Janie Chang

“The Library of Legends is a gorgeous, poetic journey threaded with mist and magic about a group from a Chinese university who take to the road to escape the Japanese invasion of 1937 – only to discover that danger stalks them from within. Janie Chang pens pure enchantment!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress From the author of Three Souls and Dragon Springs Road comes a captivating historical novel—the third in a loosely-connected trilogy—in which a young woman travels across China with a convoy of student refugees, fleeing the hostilities of a brutal war with Japan. “Myths are the darkest and brightest incarnations of who we are…” China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends. Her family’s past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students’ common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother. On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Learning Shao and Sparrow’s true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country’s fate forever. Based on true events, rich in Chinese history and lore, The Library of Legends is both an illuminating exploration of China’s recent past and an evocative tale of love, sacrifice, and the extraordinary power of storytelling.

A Novel

The Library of Legends

"P.S. insights, interviews & more..."--Cover.

altlovesbooks

I really wanted to like this book! On paper, the premise of students fleeing with books containing ancient legends and myths from China during the second Sino-Japanese War sounded really appealing! I was intrigued by the inclusion of Historical Fantasy, in the form of these mythical creatures and people fleeing japan for the Kunlun Mountain, ostensibly because of the conflict. These immortal creatures (phoenixes, kirins, city gods, etc.) can only be seen by very few mortals, and the inclusion of their departures highlights the conflict that China underwent during this period. Essentially, the gods fled China during this period of war and conflict and left mortals to manage on their own.

Unfortunately, I thought the rest of the book was lackluster. The characters were a little flat, and there were romance elements I could have done without. There was also the brief inclusion of some political elements, where the main character, Lian, is coerced into spying on her fellow students for the government, but I never really felt drawn into hers or anyone else's story. I thought the ending was a nice period on a lukewarm story, but not enough for it to improve my feelings about the story any.

Celeste Richardson

The synopsis for The Library of Legends sounded wonderful. This story takes place in China in 1937, when the city of Nanking falls to the Japanese. The narrative follows Lian, a scholarship student who is fleeing with her university to save not only themselves but the Library of Legends, an original collection of China’s fables and folklore that is integral to their national identity. Lian does her part to protect the Library, and I very much enjoyed this aspect of the story. As the journey progresses, we start to see these legends come to life on the periphery of the story, as the legends themselves begin to evacuate the mortal world. 

There were so many excellent building blocks to this story. An interesting and well-developed setting, a dramatic and compelling plot, a respect for stories, a star-crossed romance, and even an element of mysticism were all present. But there was something about both the characters and the writing itself that just fell a bit flat for me. None of the characters ever felt tangible to me, which made them less than believable. I think this disconnect is directly linked to Chang’s writing style and choices in prose. Something about it just didn’t resonate with me as a reader.

Though I had my issues with The Library of Legends, I loved getting to learn more about a time and place with which I was fairly unfamiliar. I can see this novel appealing to a lot of readers, especially those who gravitate towards non-literary historical fiction.

Clara Moore

This was a fascinating story about an event I knew little about. Although it is fictionalized, it was notable that the author has a personal connection to someone that went through this journey in real life. I liked the way she mixed in Chinese myths and legends with the harsh realities of war. But overall I thought the writing was a bit basic and was missing the hook that keeps a reader from wanting to put the book down.

Emily S

Had SO MUCH POTENTIAL but really thought it didn’t let you immerse quiiiite enough. Like, things really only started to come together in the last ~30 pages for me. Maybe just the author’s more simple style? I did enjoy that she has bonus content (like deleted scenes) on her website!

Abigail F

This is not a novel I would typically pick out for myself. I am not a historical-anything person, let alone historical fantasy. But when my book bestie suggested we use this for our buddy read, I agreed, and I am so glad I did! Just another reminder to branch outside your normal genres because I finished this in three days, and it only took that long because I had to wait for our half way point discussion before finishing. 

I was hesitant about all the characters at the beginning of this book. I think it’s because its told in alternating limited third person POV, which was confusing at first. But now that the novel is finished, I want to stay with them, learn more about what happens next. The world building in this book is gorgeous; while it is historically based, the mythical aspects were well portrayed and now all I can do is imagine immortal gods and deities being visible from the skies as the pollution lowers. To be honest, I wanted more for the Library of Legends aspects, wanted more myths than we got. But what readers get is so well done, I can’t really complain (just beg for another book following different characters).

The plot contains everything from love triangles, to murder, to deep family secrets as well hope and constructive criticism of classism and capitalism. While I feel like these idea of classism and capitalism fell off in the second half, the visuals and discussions in the first half really struck me (especially since we are going through a time when essential workers are making less than those on unemployment, where big companies are being saved before mom & pop shops, and generally the economy isn’t doing so hot).

While I ended up really enjoying the way the story was told, originally the POV used was really confusing and off putting. The characters were hard to connect with at first, and I had to go back and reread a couple sections because I got confused on who was talking. Once you get about 70 pages in, though, you start to realize all the benefits of it and how amazing Chang is at pulling off multiple limited third person POVs. 

What I loved most about this book was how interested it made me in the history of Chinese students marching across the country during WW2. The author explains in her dedication this story is inspired by her father, who was one of those students. This was a piece of history I never knew existed and now I’m tracking down the references Chang lists at the end of the novel. Books that bring awareness to historical events I knew nothing about always end up getting my heart. 

The Library of Legends rating is 4/5 stars. This isn’t a story that will leave me any time soon, with its horrors of war, and hope found in education. Whether you’re someone who enjoys historical fantasy or not, I would definitely pick up a copy!

Julia Rothlauf

From the author of Three Souls and Dragon Springs Road comes a captivating historical novel in which a convoy of student refugees travel across China, fleeing the hostilities of a brutal war with Japan “Myths are the darkest and brightest incarnations of who we are . . .” China, 1937. When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of students, faculty and staff must walk 1,000 miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the refugees who are at risk; Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure: a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends. The students’ common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends creates unexpected bonds. Lian becomes friends and forms a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is arrested and another one is murdered, Lian realizes she must escape before a family secret puts her in danger too. Accompanied by Shao and his enigmatic maidservant, Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai in the hopes of reuniting with her mother. During the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. This revelation comes with profound consequences, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits who embark on an exodus of their own, one that will change the country’s fate forever.

Lizzie

Heather Margaret

"China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China's western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends. Her family's past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students' common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother. On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Learning Shao and Sparrow's true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country's fate forever. Based on true events, rich in Chinese history and lore, The Library of Legends is both an illuminating exploration of China's recent past and an evocative tale of love, sacrifice, and the extraordinary power of storytelling."--Publisher.

The Library of Legends A Novel

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