The Ghost Bride by Yangsze ChooMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So I had to read this because it was written by a Malaysian, right?
I'd heard about The Ghost Bride sometime last year, probably through Goodreads, but was always putting off getting a copy because I'm not really a fan of ghost stories/Chinese superstitions. Then I saw it in a bookshop and I was in a book buying spree... so... *shrug*
Seventeen-year-old Li Lan has received a marriage proposal into the esteemed Lim family. However, there are several complications: The groom is dead, and Li Lan has her heart set on another. Set in both the beautiful bustle of ancient Malacca and the terrifying Plains of the Dead, Yangsze Choo weaves a haunting story of a young girl struggling to save herself and protect her family after she is drawn into unseen world of the afterlife.
The book is split into four parts and I would frankly say that I loved parts 1 and 4 the most. The first part of the book draws you into beautiful Malacca, inviting you into the interesting culture of the Straits settlement Chinese in the 1860s. Part 2 and 3 plunges you into the strange world of the afterlife, and though it was very well written, I didn't enjoy it as much (as I said, I don't really enjoy ghost stories). Part 4 brings you back to Malacca again, and its lovely romantic ending will leave you teary eyed.
Excited to read more from Choo! (I believe her next will be set in Ipoh...)
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Sounds like an interesting book and the cover art is beautiful :]
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