In 'The Kingdom of Back', author Marie Lu draws readers through two stunningly (re)imagined landscapes: eighteenth-century Europe - the Mozart siblings' Europe - and a dream kingdom that's a shadowy reflection of the real world.
While I LOVE this interweaving of genres, this-historical-fiction-meets-fantasy storytelling... it'll be interesting to see how it reads for a wider audience.
Lu's language is lyrical and evocative. Reading her prose is never a chore, even as the story's pacing falters at times.
Although I love the book's language, I think my favorite aspect of 'The Kingdom of Back' is the big questions it poses. Is fame worth sacrificing personal relationships? What is lost when talent is silenced, or hidden?
This is one of those titles that I'm so grateful to have for my classroom library. Thank you to Marie Lu, Putnam (Penguin Random House), and Bookish First for my ARC of 'The Kingdom of Back'.
While I LOVE this interweaving of genres, this-historical-fiction-meets-fantasy storytelling... it'll be interesting to see how it reads for a wider audience.
Lu's language is lyrical and evocative. Reading her prose is never a chore, even as the story's pacing falters at times.
Although I love the book's language, I think my favorite aspect of 'The Kingdom of Back' is the big questions it poses. Is fame worth sacrificing personal relationships? What is lost when talent is silenced, or hidden?
This is one of those titles that I'm so grateful to have for my classroom library. Thank you to Marie Lu, Putnam (Penguin Random House), and Bookish First for my ARC of 'The Kingdom of Back'.