When The Sea Turned to Silver: Overview

(MAJOR SPOILERS.)

This is like the other two, for those of you who have already read the book. I was really confused as to what was going on and then the more and more I read, each time I read the book, it became clearer and clearer and the pieces of the whole series finally started to fit and come together. So my review isn't so much what I liked about it or what is so great about it (because that's NOT what I want this blog to be) - it's more of a tutorial, or a step-by-step instruction kit so you can put the puzzle together yourself. Warning, it's going to be long. That said...

Starry River of the Sky: Overview

MAJOR SPOILERS. This review is only for people who have already read it and want to know more about how this story ties into the first book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Here we come to the second book of the series.

It all starts with Rendi, son of Nobody and his wife Nothing. Wait no that's Mara.

So Rendi arrives at the Village of Clear Sky (not to get mixed up with the Village of the Moon Rain), and all we know about him is that he's running away (like Minli!) and that he's wealthy (not like Minli: not used to chores, pg 21. And pg 20, scoffs the "best room in the inn" bc it's not even as good as his father's servants' rooms). But as he stays longer and longer and learns more and more, he starts sounding awfully familiar . . .

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon: Overview

Every story told in this story is a backstory that fills in the holes and explains it as one big puzzle being solved bit by bit.

If you finished the book a little bit confused...

(MAJOR spoils ahead - and it's for people who have already read this book, so you aren't going to understand any of it if you haven't finished the book because I skip over important things that people already know. But it will also spoil it for you, so you won't understand it but have it spoiled anyway which is a terrible strategy.)

If you're not quite ready to spoil the book for yourself, but want to read more about it, check out "Stories as Scaffolding" on Story Sleuths, it's a great breakdown and does a good job of talking about the book without giving anything away.