The Library of Legends gains extra sparkle by weaving in some of the mythological beings from the titular legends. Eventually, she and a classmate – Liu Shaoming – and the mysterious maidservant Sparrow Chen must turn back to Shanghai. While some face death or arrest, Lian faces blackmail and espionage. She becomes close to a few people during the months of travel, but not everyone is safe. Hu Lian is among the student refugees traveling west, but she closely guards her true identity and family secrets. But they must walk nearly the whole way – over 1,000 miles – and they carry with them a special piece of Chinese history: The Library of Legends, dozens of volumes of ancient books documenting the country’s mythologies and folklore. When Nanking becomes too unsafe due to the bombings, the students are forced to travel west across China to safety. This tumultuous time forms the backdrop for a group of students at Minghua University. While the country is internally divided, having just come out of the first phase of a civil war, they are also in the midst of the second Sino-Japanese War, part of WWII. The Library of Legends takes us to China in 1937. Its magical description was enough to entice me! Summary Published earlier this year, I discovered it when it was announced as a Book of the Month selection in April. Following Song of the Crimson Flower and The Night Tiger, my trilogy ends with The Library of Legends by Janie Chang. I’ve devoted the past couple of weeks to reading Asian fantasies.
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