Review: An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

An Arrow to the Moon

by Emily X.R. Pan

April 12, 2022

Goodreads Summary:

Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology in this magical novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After

Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.

Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love…but time is running out, and fate will have its way.

Review

I usually don't have a good time reading magical realism but it was hard not to be swept away by the lyrical writing in An Arrow to the Moon. With multiple POVs, the book is a beautiful tale of first love and family dynamics.

An Arrow to the Moon was more than what I expected. Instead of being just a love story, it features filial piety, social hierarchy, economic realities and religious beliefs. Each topic had its fair share in the spotlight with well-paced reveals that gave the story an air of melancholy.

The retelling portion of An Arrow to the Moon was my favourite. I grew up learning the Chinese mythology so I thought the way the author incorporated it was clever and unique. Her reimagining of many of the elements made the story very refreshing to read.

While the whole story was a bit too whimsical for me, I liked Luna and Hunter. I was very intrigued by their mysterious abilities and how they affected each other. Both dealing with falling outs and uncertainties in their lives, Luna and Hunter provided each other with safety and freedom. Always sweet together, their bittersweet ending was the purest form of love.

Going into An Arrow to the Moon I had a feeling the story would have a dream-like quality and it definitely did. The short chapters made it easy to read and I immensely enjoyed Emily X.R. Pan's beautiful prose. Get yourself a copy of An Arrow to the Moon if magical realism is your preferred type of read!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.