K-Jane by Lydia Kang

I've been looking forward to today's read because it appears to be a sweet, young adult drama with humor and heart. And that sounds perfect for a read to snuggle up with while the weather does its thing outside. I found the blurb on this one interesting as it seems to take a new twist on the entire K-scene. 

So, let's see if this one is as enjoyable as I hope it will be.

K-JANE

by Lydia Kang

Quill Tree Books

YA Contemporary

336 pages

From acclaimed author Lydia Kang comes a funny, moving YA novel following a third-generation Korean American teen who goes to extreme and hilarious lengths to connect more with her Korean heritage, perfect for fans of Maurene Goo and Rachel Lynn Solomon.

Jane Choi is a typical Nebraskan teen—a corn-fed lover of Husker football. But lately, she feels like she’s missing something. Her non-Korean classmates—that’s everyone—are immersed in K-pop, K-dramas, K-beauty . . . basically, K-everything. But for Jane, kimchi? Not a fan. Bibimbap? What is that? Her mom even named her after the very not-Korean Jane Eyre.

Everyone seems to know more about Korean culture than Jane. And she isn’t sure whether she’s more annoyed at them, or herself.

With a baby brother on the way, Jane is determined to save her new sibling from enduring the same humiliation. a totally foolproof plan to become the K-Jane of her dreams. What better way than to start a private social media account about all things Korean so her closest cousins can learn from her?

But Korean heritage and identity are more complicated than taste-testing multiple varieties of kimchi in front of a camera. And when online virality crashes into real life, Jane’s plans might just go K-boom in her face.

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MY TIDBITS

Life as a teen is anything but easy, and this tale embraces that in an adorable way.

Jane Choi's family immigrated from Korea...several generations ago. To say that they'd long stirred into the pot called American culture would be an understatement. This has never even been worth a second's thought to Jane  before, who dances a bit to her own tune with two best friends at her side. Her parents are super busy in their careers but caring and lovable, all the same. When her mother becomes pregnant, Jane takes it with normal, life flow until she gets lab partnered with the hot guy at school, a 1st (sort of 2nd) generation immigrant. He's not only trilingual but has a family which still has roots in their origins. All of this would be fine, but he expects her to know all things Korean. And she doesn't have a clue, but she's not about to ruin the first signs of communication with someone like him. This pushes her to realize that everyone who meets her and knows her Korean name seems to think she's an expert on Korea, and it bugs her. So, she decides to become that which she hasn't been, and not only for the guy but for her unborn brother, who will suffer the same 'fate' if she doesn't become the Korean guru he can turn to in the future. But she only has three months to flip herself around. Add that she can't stand kimchi or K-dramas, and life is going to get rough on so many levels.

This tale takes the ridiculousness of teen life, ideas, and problems, and lets the drama soar. Jane's life is good, and she has no problem being who she is thanks to two great friends at her side, which is a refreshing beginning without baggage. So when one encounter with a seemingly-unreachable-but-school-heart-throb-guy suddenly has her questioning everything about herself, it's over-the-top and it fits. Now, while most teens might slide into a short phase and give up, this tale deliciously embraces the extreme of Jane's determination and lets her speed full-throttle into a clearly approaching crash. But her determination, love for family (although oddly expressed, at times), and lack of sense make her all that much fun to root for. Meaningly good but bad decisions come at every turn to add humor and cringe, while sliding in familiarity and food for thought. It's never overly heavy but impossible to miss. And her growth in all of this chaos makes it fun.

There is the romance, and this ignites the entire situation with the usual insta-attraction, which plagues YA novels...and might hit the truth closer than many like to admit. And while this flies wonderfully into extremes, at least, on Jane's end, the romance is sweet. It flows along the side as all of the other chaos sets in, letting the friendship difficulties often take forefront, too. Even with the romance, there's twists, which draw dislike but take surprising turns to show that all is not what it seems, since everyone has their own problems to work through. 

All in all, this is an enjoyable read to sit back and easily enjoy.

And here she is...

Lydia Kang is an associate professor of internal medicine and an award-winning and bestselling author of adult fiction, young adult fiction, and science nonfiction, including Opium and Absinthe, Star Wars: Cataclysm, The November Girl, and Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. 

Review: Toxic by Lydia Kang with Giveaway!

TOXIC

by Lydia Kang

Entangled Teen

YA Science Fiction

368 pages

Cyclo, the first and largest biological ship of its kind, is dying. A small crew of mercenaries have handed over the rights to their life to document the death of the ship, but the abandoned ship is anything but abandoned―one girl has been left behind.

Hana has known nothing but the isolation of a single room and the secret that has kept her there for seventeen years. When she meets Fennec, the boy assigned to watch her, she realizes that there is a world she has yet to experience but she is doomed to never meet.

When crew members begin mysteriously dying, Hana and Fenn realize that they are racing against the death of the ship to find a way to survive―unless someone kills them even before Hana’s truly had a chance to live.

MY TIDBITS

Emotion packed these pages as various questions surrounding life and the selfishness/selflessness of relationships are explored—and all that in an adventure in outer space.

Hana has been hidden since the moment she was born. In her own tiny space inside Cyclo, a biological spaceship, her mother has kept her existence a secret because as a genetic manufactured human, Hana is not allowed to exist. When Cyclo's lifespan reaches its end, Hana's existence is supposed to be made known. But her mother doesn't come as promised. Instead, she has deserted Cyclo along with the rest of the crew, leaving Hana utterly alone.

Fenn is part of an investigation crew, whose sole duty is to record the data concerning Cyclo's last moments. It's a one-way mission, but a better death than he deserves thanks to his troubled past. At least, through his death, he will earn enough money to save the life of his sister—a person who truly deserves to live. But when he reaches Cyclo with the rest of his crew, they are in for more than just a few surprises. He begins to question everything he believed certain before.

This was not the read I was expecting. Although set in space and having moments of tension, action, chills and those which hold the reader on the edge of the seat, this book took a deeper, more emotional path. While it's a romance which explores Fenn's and Hana's relationship as they fight past suspicions and doubts to learn more about each other, it's also a tale of motherly love, regrets, misunderstandings and the search for a place in life and the universe. By creating a living and feeling ship, Cyclo, the author has added an extra level to the plot and opened up more than a can of questions. 

Fenn and Hana both have pasts which are full of scars, doubt and dilemmas...enough for a book on its own. Cyclo's existence and how its handled leave basic moral questions open and untouched as tiny morsels of thought which float on the side, while so many other basic questions surrounding the meaning of existence and love are more than touched upon. All of this is packed into a bit of a thriller as the crew and Hana fight for their lives as an unknown murder leaves behind a brutal trail. There's mystery, high-tech and moments which near a chilling horror scene. But it's not always a fast-paced read. There are moments in between, those which dive deeper into Hana and Fenn as well as Hana's relationship with Cyclo, which slow it down. For an action fan like me, these moments moved a bit slow. Also, the romance didn't completely pull me in, but with two very difficult characters like Hana and Fenn, it couldn't follow the normal flow. 

Fans of science fiction, romance, deep characters and the exploration of several basic questions of life are sure to get lost in the pages and enjoy an adventure into Cyclo...one they won't easily forget.

And here she is...

Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine, completing her residency and chief residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is a practicing physician who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Great Weather for Media. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and currently lives in Omaha with her husband and three children.

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