Our Missing Hearts - Review by Kyle
Bird is a 12-year-old, Wasian boy living in America with his loving father. Only this America isn't the one we know and love, It's an extremely patriotic and nationalistic America that has become terrified of China in a dystopian future. In this future, China has become a large threat to the USA; the US government begins cracking down on "Chinese sympathizers" of any kind. Anyone who supports China or protests against the US government get their children taken from them and relocated to a "safer" household with strong American values. Bird's Chinese mom secretly left when Bird was 9 so he wouldn't get relocated to a different household. After she leaves, Bird lives peacefully with his father, until one day he receives a letter and decides to finally investigate why his mom left and where she went.
Our missing hearts is a very heartwarming novel with a strong plot and lovable characters. The story often has you at the edge of your seat, dying to know what will happen next. However, there are moments that drag on for too long, especially during (without any spoilers) flashbacks and moments where characters recount memories. While there aren't many, the characters all feel very human; they each have the thoughts, feelings, and desires of someone you could bump into in day-to-day life. For example, Bird really wants to find his mom again. He defies his father (while feeling very guilty), and goes on a brave journey to reach her. But after he finds her, he finds that he's upset with her, and makes her as guilty as possible for leaving her even though she had a good reason to. Even though Bird went on a journey that took immense bravery, the author still makes Bird feel and act like a child would.
The climax of Our Missing Hearts is a beautiful and passionate last act for one of our main characters. It perfectly ties up their character arc. However, the conclusion immediately following the climax feels empty and ambiguous. It feels very forced and rushed, and wasn't very satisfying, especially after an amazing climax.
Through this book, the author has a lot to say about Asian hate, even if the hate in this book is much more extreme than in our actual world. They do a good job of not preaching about it, but simply showing the horrible acts of violence some people are willing to commit. However, I can't say much about this subject, as, luckily, I've never really been subject to hatred just because of my race.
Overall this book is a very powerful and engaging novel with a strong dystopian setting and amazing characters. However, it held back by a few needlessly long sections and a lackluster conclusion that wasn't long enough to satisfactorily tie up the story. I rate Our Missing Hearts 7.5 out of 10.
Nice review Kyle. I haven't read this book before, but it seems pretty interesting overall. The only thing that concerns me is the conclusion, because if that is bad, most of the time, it ruins the rest of the book, so I hope you still enjoyed the book because it seems interesting.
ReplyDeleteGood job Kyle, I thoroughly enjoyed your description of the novel. It is a common occurrence for books to have powerful plots and to have a great climax just for them to fall off in the end. I'm glad you enjoyed the book!
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle, nice job on the review! I really enjoy dystopian books, so I'll definitely be checking this out! You did a great job highlighting the good parts and the bad parts. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat review Kyle! I thought your review gave a really nice visualization and summary of the book without spoiling too much of the book. It sounds really interesting and I like that it has a great climax, but I would agree with you that the conclusion shouldn't be rushed and should be a more "eased into" feeling. I might have to pick it up soon, nice job!
ReplyDeleteKyle, great review! I liked how you subtly described the book without spoiling it, but still made it seem interesting. I really like dystopian and mystery books, so this one looks like it would be something I would enjoy. I liked how you were being honest at the end, as there are always some lacking aspects in a book somehow. I hope I can read this eventually!
ReplyDeleteThis review was a good summary of how you gave us enough information to be able to not get spoiled too much and we can still understand the lesson the author tries to give. I can definitely relate to reading a book that felt rushed but could have also had potential.
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle, I like how you mentioned the realistic character of Bird, becasue that can make of break a book. I wonder how he goes about finding his mother, and who helps him along the way. I also wanna see his character development but I guess I'll have to read it to find out.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great book review Kyle! After reading this book review, I will have to check this book out. You did a great job at describing the plot of book with detail without spoiling the book.
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle, this is a very engaging book review. I like how you summarized the book and then explained why you enjoyed or found this book interesting. Great review!
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