WELL HOLY HELL WAS THAT DARKER THAN I ANTICIPATED. My god. Full review to come, but jeez I need a breather.

Recommended:
Unexpectedly, yes. At the start I thought maybe for younger grades, now I'm thinking late middle or later. For a look at a history unknown in American public schools, for the whiplash turns of laughing to stunned silent darkness.

Thoughts:
Well. I certainly learned a bit of history. I laughed, particularly at our little lady being vaguely insulted at being told she had a face like an opera mask. Then abruptly my laughter ended at the conclusion of that interaction. Holy hell.

This story gets you, because you think it won't take such dark turns. At least, *I* didn't. I kept waiting to see the moments that Clarissa said she had to put the book down for a bit due to. Well, I found them.

The art style is lovely, I liked the simplicity that still gave such detail and life to the world and characters. The vibrant colors of the gods and fighting contrasted with the muted sepia colors of their daily lives through the villages. Story-wise, loved it. It ramped up pretty quickly, and felt like little Bao grew up exponentially faster as the story progressed. ( )

Deeply affecting, emotional, personal fictional recounting of the Boxer Rebellion told with Yang's trade mark humor and magical realism. ( )

Not without its charm - I'm reserving judgement until I've read the companion volume, "Saints".

(I can't possibly review these books separately, so I am just going to copy/paste this review into both.)

Listen, did I know ANYTHING about the Boxer Rebellion before reading these books? I probably could have told you that it was in China and MAYBE that it had something to do with opium, but that's it. Now, these books aren't a history, exactly, but are the stories of two young people (each getting their own volume) caught up in the forces surrounding the conflict.

While this doesn't attempt to tell the whole story of the rebellion, these two quick reads tell compelling stories filled with context that makes the issues feel immediate, graspable, and definitely relatable. These books should be taught in schools.

The white European entitlement/compulsion to both spread Christianity and make money is one of the familiar and tragic roots here. There is so much to rave about in both the art and the story-telling that I don't know where or how to start. I loved both of these volumes with a fierceness, and will definitely be urging both of my children to read them. ( )

I can see that this is a great piece of work, it just isn't my cup of tea. The two stars really reflect my personal taste, not that I think it won't be a great read for others. Too much battle/blood for me. I love historical fiction, but with more insight into the minds of the characters and less mass killing. I was so curious about Little Bao's father, and wanted to know more about the thoughts and feelings of Little Bao and his family. ( )