The Language of Ghosts & The Dragon Egg Princess [MG Reviews]

🍂 Review by Kathie @ Bit About Books

• Premise: “Forced into exile on an enchanted, moving island, ex-princess Noa Marchena has two missions: reclaim her family’s stolen throne and ensure that the dark powers her older brother, Julian, possesses don’t go to his head in the process.” (jacket copy)
• I adore the cover of this book – a good match for the story inside!
• But I didn’t make good notes so this will truly be a point form review 🤷🏻‍♀️
• Enjoyed the prose, especially the use of metaphors
• Vivid tropical archipelago setting inspired by the Galapagos Islands
• Beauty the sea serpent will keep you on your toes
• Unique magic system well-presented
  • Julian can speak all the known languages of magic (each language correspond to a different element)
  • Mite can also speak at least one, but Noa can’t speak any…
  • Titular ‘language of ghosts’ plays a smaller role than expected (and is also less about ghosts than expected, but that can be forgiven given the story’s other entertaining elements)
• Fascinating premise: preventing older brother from becoming the villain
• 💭 The Bottom Line: With vivid prose, creative fantasy elements, and compelling sibling relationships, The Language of Ghosts makes a refreshing read.

• The first thing that stood out about this book to me is that it’s set in an uncommon time period for this kind of (secondary world middle grade) fantasy. Joson, the Korean analogue kingdom where the story takes place, seems medieval while other kingdoms have computers and assault rifles. Joson still has magic, though, while those kingdoms do not. The conflict begins when another country wants to destroy the massive magical forest at the center of Joson to take advantage of its resources.
• Anyone who’s watched a Studio Ghibli film will recognize similarities between their stories and The Dragon Egg Princess. Indeed, even the April 2018 rights report makes that comparison. The main commonalities are the characters of the hero and heroine, the pseudo-historical East Asian fantasy setting, and the environmental messaging. Definitely hand this book to kids who enjoy those films.
• The princess (who is at least 13 years old) reads really juvenile to me. She’s kind-hearted but extremely naïve, stubborn and silly. Maybe that can be attributed to being cut off from human society for five years? Seems a stretch to me… she does read more like a young child than a younger teenager.
• It took me awhile to settle into the prose. It feels scripted, but if I’m being generous, in a sort of legendary way, like you might experience when someone tells you an old tale. There’s a lot of describing actions rather than eliciting emotions. While I don’t prefer this style, I imagine it makes an epic fantasy story accessible to younger readers or those who haven’t read a lot in this genre.
• 💭 The Bottom Line: Overall, The Dragon Egg Princess has a balanced mix of action, magic, and banter. A fairly light and entertaining read, it makes a solid option for kids who want high fantasy that doesn’t drag on for hundreds of pages

Both of these books have distinct, vivid settings. What’s one of your favourite fantasy/middle grade settings?