us of the consequences of war.

It is also the story of an American vet, his own traumas of the past and inability to heal, of his struggles to own his decisions and behaviors, to find redemption in returning to Vietnam.

Told from a wealth of knowledge and interviews with real-world Amerasian children raised in Vietnam post-war, Nygun once again teaches us a piece of history and touches our heart.

I eagerly anticipated Nguyen's next novel after The Mountains Sing and this truly did not disappoint. Propulsive, heartbreaking, and slightly twisty, Dust Child kept me engaged and guessing at how the character's lives would intersect.

This novel is told in three points of view in Vietnam: a woman working to support her family in Saigon during the Vietnam War, a returning vet in 2016, and a mixed race man in 2016 Saigon. Their stories were heartbreaking, yet not as deeply sad and difficult for me as in The Mountains Sing, so I found Dust Child far more readable and propulsive, and no less powerful and full of redemption and hope.

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the consummate storyteller, and in DUST CHILD, she tells the stories of her characters with empathy and grace. Phong, the child of a Black American GI and a Vietnamese woman, embarks on a search for his parents as he seeks to immigrate to the U.S. and leave behind poverty. Dan, a U.S. soldier who fought in Vietnam, now returns with his wife, Linda, to confront the ghosts of his past and heal from PTSD. And in the historical storyline, Trang and Quỳnh leave their rice farming village to become bar girls in Saigon during the war, attempting to save their family from eviction. These narratives entwine to reveal the secrets, pain, and hope that the characters have carried in their hearts over the decades.

What I appreciate most about DUST CHILD is how it elevates the stories of those who are too often unseen or forgotten, whether it’s the children orphaned by the war, the biracial kids who suffer cruel bigotry for their “foreign” looks, or the young women employed in sex work during the war who faced unwanted pregnancies, rejection by their families, or abandonment by their American GI boyfriends.

Nguyễn tells these stories with sensitivity and from a wealth of research. Her prose flows with ease, and she doesn’t shy away from the uglier sides of human behavior, making for a nuanced portrayal of the often challenging dynamics among Vietnamese of different classes and between Vietnamese citizens and Americans. Despite confronting truly tragic themes, Nguyễn also leaves room for her characters to choose connection and hope.

If you haven’t read a book about the Vietnam War by a Vietnamese author, please pick up DUST CHILD. It’s such an important perspective and necessary for understanding world history.

Dust Child by Que Mai Phan Nguyen is a novel set in Vietnam during dual timelines of the late 1960s and the present day. It's a heartbreaking tale about the search for family and dealing with the effects of choices made while young that come back to haunt you. I love books by this author because I can learn more about the history of Vietnam but also indulge in a fiction story. Read and enjoy!

Heartbreaking but so eye-opening and enlightening. Stories like this are why I love to learn about historical events through fiction. Nguyen does a wonderful job illuminating the repercussions on war that last many generations after the actual combat. No character is perfect but they're all human and you really end up rooting for each and every one.

What an amazing book! I loved this look at an often overlooked effect of wars. The story was emotional, compelling and the characters will stick me for awhile.

📚 Book Review 📚wow… loved this book 💕

A huge thanks to @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for providing me with a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

📚Synopsis:
A story of hope, desire, tragedy, and healing centred around the immediate and long term impacts of the Vietnam War. Delivered through multiple POVs with various timelines, this story beautifully focuses in on the human elements of larger tragedies.
Dan, an American Vietnam War vet who suffers from PTSD, decides to return to Vietnam in hopes to achieve some level of closure. Phong, an Amerasian who grew up in an orphanage in Vietnam, searches for his biological parents and dreams of moving his family to America. And in an attempt to financially support their parents during the war years, teenage sisters Trang and Quỳnh, relocate to Sài Gòn and reluctantly start jobs as “bar girls”.

✍️ My review:
Engaging, heartfelt, and memorable. The characters and story were thoughtful, layered, and complex, and will leave you thinking about the ripple effect of every action and decision. This is a 5⭐️ recommend for me.

💕You might like this book if:
🔹 you are open to learning about different perspectives of international tragedies
🔹 you like books that bring multiple POVs and time-lines together
🔹 you like stories that focus on the complexities of human relationships

Dust Child by Que Mai Phan Nguyen. Pub Date: March 14, 2023. Rating: 4.5 stars. When I saw this book was available for request on NetGalley, I had to request immediately. I absolutely loved reading this author's first novel and was anxious to start reading this one. Set in Vietnam, this novel explores the stories of Amerasians. I had no idea that during the Vietnam War there were occurrences where American military men had relations with Vietnamese women in brothels that ultimately resulted in children. These children were many times forgotten and given up to orphanages for multiple different reasons. This story explores an American Vietnam Vet struggling with PTSD and his past, an Amerasian male who wants to immigrate to the United States but has no known history of where he came from and a young Vietnamese woman who is working in a brothel to help support her parent's debts. All of these characters bring a different perspective to the story and I learned so much about this time period. The writing is fabulous and I felt the author explored difficult, but important topics. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, this is a must read. Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #dustchild #netgalley

very interesting book that speaks of the aftermath of the US involvement in the Vietnam war. Will be of interest to those who remember the War as well as those seeking an understanding of it and its repercussions

Thank you @algonquinbooks for the gifted copy of Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai! This novel came out on March 14 and has been getting a lot of buzz, deservedly so. I have not read her debut: The Mountains Sing, equally praised, but it is definitely now on my TBR.
I love a story that utilizes a multiple timeline, multiple narrator arc that comes together in unexpected ways. Learning more about a time in history I have very little understanding of, but now want to know more, is the best kind of historical fiction. (Turns out that seing Miss Saigon as a teenager didn’t give me that much perspective about children of GIs and Vietnamese women left behind after the War.)
Each character is carrying their trauma in such complex and heartbreaking ways, from Phong - the orphaned biracial child left behind in Vietnam, Dan - the American veteran, and Tran - a girl who worked in a bar during the war to help her family make ends meet. But there is hope and beauty and resilience amongst the heartbreak.
The writing was lovely, and very accessible as I absolutely flew through the pages. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a perfect book about a period in time not often touched upon, and one that is rife with stories that should be told.