Review
An e-copy of the book has been provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House International, in exchange for an honest review.
What a stunning piece of historical fiction!
I am, by no means, a fan of historical fiction but this book being a middle grade novel made everything a whole lot easier to digest.
There are some restrictions with how I’ll tell about the writing—taking into consideration that this novel is actually translated—but I am absolutely mesmerized by the entirety of this story. The simplicity of the writing is just brilliant! It gives off an easy going vibe without removing any of the complexity of the actual story itself.
Emily Balistrieri is a fantastic translator! There weren’t any lines that seems off (which normally happens in translated works) and the whole novel really feels raw—you wouldn’t even think that this was a translation!
The way the characters collide throughout the story is nothing but amazing! The emotions and feelings of each of the story being offered by the characters are a beautifully realized pain that you’ll really empathize with.
‘Soul Lanterns’ is a poignant novel of hope and acceptance. It is a truth that everyone should be aware of, written with such clarity and astonishing beauty! I am definitely looking forward for more of Shaw Kuzki’s work and I highly recommend you reading this book!
