James Li should be in Chicago, finishing high school and working at his family's restaurant. Instead, as a born member of the Yellow Dragon Clan, h...
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Feb 18, 2011
Julia
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Jay is a 17 year old from Chicago whose only ever worked at his parents’ Chinese restaurant. Who points his finger at a place on a map: Santo del Vado Viejo, AZ and goes there with his grandmother’s blessing. She’s been training him since he was eleven, when a giant picture of a dragon appeared on his chest. Now he speaks any language fluently, animals react strangely to him, and he has no idea why. His grandmother taught him much more of the esoteric rather than realistic: he is of the Yellow D
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Jun 03, 2011
Laurie
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The southwestern US desert seemed like an unusual setting for a de Lint novel at first, but the magic that is characteristic of his stories quickly made itself apparent. Those who have read his work before will recognize the animal spirits before they are explained.
Jay Li is a teenager sent from Chicago to the border town of Santo del Vado Viejo by his grandmother, Paupau. He’s got a picture of a golden dragon on his back- not a tattoo, but a design that rose, painfully, through his s More...
Jay Li is a teenager sent from Chicago to the border town of Santo del Vado Viejo by his grandmother, Paupau. He’s got a picture of a golden dragon on his back- not a tattoo, but a design that rose, painfully, through his s More...
May 08, 2011
Alex
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I’ve been thinking about The Painted Boy for a few weeks without knowing exactly what to say. After all, it’s Charles de Lint, my idol author since the mid 1980s. What could I write that doesn’t come across as super fan-geeky?
Because really, the book is classic de Lint at his best. There’s a great mix of points of view and narrative styles without any head-hopping going on. There are real life problems mixed with mythic themes. There’s wonder combined with cynicism. And there’s coming More...
Because really, the book is classic de Lint at his best. There’s a great mix of points of view and narrative styles without any head-hopping going on. There are real life problems mixed with mythic themes. There’s wonder combined with cynicism. And there’s coming More...
Dec 18, 2010
Dianna
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charles is back!
i've enjoyed charles de lint's urban fantasies for years and when he announced a while back that he would be abandoning his fictional city of newford, home base of most of his fiction for 20 years, i figured he was over. and his next couple of books, while not terrible, were not particularly great either -- it seemed he'd lost his mojo without a place to center his stories.
now with this book, it would seem he has one again -- or, if not a place, at least a go More...
i've enjoyed charles de lint's urban fantasies for years and when he announced a while back that he would be abandoning his fictional city of newford, home base of most of his fiction for 20 years, i figured he was over. and his next couple of books, while not terrible, were not particularly great either -- it seemed he'd lost his mojo without a place to center his stories.
now with this book, it would seem he has one again -- or, if not a place, at least a go More...
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Feb 19, 2011
Ranting
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The Painted Boy is a standalone novel by Charles de Lint, following a young Chinese-American teenager, Jay Li. When he was 11 years old, a painted dragon appeared on his back, signaling that in the future he may wield the power of his inner dragon. When Jay turns 17, he travels from Chicago’s Chinatown to Santo del Vado Viejo, Arizona as part of his spiritual journey. Upon arrival, he immediately has to escape angry gang members who believe Jay to be a Triad spy.
Jay does find some frie More...
Jay does find some frie More...
Feb 15, 2011
Jenny
rated it:
Charles De Lint has been a favorite author of mine for a while now, and seeing this book on the shelf was the happiest surprise! He does a great job mixing fantasy within realism and he does not make a misstep in this one.
1. You know that saying from Spiderman that goes "with great power comes great responsibility" ? That same saying applies here. I think someone even brings up that Spiderman reference in the book! Anyway, Jay has great power and you get to see Jay grow More...
1. You know that saying from Spiderman that goes "with great power comes great responsibility" ? That same saying applies here. I think someone even brings up that Spiderman reference in the book! Anyway, Jay has great power and you get to see Jay grow More...
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Jun 19, 2011
Barbara
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This urban fantasy has an interesting character in Jay Li--the boy with a dragon tattoo--and an interesting setting in an Arizona town plagued by gangbangers and their leader. As such, it has plenty to offer fans of this sort of thing--animal clans and spirits that talk to humans and are able to move from one place to another effortlessly. Jay's struggle to find himself and figure out the purpose of his being sent from Chicago to Arizona seems realistic, but the villains in this one are a bit to
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Apr 12, 2011
Evelyn
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Charles De Lint has managed to amaze me again. Although I have to admit that I found the plot started off much faster than I expected, like how he tells Rosalie, Anna, and Tio about what he is when he barely knew them. Then the plot slows down at parts where I expected it to speed up. <spoiler>After Margarita's death, I expected Jay to immediately go deal with El Tigre, but instead it takes days.</spoiler> Still, Charles De Lint had me staying up all night just to be able to continue
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Oct 30, 2011
Audrey
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I can't tell you how glad I am to be back in familiar Charles de Lint territory. This novel is so much better than his typical YA books, maybe because he's back to just writing, rather than focusing on a specific audience. This reminds me a bit of Someplace to be Flying, and it's not as heavyhanded as some of his novels can get when it comes to "issues." He really focuses on the spirit of a place in this novel, and that seems to reflect his own personal growing love for the desert -- w
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Oct 28, 2011
Amy
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The flap of my book says that this author is "widely credited as having pioneered the contemporary fantasy genre". I wasn't sure what genre to put this book into, but that one sounds as good as any. It knocked my socks off.
The characters were simply beautiful. I won't tell you which ones were my favorite, because you wouldn't understand at first, but I can pretty much guarantee you will not be able to help loving them either.
There were a few minor language More...
The characters were simply beautiful. I won't tell you which ones were my favorite, because you wouldn't understand at first, but I can pretty much guarantee you will not be able to help loving them either.
There were a few minor language More...
Jan 13, 2012
Douglas
rated it:
A wonderful book and a book full of wonder. I always enjoy spending time with de Lint's characters. They are so well drawn, and the characters in this book are no exception--each is unique and deeply human, each with flaws, but flaws that you can forgive, more easily than the characters forgive themselves, which makes them that much more likeable. The mythology in the book is rich and deep. But most of all, the book goes far beyond the good-versus-evil confrontation that the initial setup would
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Aug 18, 2011
Kit
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If you are unaware of the genre "Urban Fantasy" there is no better author in my mind to start your adventure with than Charles de Lint. He takes you to a magical, mythical world just out of sight in the present world - and convinces you that if you would only open your awareness (and heart and spirit), you too could be aware of this world. As is usual with de Lint's novels, his fantasy plot is an allegory for "real" life emotions, problems, relationships. However, he makes
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Jun 06, 2011
Patrick
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I didn't know anything about this book or the author. After reading a few pages I really liked the opening of the book and I was hoping it would develop into a good story.
I think the plot was original. There are many characters that are interesting at first but eventually they are not engaging, and at times I mixed up the names of some of them.
The supernatural powers seem unbalanced and I didn't feel that the weaknesses and confrontations of the main characters were bel More...
I think the plot was original. There are many characters that are interesting at first but eventually they are not engaging, and at times I mixed up the names of some of them.
The supernatural powers seem unbalanced and I didn't feel that the weaknesses and confrontations of the main characters were bel More...
Feb 03, 2011
Chris
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I enjoyed the blend of Chinese(-esque) mythology and Native(-esque) mythology, combined with the magic of the Arizona desert and a classic coming of age story. It's not one of my favorite de Lints, but I think it's better than some of his recent ones, and I like that he's writing about a male protagonist and different ethnic groups and cultures. But while the world building and mythology is rich, the story itself is simple and more or less predictable (though still entertaining). I also found th
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Jan 07, 2011
Jacki
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Jay Li leaves Chicago for the barrios of the desert in the hopes of, well he is not quite sure. At the age of eleven, an images of a dragon appears on his back and he begins his training as a potential member of the Yellow Dragon Clan. After six long years of training, and much cryptic talk from his grandmother, Jay closes his eyes and points to the map, finding his new place and hopefully coming to understand the dragon that lives within him.
Moving from his familiar Newford, de Li More...
Moving from his familiar Newford, de Li More...
Jan 10, 2011
Rachelle
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Feb 01, 2011
Quanjun
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The Painted Boy has a good story, I just wished the writing had been more. I didn't expect it to read like a YA novel that's actually meant for YAs, I didn't even know it was YA. So Jay is a yellow dragon, only he doesn't really know what that means, or if it were real. This is a bit hard to swallow since he's been trained by his grandmother in the ways of a dragon since he was 11, and his parents even let him leave home and school to fulfill his calling as a dragon. Having lived with a dragon h
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Jan 03, 2012
Alanna
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I enjoyed the first fifty pages of this and anticipated great things from it. For one: Asian protagonist. Finally. Thank you. Second: the mythology and lore that was showing up really intrigued me. Unfortunately by the end, I had to decide this was not the book for me. I found the pacing slow: it went in fits and bursts of speed that quickly petered out. The characters never really congealed in my mind as full-fledged human beings, they only felt like half-constructed, pale imitations of real pe
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Jan 18, 2011
Ceil
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I am a big fan of Charles de Lint. I really enjoyed this new book. It is a bit of a different direction, using the Chinese folklore mixed with the Native American/Southwest. Although it is a YA book, there is plenty to engage adult readers. As always, de Lint's prose is lyrical; his descriptions of the desert scenery brings the Southwest to life to this Northern girl. Also, there is a good bit of humor in this book. It is a coming-of-age story with a twist; Jay Li has to learn how to control his
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Mar 01, 2011
Benni
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http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-painted...
The Painted Boy is a standalone novel by Charles de Lint, following a young Chinese-American teenager, Jay Li. When he was 11 years old, a painted dragon appeared on his back, signaling that in the future he may wield the power of his inner dragon. When Jay turns 17, he travels from Chicago’s Chinatown to Santo del Vado Viejo, Arizona as part of his spiritual journey. Upon arrival, he immediately has to escape angry gang members who believe Ja More...
The Painted Boy is a standalone novel by Charles de Lint, following a young Chinese-American teenager, Jay Li. When he was 11 years old, a painted dragon appeared on his back, signaling that in the future he may wield the power of his inner dragon. When Jay turns 17, he travels from Chicago’s Chinatown to Santo del Vado Viejo, Arizona as part of his spiritual journey. Upon arrival, he immediately has to escape angry gang members who believe Ja More...
Jun 15, 2011
Christina (A Reader of Fictions)
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Before picking this book up, I had heard of Charles de Lint, but had never gotten around to giving any of his books a try yet. Well, I will now. I loved this book from the first couple of pages and it never lost my interest. The story is original, the characters likable and the plot well-paced. Charles de Lint, if this book is representative, is a master storyteller and I cannot wait to read more of his books. I may have just found a new favorite!
The only thing that I disliked about More...
The only thing that I disliked about More...
Mar 25, 2011
Miz Lizzie
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When seventeen-year-old James ("Jay") Li arrives by bus in Santo del Vado Viejo, a (fictional) Arizona border town, from Chicago, he is hoping to finally live a normal life away from his enigmatic and dictatorial grandmother. But the dragon design marking his back is no ordinary "tattoo." It is the mark of the dragon shape and power that he carries inside as a member of the Yellow Dragon Clan. El Tigre, the local gang boss, senses Jay's potential rivalry and sends his band
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Jan 15, 2011
Heather
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I was a little unsure going into this book, as YA isn't my favourite. This story, however, took me right back to Someplace to be Flying, one of my favourite books of all time. I didn't find it campy, like some of CdL's other YA and recent releases(I find he tries too hard to incorporate awkward slang and current technology, which distracts from the story and the characters). Instead, it was straight from that place of mystery and magic that captured my heart in the first place.
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May 14, 2011
Caitlin
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Got an ARC at ALA and I like my cover better than this one, but wow. Fantastic book. A mythology entirely unfamiliar to me, but realistic and wonderful. I loved bringing in the bandas and the music scene, it added a fantastic touch that allows teens to find out stuff about current cultures they may not be familiar with. I loved the resolution and would absolutely read anything similar. I'll have to search out more of his books, I've heard great things.
Jan 12, 2011
Sasha
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I am really not sure how I feel about race things going on. On the other hand, Dragons! Charles de Lint! What's not to love here?
It felt very Charles de Lint, but more American, and I love how he amalgamates mythologies in a way that seems intriguing rather than belittling, at least to me. Of course, there are still no gollum or anything. But that is a separate rant. The book is warm, lovely, harsh, fun. But not his best.
It felt very Charles de Lint, but more American, and I love how he amalgamates mythologies in a way that seems intriguing rather than belittling, at least to me. Of course, there are still no gollum or anything. But that is a separate rant. The book is warm, lovely, harsh, fun. But not his best.
Feb 27, 2011
Kim
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I always love books by Charles de Lint and this one was no exception. It's a little "younger" than some of his books (I think it's technically adolescent lit) but it's by no means immature. Interesting, well-sketched characters, a setting that reads like another character in itself, real growth for all the major characters.
I've been reading de Lint for probably 20 years, and he never disappoints me. :)
I've been reading de Lint for probably 20 years, and he never disappoints me. :)
Mar 28, 2011
Bradley
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I absolutely LOVED this book. Any book that can make me gasp aloud and keeps me turning the pages is a winner in my book. I can't even describe how awesome this book is. There's adventure and mystery and magic and a love story and mythology and everything I could ask for in a book. Charles de Lint had already proven himself up to my standards with The Onion Girl but this book vaults him over the top.
Aug 31, 2011
Louisa
rated it:
A very good story, though I am biased since I would have to say this is one of my favorite authors. I always feel a connection to the characters & usually learn something about myself when reading his stories. I just love how he takes the ordinary world and twists adding a little magic. I am going to recommend this to a young reader as his introduction to fantasy that is not Harry Potter.
Feb 23, 2011
Cheralaine
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I just didn't have the stamina to finish this book. It took me almost three weeks to read 200 pages. The main problem was that it didn't hold my interest for more than ten pages at a time. I really wanted to like it but I just didn't, sorry. The reason I gave it two stars instead of just one, is because I can see the appeal this would have for thosewho enjoy the genre.
Sep 14, 2011
Amber
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I have been a fan of de Lint's work for a very long time now, and I found this book to be every bit up to the standard of his previous work. The story of Jay and finding his place in the world, discovering on his own what his role as a Yellow Dragon means, is a wonderful one. I read it in a single sitting and just loved it. Highly recommended.
