Dragon Pearl is the latest entry in Rick Riordan Presents, action-packed, mythology-based adventures based on diverse characters who take on impossible quests with the help of an array of loyal friends and the interference of temperamental gods. Dragon Pearl moves away from this format by combining a heavy overlay of science fiction with elements of magic from Korean mythology.
Dragon Pearl
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Thirteen-year-old Min runs away from a barren, dust-ridden planet that barely sustains her family in search of her older brother, Jun who is accused of deserting the Space Forces. Their family hides their fox-magic by always appearing human and never using their special abilities such as influencing others through Charm or transforming into inanimate objects. Min soon realizes that to find her brother she must use all of these powers to find the mysterious Dragon Pearl, a magical object that can create and destroy entire planets through terraforming.
I am a fan of science fiction of and Rick Riordan’s coming of age, mythology-based adventures, but the Dragon Pearl was lacking. The writing was solid and the words flowed evenly making reading effortless; yet, the story lacked any humor and character loyalties shifted endlessly. The Korean mythology was fascinating but took a backseat to the details about the regulations of the military Space Forces and the technology of operating the space crafts.
According to the author on GoodReads, this is a stand-alone book.
I recommend this book to middle grade fans of science fiction, but adjust your expectations if you are looking for the signature Rick Riordan humor and mythological backbone to the plot.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
