The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

3.5 out of 5 🌟Magical realism meets historical fiction

'Library of Legends' tells a real but little known story of the Chinese-Japanse war. In 1937, a group of students traveled across China flying the Japanese army while also carrying ancient tomes of the Library of Legends. The volumes, describing Chinese mythology, was a national treasury and needed to be hidden away inland China. As a part of magical realism, during that danger quest, they have unbeknown encountered mythical beings who followed the students along their journey.

'Library of Legends' is full of history mixed up with magical experiences. And Janie Chang did a great job including testimonies of the survivors alongside enhanced Chinese mythology and bringing them together on historical background. That's the best side of this title but even if I love books with a historical setting depicting factual events, I had a hard time reading this one. I enjoy Lian, one of the main characters of the book, and her story but she was the only enjoyable person in the book. Shao, her peer, was quite superficial and even if that was a part of his role, his character didn't convince me. Neither I like any of the side characters in the story. They were undeveloped and their backstories were either flat or non-existent.

Also, the writing itself was quite off. I cannot stay focus on the book and kept spacing out. Normally, I love stories about journeys as I feel traveling myself along with the characters but here that wasn't a case. The journey lacks time consistency and it's too strongly character-driven for me to enjoy the story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher William Morrow Paperbacks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

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