Erica Laurie

Evangeline Lane is grieving, confused, and alone.

Her mother has died of cancer, and her father has become distant and apparently completely wrapped up in his work--for which he travels frequently. She loves the Korean dramas of her mother's heritage, and was previously an excellent student in high school, but she finds it increasingly hard to focus. Her grades are slipping.

She feels that her father doesn't love her, and fears that perhaps he never loved her mother, either.

Then one day, in a bookstore, she finds a marvelous book. The bookseller says that it's a book that finds its reader, something which makes no sense to her. But he lets her borrow it, and she is soon wrapped up in the book.

And then she is inside the story.

Clearly this must be a dream. What else can it be? You can't just walk into a book, right?

In the strange world of the book, she meets a boy her own age, who, concerned by her obviously lost and confused state, takes her to his family's tavern.

He thinks she must be the Star Princess, the girl whose skin glows like moonlight. Then she starts seeing a small dragon. The Crown Prince sends out an announcement that the girl fitting this description must be found.

Both Beom, the boy she met when she arrived, and the Prince think she must be the Star Princess--the mysterious maiden whom it is promised will put the falling stars back in the sky and save the kingdom.

What's a grieving high school girl to do?

Evangeline is level-headed, likable, and worth spending time with. I found this to be a completely charming story. It may not be one of the future classics of literature, but it's thoroughly enjoyable.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book, and am reviewing it volutarily.… (mehr)

This is a wonderfully written story after the fashion of a Korean Folk tale. Eun Na is a virtuous young woman who supports her aging parents. When the Landlord squeezes the family for the rent of their cottage and parcel of land, Eun Na is forced to take on extra labor in the forest and finally in the Landlord’s kitchen to try and save her parents. Along the way she meets the landlord’s son and also another handsome and rich young man who rescues them from a hunter’s trap. The young man is human by day but a phantom by night due to a curse by his evil father. The story moves along. The curse is finally lifted. The greedy landlord expires due to his desire for wealth and power. A local female shaman helps to remove the curse and ends up marrying the landlord’s son. Eun Na marries the phantom and they….(not fair to tell the ending)… This was a refreshing read, with lots of excitement and adventure. I hope we will see more from this writer.

I was provided with an electronic copy in return for an honest review.… (mehr)