Beautifully illustrated, complex and emotional
Lunar New Year Love Story is a complex, emotional YA graphic novel about finding love and coming to terms with the history of your family. High school senior Valentina used to love Valentine's Day until a Valentine's Day in high school when she receives a heartbreaking revelation about her mother. Val believes she is cursed since no one in her family has been lucky in love.
One day her grandmother takes her to the Lunar New Year festival and Val meets two cute lion dancers. Val embarks on a journey where she learns about love, friendship, family, loss, vulnerability and trust. The novel explores Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese cultures and some of the challenges faced by immigrants. There are older characters who added wisdom and depth to the story. The paranormal elements brought spookiness and suspense. The beautiful, vibrant artwork really brought the characters to life. I really enjoyed the lion dancing.
One day her grandmother takes her to the Lunar New Year festival and Val meets two cute lion dancers. Val embarks on a journey where she learns about love, friendship, family, loss, vulnerability and trust. The novel explores Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese cultures and some of the challenges faced by immigrants. There are older characters who added wisdom and depth to the story. The paranormal elements brought spookiness and suspense. The beautiful, vibrant artwork really brought the characters to life. I really enjoyed the lion dancing.