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The Fire Horse Girl
Jade Moon is a Fire Horse—the worst sign in the Chinese zodiac for girls, said to make them stubborn, willful, and far too imaginative. But while her family despairs of marrying her off, she has a passionate heart and powerful dreams, and wants only to find a way to make them come true.
Then a young man named Sterling Promise comes to their village to offer Jade Moon and her father a chance to go to America. While Sterling Promise's smooth manners couldn't be more different from her own impulsive nature, Jade Moon falls in love with him on the long voyage. But America in 1923 doesn't want to admit many Chinese, and when they are detained at Angel Island, the "Ellis Island of the West", she discovers a betrayal that destroys all her dreams. To get into America, much less survive there, Jade Moon will have to use all her stubbornness and will to break a new path... one as brave and dangerous as only a Fire Horse girl can imagine.
Then a young man named Sterling Promise comes to their village to offer Jade Moon and her father a chance to go to America. While Sterling Promise's smooth manners couldn't be more different from her own impulsive nature, Jade Moon falls in love with him on the long voyage. But America in 1923 doesn't want to admit many Chinese, and when they are detained at Angel Island, the "Ellis Island of the West", she discovers a betrayal that destroys all her dreams. To get into America, much less survive there, Jade Moon will have to use all her stubbornness and will to break a new path... one as brave and dangerous as only a Fire Horse girl can imagine.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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2605 people want to read
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September 5, 2023
In China, your astrological sign is a combination of one of the twelve animal signs and an element. A Fire Horse will only appear once in every sixty years. This is a good thing. The Fire amplifies the Horse’s most distasteful traits: stubbornness, selfishness and volatile temper. A Fire Horse girl, particularly one born in the early twentieth century, has little hope of conforming to the expectations held for a Chinese lady.
Jade Moon is a Fire Horse girl. At a blush, she appears spirited, spunky. In today’s world, a female with those traits could be adorable, desirable even. Such is not the case in China in the 1920s. Jade Moon is 17 years old and it is very difficult for her family to arrange a marriage. No one is willing to tolerate her sharp tongue, and, most certainly, no one wants to subject themselves to the Bad Luck she brings.
When stranger, Sterling Promise, appears to speak to her father, of course she makes no effort to curb her brashness. Soon, her father announces that he and Sterling Promise will be venturing to America, and that she would accompany them. Jade Moon knew of the freedom that Americans enjoyed, and the endless opportunities they had. It would have to be better than home.
Jade Moon was wrong. Before even boarding the ship, she became aware of her father and Sterling Promise sharing secrets. She quickly learned not to trust Sterling Promise. The few ladies on the ship told her things that she refused to believe. Her time spent on Angel Island was horrific; her departure brave and bold, and quite crazy. Jade Moon’s determination to make a new life for herself in San Francisco’s Chinatown is courageous and admirable. Her challenges seem insurmountable, but her quick mind and newly acquired skills help her survive. Sterling Promise’s random appearances make survival even more challenging. As Jade Moon plows her way into a new life, she learns that, to achieve true happiness, she will have to begin to trust; she will have to put her heart on line.
The Fire Horse Girl is a fabulously written story. While Jade Moon and Sterling Promise are fictitious characters, many of the details are true. The deplorable conditions, alongside beautiful, heart-wrenching poetry detailed on Angel Island, is real. “Paper families” were created. The Chinese “gangs” existed. Even the stories that Jade Moon loved to hear and to tell are adaptations from various Chinese Folktales. I think that Ms. Honeyman is outstanding in crafting such a fantastic tale around historical facts that are not well-known, but probably should be.
Jade Moon is a Fire Horse girl. At a blush, she appears spirited, spunky. In today’s world, a female with those traits could be adorable, desirable even. Such is not the case in China in the 1920s. Jade Moon is 17 years old and it is very difficult for her family to arrange a marriage. No one is willing to tolerate her sharp tongue, and, most certainly, no one wants to subject themselves to the Bad Luck she brings.
When stranger, Sterling Promise, appears to speak to her father, of course she makes no effort to curb her brashness. Soon, her father announces that he and Sterling Promise will be venturing to America, and that she would accompany them. Jade Moon knew of the freedom that Americans enjoyed, and the endless opportunities they had. It would have to be better than home.
Jade Moon was wrong. Before even boarding the ship, she became aware of her father and Sterling Promise sharing secrets. She quickly learned not to trust Sterling Promise. The few ladies on the ship told her things that she refused to believe. Her time spent on Angel Island was horrific; her departure brave and bold, and quite crazy. Jade Moon’s determination to make a new life for herself in San Francisco’s Chinatown is courageous and admirable. Her challenges seem insurmountable, but her quick mind and newly acquired skills help her survive. Sterling Promise’s random appearances make survival even more challenging. As Jade Moon plows her way into a new life, she learns that, to achieve true happiness, she will have to begin to trust; she will have to put her heart on line.
The Fire Horse Girl is a fabulously written story. While Jade Moon and Sterling Promise are fictitious characters, many of the details are true. The deplorable conditions, alongside beautiful, heart-wrenching poetry detailed on Angel Island, is real. “Paper families” were created. The Chinese “gangs” existed. Even the stories that Jade Moon loved to hear and to tell are adaptations from various Chinese Folktales. I think that Ms. Honeyman is outstanding in crafting such a fantastic tale around historical facts that are not well-known, but probably should be.
February 15, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Stars
When it comes to debut novels, I’ve begun to shy away from books. Without naming any names, debut novels more often than not prove to be massive disappointments for me. Of course, they all have gorgeous covers and thrilling synopses, but the ultimate execution of their plots falls disastrously flat. The Fire Horse Girl, however, is one of those few debuts that truly puts every other debut novel to shame. Although I constantly complain that there is a dearth of good historical fiction out there for young adults, if that means that gems like this novel and Code Name Verity crop up every so often, then I won’t be complaining any longer.
Jade Moon, the kick-ass protagonist of this tale, is the type of heroine I want to put on a poster and worship. Seriously. When her story begins in China, she is seen as a detriment to her family. As a girl born under the sign of the fire horse, her stubborn nature makes her ill-suited to the quiet role she is forced to play as a woman in China. When Sterling Promise, a stranger claiming to have a way to transport Jade Moon and her father to America, the land of opportunity, arrives in their quaint farm in China, Jade Moon’s life is turned upside down. Now, she must brave the questioning officials in Angel Island and somehow make it to America to fulfill her dreams and escape the constricting laws that bind her in China to a life of household work and silence, even if it means forsaking the only life – and love – she has ever known.
What makes The Fire Horse Girl such a remarkable novel is, first and foremost, the amount of research that has gone into crafting it. As a history-buff, I was thrilled to find that the portrayal of Chinese immigration into America was both accurate and authentic. It never ceased to amaze me with what description Honeyman could depict the situations of these hopeful immigrants and the stark contrast between their dreams and reality was sharply felt through the adventures of Jade Moon.
Furthermore, although it is a sad fact of history that women were treated inferior to men, the men in The Fire Horse Girl embody this ideal perfectly without losing their depth. Instead, Honeyman enables us to clearly understand the rigid laws of Chinese culture that have been prevalent for centuries and contrast them with the only ideals that men, even in America, know how to live by. As a woman, and even a little bit of a feminist myself, I was very impressed with the care taken to contrast the role of gender realistically, both in China and America. If you enjoyed novels such as Eon by Alison Goodman, then here is yet another story that is bound to make you contemplate and reflect upon the role of gender, even in the society we live in today.
The actual story of The Fire Horse Girl itself is told masterfully. It is nearly impossible to set down once you’ve picked it up and the writing will transport you from China, to a difficult journey overseas and finally to the bustling Chinatown of California. As a character, Jade Moon is both defiant and vulnerable, proving to be a protagonist that is easy to root for, but also easy to understand and sympathize with. I loved following her on her journey to self-realization and while the adventures she got herself into may have been a little too conveniently resolved, they served their ultimate purpose. Moreover, with each part of Jade Moon’s ordeal to reach her dreams in America, she uncovers something new about herself. I found the pacing of this to be perfectly timed and the seamless manner in which her depth was incorporated into the novel, without ever slowing down the plot or taking away from the rich cast of secondary characters, was simply fantastic.
Jade Moon aside, the other major player we have in this story is Sterling Promise. I appreciate the difficulty that went into crafting a character like Promise, merely because it was difficult for both Jade Moon and the reader to have a full grasp on his true intentions. It is clear from the very beginning that Sterling Promise and Jade Moon don’t get along – even from their signs of a fire horse and a snake, they are doomed to clash. Yet, as Jade Moon gets to know Sterling Promise more, she uncovers that despite their difference in society, primarily because of their gender, they both have more in similar than they think.
Although their romance is a bit unconventional, I found that I fell for it rather quickly. China, much like India, is a country of arranged marriages and, as such, while love doesn’t happen quickly, a strong attachment can. It is this that Honeyman conveys so perfectly with her two main characters in this story and I loved that despite the romance prevalent throughout the story, it was muted in favor of Jade Moon’s journey to self-realization in a foreign country and, furthermore, it never clouded Jade Moon’s motivations or goals. Instead, the romance is merely a contributing factor to the fluidity of this tale and adds to both the personalities of Jade Moon as well as Sterling Promise.
All in all, The Fire Horse Girl is a novel I cannot recommend enough. Not only will it transport you into another time period, era, and culture, but it will gift you with incredible friends in its characters – ones that are utterly unforgettable. Furthermore, the subtle plot twists will keep you guessing till the end, the secondary characters will make you wish they had stories of their own, and the ending will leave you smiling, wanting nothing more than to travel to Chinatown and re-immerse yourself in this world. It really is just that good.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
When it comes to debut novels, I’ve begun to shy away from books. Without naming any names, debut novels more often than not prove to be massive disappointments for me. Of course, they all have gorgeous covers and thrilling synopses, but the ultimate execution of their plots falls disastrously flat. The Fire Horse Girl, however, is one of those few debuts that truly puts every other debut novel to shame. Although I constantly complain that there is a dearth of good historical fiction out there for young adults, if that means that gems like this novel and Code Name Verity crop up every so often, then I won’t be complaining any longer.
Jade Moon, the kick-ass protagonist of this tale, is the type of heroine I want to put on a poster and worship. Seriously. When her story begins in China, she is seen as a detriment to her family. As a girl born under the sign of the fire horse, her stubborn nature makes her ill-suited to the quiet role she is forced to play as a woman in China. When Sterling Promise, a stranger claiming to have a way to transport Jade Moon and her father to America, the land of opportunity, arrives in their quaint farm in China, Jade Moon’s life is turned upside down. Now, she must brave the questioning officials in Angel Island and somehow make it to America to fulfill her dreams and escape the constricting laws that bind her in China to a life of household work and silence, even if it means forsaking the only life – and love – she has ever known.
What makes The Fire Horse Girl such a remarkable novel is, first and foremost, the amount of research that has gone into crafting it. As a history-buff, I was thrilled to find that the portrayal of Chinese immigration into America was both accurate and authentic. It never ceased to amaze me with what description Honeyman could depict the situations of these hopeful immigrants and the stark contrast between their dreams and reality was sharply felt through the adventures of Jade Moon.
Furthermore, although it is a sad fact of history that women were treated inferior to men, the men in The Fire Horse Girl embody this ideal perfectly without losing their depth. Instead, Honeyman enables us to clearly understand the rigid laws of Chinese culture that have been prevalent for centuries and contrast them with the only ideals that men, even in America, know how to live by. As a woman, and even a little bit of a feminist myself, I was very impressed with the care taken to contrast the role of gender realistically, both in China and America. If you enjoyed novels such as Eon by Alison Goodman, then here is yet another story that is bound to make you contemplate and reflect upon the role of gender, even in the society we live in today.
The actual story of The Fire Horse Girl itself is told masterfully. It is nearly impossible to set down once you’ve picked it up and the writing will transport you from China, to a difficult journey overseas and finally to the bustling Chinatown of California. As a character, Jade Moon is both defiant and vulnerable, proving to be a protagonist that is easy to root for, but also easy to understand and sympathize with. I loved following her on her journey to self-realization and while the adventures she got herself into may have been a little too conveniently resolved, they served their ultimate purpose. Moreover, with each part of Jade Moon’s ordeal to reach her dreams in America, she uncovers something new about herself. I found the pacing of this to be perfectly timed and the seamless manner in which her depth was incorporated into the novel, without ever slowing down the plot or taking away from the rich cast of secondary characters, was simply fantastic.
Jade Moon aside, the other major player we have in this story is Sterling Promise. I appreciate the difficulty that went into crafting a character like Promise, merely because it was difficult for both Jade Moon and the reader to have a full grasp on his true intentions. It is clear from the very beginning that Sterling Promise and Jade Moon don’t get along – even from their signs of a fire horse and a snake, they are doomed to clash. Yet, as Jade Moon gets to know Sterling Promise more, she uncovers that despite their difference in society, primarily because of their gender, they both have more in similar than they think.
Although their romance is a bit unconventional, I found that I fell for it rather quickly. China, much like India, is a country of arranged marriages and, as such, while love doesn’t happen quickly, a strong attachment can. It is this that Honeyman conveys so perfectly with her two main characters in this story and I loved that despite the romance prevalent throughout the story, it was muted in favor of Jade Moon’s journey to self-realization in a foreign country and, furthermore, it never clouded Jade Moon’s motivations or goals. Instead, the romance is merely a contributing factor to the fluidity of this tale and adds to both the personalities of Jade Moon as well as Sterling Promise.
All in all, The Fire Horse Girl is a novel I cannot recommend enough. Not only will it transport you into another time period, era, and culture, but it will gift you with incredible friends in its characters – ones that are utterly unforgettable. Furthermore, the subtle plot twists will keep you guessing till the end, the secondary characters will make you wish they had stories of their own, and the ending will leave you smiling, wanting nothing more than to travel to Chinatown and re-immerse yourself in this world. It really is just that good.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
August 13, 2016
The Fire Horse captured my attention, and this come from a reader who doesn’t like to read historical. Unless it’s part fantasy or mm-romance, neither of which this book was, I pass. What persuaded me was the plot of an Asian-American immigrant’s experience, which immediately made me think of myself. Very rarely do I encounter a book with that sort of thing.
+ the heroine and a rant
The writing was accessible, and thus great. Still, the beginning was like a ride on a country road. The blurb advertised a feisty heroine, and I love feisty heroine, but Jade Moon’s kind of feistiness exasperated me. I pretty much agree, especially with Sterling Promise, with all the bad things the other characters said about her. There’s outspoken and then there’s saying everything that come across your mind; Jade Moon did the latter. She’s rude, wild, quick to be mad and pick a fight. She’s not a mean person but she’s just thoughtless and inconsiderate, completely egocentric. I can go on....and I’m going to.
The Fire Horse “curse” was a self-fulling prophecy. Worse, it was a frequently used excuse every time Jade Moon committed a social blunder. She didn’t do anything to improve herself or her situation. All she did was whine about her curse as a Fire Horse girl, her lack of freedom, her personality flaws, etc. Keep in mind, this book was told in 1st person POV exclusively from her side so I’m supposed to pity her at least. I didn’t.
I didn’t warm up to the heroine till about a third of the book, and even then it was a simmering kind of warm.
As I read about her journey to and in America, I piled naivety onto the list of things I didn’t like about the heroine. The naivety was the kind that shows how sheltered and spoiled Jade Moon was, how limited her thinking and worldview was. The characters were accurate in their assessment of the heroine; she was dangerous.
What mitigated my irritation with Jade Moon was when she joined a gang in the middle of the book. Apparently, she was more suited to a life of thug-hood. LOL. If she was born a boy and in a rough and tough environment, she would have excelled.
+ the love interest and the romance
While there was a romance plot line, it was in the form of heroine wishing for love, trying to avoid arranged marriage, girl talk about marriageability, and so on. Jade Moon may have been thug-like, but she was also a hopeless romantic.
The romance was an important part, but it didn’t dominate the plot like so many YA to the extent that the book would be better classified as a YA Romance. In fact, for a large portion of the book, I didn’t think Sterling Promise was a love interest despite what the blurb said. Even when the book revealed the reason for why Jade Moon was allowed to go to America with Sterling Promise, I still didn’t think so.
There was no insta-love whatsoever. Sterling Promise and Jade Moon loathed each other. He thought she was a burden, she thought he was a prat. It took them a long time to warm up to each other, a near-the-end long time. It may have been slow, but it was believable and refreshing.
I liked Sterling Promise. He was smooth talker who didn’t let his “curse” get to him. I admired his ambition and sensibility. I liked him more than Jade Moon. At one point, specifically when they were on the boat to America, I wanted to read his side of the story instead of enduring hers. Yes, I can see how they would be a good match.
+ the plot
The book was heroine-driven. Jade Moon may have exasperated me, but I have to admit she was sure as hell not boring. With a dangerous heroine like Jade Moon, I couldn’t believe how fast I was reading the book, no skimming involved. The plot had emotions, actions, and twists, especially the twists. Usually, the twists happens to the character, but in this book, most of the twists were of her own making.
Everything about the book, from the culture to the history felt authentic. The book contained themes — belonging, freedom, love, etc. The plot didn’t shy away from the dark parts of history; there were suicides, racism, prostitution, gangsters, etc. I especially like that the mood remained bright despite the dark and depressing things.
My favorite scene was when Jade Moon revealed to Neil, her fighting teacher, who she was in chapter 28. However, the best part of the book overall was at the end when Jade Moon chose to help quash the sex trafficking. She was brave and smart. Finally, those awful traits of hers were polished to greatness. I was on the edge of my seat as I read how she finally put those lessons learned from mistakes (there were a lot) and her character growth (better late than never) into action.
In Conclusion
I rate The Fire Horse 3-stars for I liked it. The ending was nice, but it would have been nicer if it was a little longer, i.e. an epilogue, because I wasn’t ready for the story to end. If you’re in the mood for something entertaining and easy to read but still substantial and unafraid to have dark subjects *and* willing to put up with a flawed protagonist, I recommend The Fire Horse.
+ the heroine and a rant
The writing was accessible, and thus great. Still, the beginning was like a ride on a country road. The blurb advertised a feisty heroine, and I love feisty heroine, but Jade Moon’s kind of feistiness exasperated me. I pretty much agree, especially with Sterling Promise, with all the bad things the other characters said about her. There’s outspoken and then there’s saying everything that come across your mind; Jade Moon did the latter. She’s rude, wild, quick to be mad and pick a fight. She’s not a mean person but she’s just thoughtless and inconsiderate, completely egocentric. I can go on....and I’m going to.
The Fire Horse “curse” was a self-fulling prophecy. Worse, it was a frequently used excuse every time Jade Moon committed a social blunder. She didn’t do anything to improve herself or her situation. All she did was whine about her curse as a Fire Horse girl, her lack of freedom, her personality flaws, etc. Keep in mind, this book was told in 1st person POV exclusively from her side so I’m supposed to pity her at least. I didn’t.
I didn’t warm up to the heroine till about a third of the book, and even then it was a simmering kind of warm.
As I read about her journey to and in America, I piled naivety onto the list of things I didn’t like about the heroine. The naivety was the kind that shows how sheltered and spoiled Jade Moon was, how limited her thinking and worldview was. The characters were accurate in their assessment of the heroine; she was dangerous.
What mitigated my irritation with Jade Moon was when she joined a gang in the middle of the book. Apparently, she was more suited to a life of thug-hood. LOL. If she was born a boy and in a rough and tough environment, she would have excelled.
+ the love interest and the romance
While there was a romance plot line, it was in the form of heroine wishing for love, trying to avoid arranged marriage, girl talk about marriageability, and so on. Jade Moon may have been thug-like, but she was also a hopeless romantic.
The romance was an important part, but it didn’t dominate the plot like so many YA to the extent that the book would be better classified as a YA Romance. In fact, for a large portion of the book, I didn’t think Sterling Promise was a love interest despite what the blurb said. Even when the book revealed the reason for why Jade Moon was allowed to go to America with Sterling Promise, I still didn’t think so.
There was no insta-love whatsoever. Sterling Promise and Jade Moon loathed each other. He thought she was a burden, she thought he was a prat. It took them a long time to warm up to each other, a near-the-end long time. It may have been slow, but it was believable and refreshing.
I liked Sterling Promise. He was smooth talker who didn’t let his “curse” get to him. I admired his ambition and sensibility. I liked him more than Jade Moon. At one point, specifically when they were on the boat to America, I wanted to read his side of the story instead of enduring hers. Yes, I can see how they would be a good match.
+ the plot
The book was heroine-driven. Jade Moon may have exasperated me, but I have to admit she was sure as hell not boring. With a dangerous heroine like Jade Moon, I couldn’t believe how fast I was reading the book, no skimming involved. The plot had emotions, actions, and twists, especially the twists. Usually, the twists happens to the character, but in this book, most of the twists were of her own making.
Everything about the book, from the culture to the history felt authentic. The book contained themes — belonging, freedom, love, etc. The plot didn’t shy away from the dark parts of history; there were suicides, racism, prostitution, gangsters, etc. I especially like that the mood remained bright despite the dark and depressing things.
My favorite scene was when Jade Moon revealed to Neil, her fighting teacher, who she was in chapter 28. However, the best part of the book overall was at the end when Jade Moon chose to help quash the sex trafficking. She was brave and smart. Finally, those awful traits of hers were polished to greatness. I was on the edge of my seat as I read how she finally put those lessons learned from mistakes (there were a lot) and her character growth (better late than never) into action.
In Conclusion
I rate The Fire Horse 3-stars for I liked it. The ending was nice, but it would have been nicer if it was a little longer, i.e. an epilogue, because I wasn’t ready for the story to end. If you’re in the mood for something entertaining and easy to read but still substantial and unafraid to have dark subjects *and* willing to put up with a flawed protagonist, I recommend The Fire Horse.
October 7, 2014
"The Fire Horse Girl" was a very well written YA historical fiction novel. It was my first young adult book in this genre, and I expected something edging the immature side for some reason. I was a bit surprised at the range of emotions that this book covered. There is a lot of sadness in this novel, and the fact that it tells the tale of a real time in Chinese-American history feels very... weighty. This book is one of those sort of depressing tales of both physical and emotional turmoil, but there are also moments of romance and hope.
What can I say about this one... I really admired the author and the way she captured the struggle of the Chinese immigrants to America and the plight of the many girls sold into brothels. However, did I enjoy this book? Not as much as I had hoped. In the beginning I had a bit trouble getting into it and, even later when I began to get immersed in the story, I never was 100% committed. For me, it read a little like a book that would be assigned to students in middle school. That isn't necessarily a bad thing (I would have loved to read this book in school), but it didn't feel like leisure reading. I think part of my issue is that the romance aspect was underdeveloped. I wanted more intensity and heat on that end.
**This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
What can I say about this one... I really admired the author and the way she captured the struggle of the Chinese immigrants to America and the plight of the many girls sold into brothels. However, did I enjoy this book? Not as much as I had hoped. In the beginning I had a bit trouble getting into it and, even later when I began to get immersed in the story, I never was 100% committed. For me, it read a little like a book that would be assigned to students in middle school. That isn't necessarily a bad thing (I would have loved to read this book in school), but it didn't feel like leisure reading. I think part of my issue is that the romance aspect was underdeveloped. I wanted more intensity and heat on that end.
**This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
February 7, 2013
The Fire Horse Girl is just my type of book. It's a story about a girl who doesn't fit in the box where society puts her, she's too loud, too vocal and just too much to be a typical Chinese housewife. Born in the year of the Fire Horse, the worst possible year for a girl to be born, Jade Moon has all the vices - the temper, the stubbornness, the selfishness and the strength.
Because of her unfortunate birth, she's left with little hope in China except being married off against her will to whoever is stupid enough to live with a Fire Horse girl. So when a stranger shows up at her family farm with a money-making scheme that will take him, her father and Jade Moon to America she refuses to be left behind.
The way Jade Moon describes America, what America was to early immigrants, enchanted me. America was more than just a country with lots of fertile land. To Jade Moon and many others America was hope itself.
"Why couldn't I tell them how hard it was to live in China, how people broke off pieces of you to make you fit? Why didn't they want to know what it was like being a Fire Horse, full of strength and power that only destroyed everything I touched?"
Things are not as easy as Jade Moon had hoped. But thankfully she's a Fire Horse, strong and stubborn, and she's willing to fight for every inch of independence she can find. That's how Jade Moon ends up masquerading as a boy and accidentally joining the Chinatown mob.
Jade Moon carries this book. She's smart, feisty and always true to herself. She's willing to take risks to get what she wants and to help her friends. She's imperfect (no perfect person ends up joining the chinese mob). She's a very human mix of selfish and selfless, just a girl trying to find her way and carve out a place of her own in the world.
At first the book seemed to move slowly. I wasn't clear on where the story or plot was going. But once everything started happening, I was in love. This book has so much going for it, from a strong believable main character, to diversity (I know people look for that) and a unique slice of history.
At times the writing was quite poetic, yet still simple to read. Some passages were thoughtful and beautiful but rather than bogging down the story, they add layers and depth to Jade Moon's character. Sometimes books make immigration or history feel foreign, but The Fire Horse Girl found the parts of Jade Moon that were universal and created a really accessible story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Because of her unfortunate birth, she's left with little hope in China except being married off against her will to whoever is stupid enough to live with a Fire Horse girl. So when a stranger shows up at her family farm with a money-making scheme that will take him, her father and Jade Moon to America she refuses to be left behind.
The way Jade Moon describes America, what America was to early immigrants, enchanted me. America was more than just a country with lots of fertile land. To Jade Moon and many others America was hope itself.
"Why couldn't I tell them how hard it was to live in China, how people broke off pieces of you to make you fit? Why didn't they want to know what it was like being a Fire Horse, full of strength and power that only destroyed everything I touched?"
Things are not as easy as Jade Moon had hoped. But thankfully she's a Fire Horse, strong and stubborn, and she's willing to fight for every inch of independence she can find. That's how Jade Moon ends up masquerading as a boy and accidentally joining the Chinatown mob.
Jade Moon carries this book. She's smart, feisty and always true to herself. She's willing to take risks to get what she wants and to help her friends. She's imperfect (no perfect person ends up joining the chinese mob). She's a very human mix of selfish and selfless, just a girl trying to find her way and carve out a place of her own in the world.
At first the book seemed to move slowly. I wasn't clear on where the story or plot was going. But once everything started happening, I was in love. This book has so much going for it, from a strong believable main character, to diversity (I know people look for that) and a unique slice of history.
At times the writing was quite poetic, yet still simple to read. Some passages were thoughtful and beautiful but rather than bogging down the story, they add layers and depth to Jade Moon's character. Sometimes books make immigration or history feel foreign, but The Fire Horse Girl found the parts of Jade Moon that were universal and created a really accessible story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2013
The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman is a tale of adventure and romance that, as the back cover claims, unforgettable. The heroine, Jade Moon, is a Fire Horse, the worst Zodiac Sign for girls. In her Chinese village, she is ignored by her family, and insulted by their neighbors Auntie Wu, and her family. Then, everything changes when a man named Sterling Promise offers her family a chance of renewal in the new country of America. Jade Moon hopes to start over, but will America really be what Jade Moon is hoping for?
Let's see...
My Reading Checklist
√ ADVENTURE: There is plenty of adventure and excitement to keep this story worthwhile. Jade Moon faces several conflicts throughout the book. Adventure is a big part of it.
√ AN AWESOME PROTAGONIST: Jade Moon is one of my most favorite female protagonists thus far. She's not flawless, which is one of her best qualities, and isn't sure of herself. But even so, she is brave and noble, and stubborn.
√ ROMANCE: All good stories have at least a little bit of romance, and the slow-to-show love between Jade Moon and Sterling Promise isn't one of the usual cringe-worthy romance sub-plots you find so much in YA books. It's deep, natural, and there isn't a love triangle :).
√ A FAST MOVING PLOT: You betcha. I didn't find the plot to be painfully slow, as in books like The Thief.
√ ACTUALLY GOOD PROSE: The writing was awesome, with good sentence structure. There weren't too many italics, or parentheses.
√ INTERESTING SETTING AND TIME PERIOD: The Fire Horse Girl takes place mostly in San Francisco's Chinatown, during the 1920's. I don't read many books like this, and I found China during the 20' to be extremely interesting.
--
This book remided me of Letters from Rifka on many accounts. Highly recommended.
Let's see...
My Reading Checklist
√ ADVENTURE: There is plenty of adventure and excitement to keep this story worthwhile. Jade Moon faces several conflicts throughout the book. Adventure is a big part of it.
√ AN AWESOME PROTAGONIST: Jade Moon is one of my most favorite female protagonists thus far. She's not flawless, which is one of her best qualities, and isn't sure of herself. But even so, she is brave and noble, and stubborn.
√ ROMANCE: All good stories have at least a little bit of romance, and the slow-to-show love between Jade Moon and Sterling Promise isn't one of the usual cringe-worthy romance sub-plots you find so much in YA books. It's deep, natural, and there isn't a love triangle :).
√ A FAST MOVING PLOT: You betcha. I didn't find the plot to be painfully slow, as in books like The Thief.
√ ACTUALLY GOOD PROSE: The writing was awesome, with good sentence structure. There weren't too many italics, or parentheses.
√ INTERESTING SETTING AND TIME PERIOD: The Fire Horse Girl takes place mostly in San Francisco's Chinatown, during the 1920's. I don't read many books like this, and I found China during the 20' to be extremely interesting.
--
This book remided me of Letters from Rifka on many accounts. Highly recommended.
June 16, 2016
Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yaficti...
A captivating gem of a story—an absolute treasure. I hated having to put it down to attend to ‘real life,’ and relished the joy of picking it back up again.
“I could feel the beginning of the story gathering in her throat. Stories are that way, like storms. If you pay attention, you can sense them in the air.”
Fire Horse Girl is a highly accessible (and subtly informative) YA historical, steeped in 1920’s Chinese culture, integrated folklore, deft wit, and poignantly beautiful prose.
The tale is told entirely from the 3rd person perspective Jade Moon, a 17-year-old girl whose gender and birth year (according to the Chinese zodiac) leaves her shunned by her village and family—a pariah in a culture that openly considers her “cursed.” When a family business arrangement gives her the opportunity to go to America, Jade Moon is enchanted by the hope of a fresh start in a country where people seem free to make their own luck. But immigration proves difficult and dangerous. Jade Moon’s hopes run aground on the obstinate will of her both her father and Sterling Promise—the young man she’s grown to care for but cannot trust. And her only remaining option may be to defy everything she knows to carve out a place for herself in a world she doesn’t yet understand.
The Characters:
This reader connected with Jade Moon almost immediately. She is what Americans would generally deem a classic ‘Tomboy’—an innately willful, indelicate, opinionated, big-dreaming, and brash young woman. In short, a force of personality to be reckoned with. And of course, none of these traits were considered desirable of a female in Chinese culture at the time. But though she is hurt and isolated by her immediate world’s inability to accept her, her spirit isn’t completely crushed—and she grabs fiercely at hope for change the moment it comes near.
Jade Moon’s personality in an internal monologue nutshell:
"Auntie Wu took special pride in two of her accomplishments--the sons she bore and the flowers she grew. They were equally useless, but the flowers smelled better."
While some readers may not have as much sympathy for a more aggressive female character, I understood her so deeply it hurt. Jade Moon is every girl who has ever felt like they were too much for anyone to handle. She is every girl who knows they are too bold or temperamental, yet can’t seem to help it. She is every girl who would rather risk the consequences of breaking the socio-cultural mold than to allow the mold to break them.
Obviously, one needn’t be Chinese to be a Fire Horse kind of girl.
Then there’s Sterling Promise… whose name couldn’t be more fitting.
While his personality is nothing like Jade Moon’s, his hopes and goals are very much the same. He is an orphan, forced to grow up working in a sweatshop before being adopted by a man who’d estranged himself from his own family. Like Jade, he belongs nowhere and to no one. Like Jade, he sees America as his chance to start life anew. He’s a level-headed, silver-tongued survivalist—skilled at talking his way in and out of situations.
And while he comes to care for Jade, he remains an enigma for much of the story—a wild card. Both Jade and readers are never quite sure if will do the right thing in the end… or if he’ll go no further than doing what is right for himself.
The Plot:
The first sixty or so pages take place in a small village in Guangzhou, China—where readers are given a vivid look at the rural life of our heroine. Jade Moon’s oppressed state is palpable, but her story unfolds with no easy answers. For every constraint she attempts to shed by leaving China, she is confronted with a new obstacle or artifice in an unwelcoming America. All the while, readers are treated to a matter-of-fact look at events and policies that seem largely overlooked in most U.S. History textbooks: An in-depth look at the prison-like conditions on Angel Island, the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco and the subsequent fire that destroyed citizenship records, the concept of “paper children,” the infamous “Hatchet Men,” and non-graphic yet plain-faced look at prostitution in 1920’s Chinatown…
This book hit literary happiness buttons I didn’t even know I had.
I’m always excited about a strong female MC and cultural/historical insight that’s done well enough I don’t notice how much I’m learning… but I’d forgotten how much I appreciate co-experiencing the challenges of a female who is compelled to cross-dress (for survival, not fun), or a romance that initially doesn’t work because one or both parties realizes that, while the other does love them, they don’t love them enough.
Though there is a thread of hate-to-love romance, it takes a far backseat to the greater storyline. The ending is balanced and satisfying. While the book stands perfectly on its own, it also leaves open the possibility for more of Jade Moon’s story at some later date.
Thank you, Kay Honeyman, for such a remarkable work of heart. Books like this remind me why I love to read.
Favorite Quote:
"You can love someone as many ways as water falls from the sky. Sometimes it falls with thunder and lightning; other times it falls silently. Sometimes it falls as cool snow, and other times hard balls of ice beat down. If you want the water, you don't get to choose how it falls."
A captivating gem of a story—an absolute treasure. I hated having to put it down to attend to ‘real life,’ and relished the joy of picking it back up again.
“I could feel the beginning of the story gathering in her throat. Stories are that way, like storms. If you pay attention, you can sense them in the air.”
Fire Horse Girl is a highly accessible (and subtly informative) YA historical, steeped in 1920’s Chinese culture, integrated folklore, deft wit, and poignantly beautiful prose.
The tale is told entirely from the 3rd person perspective Jade Moon, a 17-year-old girl whose gender and birth year (according to the Chinese zodiac) leaves her shunned by her village and family—a pariah in a culture that openly considers her “cursed.” When a family business arrangement gives her the opportunity to go to America, Jade Moon is enchanted by the hope of a fresh start in a country where people seem free to make their own luck. But immigration proves difficult and dangerous. Jade Moon’s hopes run aground on the obstinate will of her both her father and Sterling Promise—the young man she’s grown to care for but cannot trust. And her only remaining option may be to defy everything she knows to carve out a place for herself in a world she doesn’t yet understand.
The Characters:
This reader connected with Jade Moon almost immediately. She is what Americans would generally deem a classic ‘Tomboy’—an innately willful, indelicate, opinionated, big-dreaming, and brash young woman. In short, a force of personality to be reckoned with. And of course, none of these traits were considered desirable of a female in Chinese culture at the time. But though she is hurt and isolated by her immediate world’s inability to accept her, her spirit isn’t completely crushed—and she grabs fiercely at hope for change the moment it comes near.
Jade Moon’s personality in an internal monologue nutshell:
"Auntie Wu took special pride in two of her accomplishments--the sons she bore and the flowers she grew. They were equally useless, but the flowers smelled better."
While some readers may not have as much sympathy for a more aggressive female character, I understood her so deeply it hurt. Jade Moon is every girl who has ever felt like they were too much for anyone to handle. She is every girl who knows they are too bold or temperamental, yet can’t seem to help it. She is every girl who would rather risk the consequences of breaking the socio-cultural mold than to allow the mold to break them.
Obviously, one needn’t be Chinese to be a Fire Horse kind of girl.
Then there’s Sterling Promise… whose name couldn’t be more fitting.
While his personality is nothing like Jade Moon’s, his hopes and goals are very much the same. He is an orphan, forced to grow up working in a sweatshop before being adopted by a man who’d estranged himself from his own family. Like Jade, he belongs nowhere and to no one. Like Jade, he sees America as his chance to start life anew. He’s a level-headed, silver-tongued survivalist—skilled at talking his way in and out of situations.
And while he comes to care for Jade, he remains an enigma for much of the story—a wild card. Both Jade and readers are never quite sure if will do the right thing in the end… or if he’ll go no further than doing what is right for himself.
The Plot:
The first sixty or so pages take place in a small village in Guangzhou, China—where readers are given a vivid look at the rural life of our heroine. Jade Moon’s oppressed state is palpable, but her story unfolds with no easy answers. For every constraint she attempts to shed by leaving China, she is confronted with a new obstacle or artifice in an unwelcoming America. All the while, readers are treated to a matter-of-fact look at events and policies that seem largely overlooked in most U.S. History textbooks: An in-depth look at the prison-like conditions on Angel Island, the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco and the subsequent fire that destroyed citizenship records, the concept of “paper children,” the infamous “Hatchet Men,” and non-graphic yet plain-faced look at prostitution in 1920’s Chinatown…
This book hit literary happiness buttons I didn’t even know I had.
I’m always excited about a strong female MC and cultural/historical insight that’s done well enough I don’t notice how much I’m learning… but I’d forgotten how much I appreciate co-experiencing the challenges of a female who is compelled to cross-dress (for survival, not fun), or a romance that initially doesn’t work because one or both parties realizes that, while the other does love them, they don’t love them enough.
Though there is a thread of hate-to-love romance, it takes a far backseat to the greater storyline. The ending is balanced and satisfying. While the book stands perfectly on its own, it also leaves open the possibility for more of Jade Moon’s story at some later date.
Thank you, Kay Honeyman, for such a remarkable work of heart. Books like this remind me why I love to read.
Favorite Quote:
"You can love someone as many ways as water falls from the sky. Sometimes it falls with thunder and lightning; other times it falls silently. Sometimes it falls as cool snow, and other times hard balls of ice beat down. If you want the water, you don't get to choose how it falls."
May 23, 2015
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
I'm so glad to say that The Fire Horse Girl lived up to my expectations, and even surpassed them! Once I started it, I was immediately captured by the gorgeous writing and the Asian culture in this novel. While I have read some historical-fiction novels before, I've never really delved into one surrounding Asian culture and tradition. It was really interesting to see how this was so different to, for example, something based in Europe. This novel had it's own elements and style that made it so distinct from any other young adult historical novel that I'd ever read.
Living in Singapore, it's easy to understand and grasp the different concepts of Chinese culture, but there were several aspects which I didn't know about, and didn't even think about until I'd read this book. I didn't know that Chinese immigrants going to America had to go through Angel Island. I knew about Ellis Island, but this one was new to me. While I did expect the bad treatment of Asian immigrants, I was so taken aback with the profound detail in which they were treated. Jade Moon's emotions came through very clearly with the author's descriptions, and as a reader, I felt very empathic towards her as she enters this new, strange land.
At first, I didn't really take to Jade Moon. I found her a little brash and a little too interested in everybody's business. However, I found myself liking her more when she struggles to fend for herself when she arrives at Angel Island and among the tong. She reminds me of Mulan because several bits of this novel's plot matched the story, as well as our heroine's headstrong determination and stubbornness– which she needs to use to bring honor to her family, which she has "cursed" with her birth.
Sterling Promise and Harry are also both great characters. Both had their ups and downs, and I was a little surprised with the way things turned out, but in the end it was truly for the best. Neil was also a great character, as it showed the breakdown of immigrants coming into America from all over the world, as he is from Ireland. It didn't hurt that he was funny as well!
Storytelling is also a major factor in this story. Time and time again I've heard of some Asian myths, but the one which is most prominent in this story– the story of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl– was one which I'd never come across. I loved the story– it's absolutely gorgeous! I also liked the fact that Honeyman produces two different endings with this tale, as it does go with the tradition of storytelling, in which that multiple results and variations occur from one story.
The zodiac is also something that added an interesting element to the story. The concept of the Fire Horse, a zodiac which is pretty rare and only occurs every sixty years, and our main character having been built up around of what she's expected to be, and actually taking on some of the qualities which the Fire Horse is said to have, is really interesting. It also shows how much myth and legend play into their lives, and how much they have belief in them.
The Fire Horse Girl is an amazing adventure, one which had me hooked from the start to the end. Kay Honeyman is amazingly talented, and has written a fabulous debut. She has shown the hardships which Chinese have had to go through in the past, and has brought that with the multiple settings, stories and great characters, which brings this novel to life. I'm definitely looking forward to what she has in store next!
▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Kay Honeyman for providing a copy of The Fire Horse Girl for review and BTS2013! ▪ ▪ ▪
I'm so glad to say that The Fire Horse Girl lived up to my expectations, and even surpassed them! Once I started it, I was immediately captured by the gorgeous writing and the Asian culture in this novel. While I have read some historical-fiction novels before, I've never really delved into one surrounding Asian culture and tradition. It was really interesting to see how this was so different to, for example, something based in Europe. This novel had it's own elements and style that made it so distinct from any other young adult historical novel that I'd ever read.
Living in Singapore, it's easy to understand and grasp the different concepts of Chinese culture, but there were several aspects which I didn't know about, and didn't even think about until I'd read this book. I didn't know that Chinese immigrants going to America had to go through Angel Island. I knew about Ellis Island, but this one was new to me. While I did expect the bad treatment of Asian immigrants, I was so taken aback with the profound detail in which they were treated. Jade Moon's emotions came through very clearly with the author's descriptions, and as a reader, I felt very empathic towards her as she enters this new, strange land.
At first, I didn't really take to Jade Moon. I found her a little brash and a little too interested in everybody's business. However, I found myself liking her more when she struggles to fend for herself when she arrives at Angel Island and among the tong. She reminds me of Mulan because several bits of this novel's plot matched the story, as well as our heroine's headstrong determination and stubbornness– which she needs to use to bring honor to her family, which she has "cursed" with her birth.
Sterling Promise and Harry are also both great characters. Both had their ups and downs, and I was a little surprised with the way things turned out, but in the end it was truly for the best. Neil was also a great character, as it showed the breakdown of immigrants coming into America from all over the world, as he is from Ireland. It didn't hurt that he was funny as well!
Storytelling is also a major factor in this story. Time and time again I've heard of some Asian myths, but the one which is most prominent in this story– the story of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl– was one which I'd never come across. I loved the story– it's absolutely gorgeous! I also liked the fact that Honeyman produces two different endings with this tale, as it does go with the tradition of storytelling, in which that multiple results and variations occur from one story.
The zodiac is also something that added an interesting element to the story. The concept of the Fire Horse, a zodiac which is pretty rare and only occurs every sixty years, and our main character having been built up around of what she's expected to be, and actually taking on some of the qualities which the Fire Horse is said to have, is really interesting. It also shows how much myth and legend play into their lives, and how much they have belief in them.
The Fire Horse Girl is an amazing adventure, one which had me hooked from the start to the end. Kay Honeyman is amazingly talented, and has written a fabulous debut. She has shown the hardships which Chinese have had to go through in the past, and has brought that with the multiple settings, stories and great characters, which brings this novel to life. I'm definitely looking forward to what she has in store next!
▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Kay Honeyman for providing a copy of The Fire Horse Girl for review and BTS2013! ▪ ▪ ▪
September 2, 2015
I'm thinking this is a need historical novel. And I can see all the rematch that went into this particularly angle island. But a true historical novel doesn't hit you over the head with everything you have found out about your subject.
Good story. Good concept. Since the cover gives away what happens in the second half of the book I feel that I can say she carried out being disguised as a young man well except never addressing how she hid her period. I wouldn't have wanted elaborate details but even mentioning in passing would have made it a little more real for me.
Bonus points for mentioning the YMCA in Chinatown as well as north beach/little Italy.
Good story. Good concept. Since the cover gives away what happens in the second half of the book I feel that I can say she carried out being disguised as a young man well except never addressing how she hid her period. I wouldn't have wanted elaborate details but even mentioning in passing would have made it a little more real for me.
Bonus points for mentioning the YMCA in Chinatown as well as north beach/little Italy.
December 13, 2012
I really wanted to like this book - it's historical fiction dealing with an incident I knew nothing about (detainment of Asian immigrants at Angel Island) and features a strong and feisty heroine. But the pacing was off for me and I kept putting it down during the slow bits and then not wanting to pick it back up.
February 9, 2013
Great story. The romance is very light, more of an afterthought, but I was too caught up in Jade Moon's story to mind. She's an engaging heroine, and I loved the author's writing style. Very evocative.
June 18, 2017
4/5
Reading 'The Fire Horse Girl' was a long time coming. Back in 2013 it was placed highly on my wishlist and I knew that I needed to read it. How often do you read about an Asian female protagonist who cross-dresses as a man to escape China in the 1920s? My interest in this book was tied largely with my intense obsession with the Disney hit film Mulan - see: Asian female cross-dressing - but that desire to read it had dulled somewhat when I began to worry about the potential disappointment. What if I didn't like it? Thus why I never picked up my own copy, and I was even about to return this library book back to where it came from when I thought to revisit Goodreads, and luckily for me the reviews I skimmed through were favourable enough that my curiosity was piqued and so the journey began...
'The Fire Horse Girl' follows 17-year-old Jade Moon, a girl born in the Year of the Fire Horse: in Chinese astrology, it is the absolute worst year for a girl to be born in for it brings about bad fortune - "all of their worst traits - their tempers, their stubbornness, their selfishness - burn with increased strength". Bad luck seems to surround her wherever she goes. When the adopted son of her now-deceased uncle (of whom she had previously known nothing, as he abandoned the family to live in America, bringing shame to them all) arrives, proposing an opportunity to migrate to America as a 'paper family', she jumps at the chance. Her father is not as keen. However, Jade Moon will stop at nothing to reach the land of dreams and finally know freedom.
Jade Moon is strong-willed, determined and good at getting her way. She is an excellent protagonist to follow: I loved that she reached for her dreams, and yet you could feel the hesitation and inner struggles that she faced while she was doing what needed to be done. She is such a vulnerable person, which isn't surprising considering her upbringing and circumstances. She is a product of her time, all the while you can see her banging her fists against those glass walls trying to break out of the expectations that society had built for her. I loved her for her fierceness, and I forgave her for her silly naivete and ability to land herself in trouble wherever she goes.
The amount of research done for this book is impeccable. While I do think the general feel of San Francisco Chinatown was lacking (where was the description?), I did appreciate the efforts she took to represent the politics present in this setting. Additionally we get to learn quite a lot about the tongs, Angel Island, the 'paper sons', folklore and stories. I never knew about that side of history before, and it's sparked my curiosity: when I go to San Francisco in the future I will certainly want to visit Chinatown. I also felt like the prejudice and discrimination towards Chinese immigrants was accurately portrayed.
The writing style was simplistic, possibly to echo the voice of Jade Moon. At times I saw glimpses of delicate, almost poetic prose. The story plodding along at a steady pace, but I do feel like certain parts could have been condensed slightly. This is definitely YA writing, which isn't anything bad since it's exactly what I signed up for!
I suppose now is as good a time as any to let it be known that there is a love story. What I did like was that it was subtle and did not overshadow the rest of the story. I knew that Jade Moon and this guy would get together, but if I'm being honest I didn't really feel much of a lasting connection there. Their interactions were very sporadic and unpredictable, and a lot of the time I couldn't tell if they loved or hated each other. Nevertheless, I was still happy when they did come together in the end.
Another thing that I could identify with was the contrast between the Chinese traditional customs and ways, with the Western. This can be most overtly seen in the conflicts that arise between Jade Moon and her father. He sacrifices everything for the sake of family duty, and to avoid dishonouring the family name. He seems devoted to marrying his daughter off to a respectable man who will not refuse a Fire Horse girl. Jade Moon has no such plans, and instead wishes for a marriage of love. I felt so remorseful for the both of them, for they would never be able to give the other what they need. In fact, Jade Moon eventually discovers that the biggest demons she fights are the ones within herself, because her father was never approving of who she wanted to be.
'The Fire Horse Girl' by Kay Honeyman is an exciting and cleverly written story about a Chinese girl, Jade Moon, who escapes China and disguises herself as a man to survive in the 1920s. The simply written narrative guides the reader along a unique, unwritten journey through the streets of Chinatown, San Francisco. Jade Moon is a strong-willed character, whose underlying vulnerabilities will resonate with the reader. Highly recommended for those looking for more #Asianlit!
Reading 'The Fire Horse Girl' was a long time coming. Back in 2013 it was placed highly on my wishlist and I knew that I needed to read it. How often do you read about an Asian female protagonist who cross-dresses as a man to escape China in the 1920s? My interest in this book was tied largely with my intense obsession with the Disney hit film Mulan - see: Asian female cross-dressing - but that desire to read it had dulled somewhat when I began to worry about the potential disappointment. What if I didn't like it? Thus why I never picked up my own copy, and I was even about to return this library book back to where it came from when I thought to revisit Goodreads, and luckily for me the reviews I skimmed through were favourable enough that my curiosity was piqued and so the journey began...
'The Fire Horse Girl' follows 17-year-old Jade Moon, a girl born in the Year of the Fire Horse: in Chinese astrology, it is the absolute worst year for a girl to be born in for it brings about bad fortune - "all of their worst traits - their tempers, their stubbornness, their selfishness - burn with increased strength". Bad luck seems to surround her wherever she goes. When the adopted son of her now-deceased uncle (of whom she had previously known nothing, as he abandoned the family to live in America, bringing shame to them all) arrives, proposing an opportunity to migrate to America as a 'paper family', she jumps at the chance. Her father is not as keen. However, Jade Moon will stop at nothing to reach the land of dreams and finally know freedom.
Jade Moon is strong-willed, determined and good at getting her way. She is an excellent protagonist to follow: I loved that she reached for her dreams, and yet you could feel the hesitation and inner struggles that she faced while she was doing what needed to be done. She is such a vulnerable person, which isn't surprising considering her upbringing and circumstances. She is a product of her time, all the while you can see her banging her fists against those glass walls trying to break out of the expectations that society had built for her. I loved her for her fierceness, and I forgave her for her silly naivete and ability to land herself in trouble wherever she goes.
The amount of research done for this book is impeccable. While I do think the general feel of San Francisco Chinatown was lacking (where was the description?), I did appreciate the efforts she took to represent the politics present in this setting. Additionally we get to learn quite a lot about the tongs, Angel Island, the 'paper sons', folklore and stories. I never knew about that side of history before, and it's sparked my curiosity: when I go to San Francisco in the future I will certainly want to visit Chinatown. I also felt like the prejudice and discrimination towards Chinese immigrants was accurately portrayed.
The writing style was simplistic, possibly to echo the voice of Jade Moon. At times I saw glimpses of delicate, almost poetic prose. The story plodding along at a steady pace, but I do feel like certain parts could have been condensed slightly. This is definitely YA writing, which isn't anything bad since it's exactly what I signed up for!
I suppose now is as good a time as any to let it be known that there is a love story. What I did like was that it was subtle and did not overshadow the rest of the story. I knew that Jade Moon and this guy would get together, but if I'm being honest I didn't really feel much of a lasting connection there. Their interactions were very sporadic and unpredictable, and a lot of the time I couldn't tell if they loved or hated each other. Nevertheless, I was still happy when they did come together in the end.
Another thing that I could identify with was the contrast between the Chinese traditional customs and ways, with the Western. This can be most overtly seen in the conflicts that arise between Jade Moon and her father. He sacrifices everything for the sake of family duty, and to avoid dishonouring the family name. He seems devoted to marrying his daughter off to a respectable man who will not refuse a Fire Horse girl. Jade Moon has no such plans, and instead wishes for a marriage of love. I felt so remorseful for the both of them, for they would never be able to give the other what they need. In fact, Jade Moon eventually discovers that the biggest demons she fights are the ones within herself, because her father was never approving of who she wanted to be.
'The Fire Horse Girl' by Kay Honeyman is an exciting and cleverly written story about a Chinese girl, Jade Moon, who escapes China and disguises herself as a man to survive in the 1920s. The simply written narrative guides the reader along a unique, unwritten journey through the streets of Chinatown, San Francisco. Jade Moon is a strong-willed character, whose underlying vulnerabilities will resonate with the reader. Highly recommended for those looking for more #Asianlit!
November 1, 2023
I burned through this book in a matter of hours. While I understand where other readers are coming from with complaints about the structure and the protagonist, these elements were ones that I appreciated.
There's definitely a sense that the book is divided into three sections that are almost three different stories, given the complete change in setting and the different challenges that Jade Moon faces in each one. However, that division helped keep the plot moving quickly, and while we met new characters each time, it wasn't so many that it was difficult to keep track of them.
I'm also partial to an imperfect heroine. There's definitely the sense that Jade Moon is who she is because of when she was born, but if we look closer, we see repeated evidence that her behavior is in response to the way others treat her and the fact that they expect her to act in certain ways. If I had any quibble with the book, it would be that it missed an opportunity to explore the power of expectations on behavior and character.
I really enjoyed the romance; I didn't see it as insta-love as others have said. There are definitely hints of attraction early on and throughout their interactions. Nor does the story end with a neat "happily ever after" for them; they acknowledge that their relationship will have difficulties – although that is true, more or less, for every relationship. And I really liked that it was a minor thread in the plot and didn't overpower the rest of what Jade Moon was going through.
There's definitely a sense that the book is divided into three sections that are almost three different stories, given the complete change in setting and the different challenges that Jade Moon faces in each one. However, that division helped keep the plot moving quickly, and while we met new characters each time, it wasn't so many that it was difficult to keep track of them.
I'm also partial to an imperfect heroine. There's definitely the sense that Jade Moon is who she is because of when she was born, but if we look closer, we see repeated evidence that her behavior is in response to the way others treat her and the fact that they expect her to act in certain ways. If I had any quibble with the book, it would be that it missed an opportunity to explore the power of expectations on behavior and character.
I really enjoyed the romance; I didn't see it as insta-love as others have said. There are definitely hints of attraction early on and throughout their interactions. Nor does the story end with a neat "happily ever after" for them; they acknowledge that their relationship will have difficulties – although that is true, more or less, for every relationship. And I really liked that it was a minor thread in the plot and didn't overpower the rest of what Jade Moon was going through.
February 11, 2019
I think (if it was written accurately which it does seem to have been) I learned more about Chinese immigration than I ever knew before. And I thoroughly enjoyed the feisty Jade Moon. I was laughing in the early pages but then things became quite serious and harrowing. A tad of trite here and there, but Jade Moon had indomitable spirit and thereby was an excellent heroine of this story.
February 13, 2013
Thank you to NetGalley.com and Scholastic for this advanced copy!
As most Chinese and part-Chinese people, we take our Chinese Zodiac sign seriously. I'm an Earth Monkey and my younger son is a Water Monkey and although we are similar in the sense that we are funny and clever as well as other Monkey traits, we are different. I can also admit that I am secretly happy that he is also a Monkey and that I have someone who understands me.
I was thus intrigued by the premise of this YA historical novel. We have a young woman, Jade Moon, who is inauspiciously born a Fire Horse and must carry the burden of being judged by her birth year. I felt for her as she was constantly told that this was the reason why she was constantly at odds with people, why she would never fit in, why she would never hope to marry above a fourth son who would work her to the bone. I wanted to know more about her.
It seems that Jade Moon's father's and grandfather's wishes are granted with the appearance of the curiously-named Sterling Promise. He had come with the most unusual request: he needs Jade Moon's father to pose as his long-absent younger brother so that Sterling is able to get into America as his "Paper Son." A bargain is struck, and Jade Moon accompanies them on the long voyage overseas. But before she goes, their longtime servant Nushi bestows on her a sliver of jade which she wears around her neck and her parting words about "how dangerous desperation can be."
In no time, Jade Moon comes to see how prophetic those words are when the trio are detained on Angel Island which is the "Ellis Island" of the West. Much of our heroine's growth towards maturity happens in the ensuing quarter of a year that they are made to wait, with the tantalizing glimpse of the mainland (and the American Dream) so close, yet so far away. Jade gets to know a number of the other women like Spring Blossom who are also waiting in limbo and I was caught up with their individual stories as well.
The art and power of storytelling help Jade in a myriad of ways: from making friends to seeking solace to keeping dreams alive. One story in particular runs throughout the novel. The reader becomes well versed in the tale of the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd who are keep apart and yet live for those precious moments they are allowed to be together across the huge divide. One can't help but look at Jade Moon and Sterling Promise and wonder if they will ever be like their literary counterparts. It is almost impossible due to Sterling Promises' shifty nature and Jade Moon's obstinate personality.
Jade is later moved to action when she is betrayed by Sterling Promise and must make a choice between being true to herself or being a dutiful daughter and returning to China. Jade Moon comes to realize that the American Dream may be true for some people, but not those attempting to immigrate, least of all a Fire Horse girl. Sterling Promise tells her "that you will not have to kick at the walls of a prison anymore. Those walls may stretch and shrink, but they will always be there. You can never have the complete freedom you imagine." In stark contrast, she thinks, "It had to be the place I imagined, because I had nothing else."
Jade attempts to change her luck by disguising herself as a young man (a la Rosalind in 'As You Like It') and is taken in by Henry and his father, Mr. Hon, who turns out to lead one of the most powerful tongs (associations which turned into syndicates). Mr. Hon looks at the newly-minted Sung Fire Horse and sees potential. He makes sure that Sung learns more English and how the operation works. He even has Neil, his Irish bodyguard, give Sung fighting lessons in preparation for who knows what.
This second act moves quickly as it becomes more fraught with tension. Will anyone discover Jade Moon's secret? Will Sterling Promise retaliate? Will Jade Moon ever find the freedom and understanding she seeks?
The author Kay Honeyman did extensive research in preparation of this novel and it shows. I was immersed in this world and it was due to all of the little details that made this time come alive. I was with Jade Moon as she looked up at the confessional poems written in the men's barracks on Angel Island and was horrified that there were only two reasons a father brought his daughter to America: To marry her off to a stranger or to sell her into prostitution. Her lyrical way with words is attested by the quotes, too numerous to use in this review, that I highlighted in my text.
I was equally engaged in the appendices and explanations that Honeyman had at the end of the work. It is a great YA novel as it has everything: an adventure, a coming-of-age, a history lesson, a love story, and a call to action to fight whatever is holding you down.
After reaching the conclusion, I remembered that early in the tale, Jade Moon, upon seeing Sterling Promises' fireworks states: "They [the fireworks] were like tiny promises that blossomed into tremendous things, like seeds that grew into trees, a drop of ink that birthed a poem, a dream nurtured into a life." Like Fa Mulan and the Cinderella in the film 'Ever After,' this description fits Jade Moon/Sung Fire Horse perfectly.
As most Chinese and part-Chinese people, we take our Chinese Zodiac sign seriously. I'm an Earth Monkey and my younger son is a Water Monkey and although we are similar in the sense that we are funny and clever as well as other Monkey traits, we are different. I can also admit that I am secretly happy that he is also a Monkey and that I have someone who understands me.
I was thus intrigued by the premise of this YA historical novel. We have a young woman, Jade Moon, who is inauspiciously born a Fire Horse and must carry the burden of being judged by her birth year. I felt for her as she was constantly told that this was the reason why she was constantly at odds with people, why she would never fit in, why she would never hope to marry above a fourth son who would work her to the bone. I wanted to know more about her.
It seems that Jade Moon's father's and grandfather's wishes are granted with the appearance of the curiously-named Sterling Promise. He had come with the most unusual request: he needs Jade Moon's father to pose as his long-absent younger brother so that Sterling is able to get into America as his "Paper Son." A bargain is struck, and Jade Moon accompanies them on the long voyage overseas. But before she goes, their longtime servant Nushi bestows on her a sliver of jade which she wears around her neck and her parting words about "how dangerous desperation can be."
In no time, Jade Moon comes to see how prophetic those words are when the trio are detained on Angel Island which is the "Ellis Island" of the West. Much of our heroine's growth towards maturity happens in the ensuing quarter of a year that they are made to wait, with the tantalizing glimpse of the mainland (and the American Dream) so close, yet so far away. Jade gets to know a number of the other women like Spring Blossom who are also waiting in limbo and I was caught up with their individual stories as well.
The art and power of storytelling help Jade in a myriad of ways: from making friends to seeking solace to keeping dreams alive. One story in particular runs throughout the novel. The reader becomes well versed in the tale of the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd who are keep apart and yet live for those precious moments they are allowed to be together across the huge divide. One can't help but look at Jade Moon and Sterling Promise and wonder if they will ever be like their literary counterparts. It is almost impossible due to Sterling Promises' shifty nature and Jade Moon's obstinate personality.
Jade is later moved to action when she is betrayed by Sterling Promise and must make a choice between being true to herself or being a dutiful daughter and returning to China. Jade Moon comes to realize that the American Dream may be true for some people, but not those attempting to immigrate, least of all a Fire Horse girl. Sterling Promise tells her "that you will not have to kick at the walls of a prison anymore. Those walls may stretch and shrink, but they will always be there. You can never have the complete freedom you imagine." In stark contrast, she thinks, "It had to be the place I imagined, because I had nothing else."
Jade attempts to change her luck by disguising herself as a young man (a la Rosalind in 'As You Like It') and is taken in by Henry and his father, Mr. Hon, who turns out to lead one of the most powerful tongs (associations which turned into syndicates). Mr. Hon looks at the newly-minted Sung Fire Horse and sees potential. He makes sure that Sung learns more English and how the operation works. He even has Neil, his Irish bodyguard, give Sung fighting lessons in preparation for who knows what.
This second act moves quickly as it becomes more fraught with tension. Will anyone discover Jade Moon's secret? Will Sterling Promise retaliate? Will Jade Moon ever find the freedom and understanding she seeks?
The author Kay Honeyman did extensive research in preparation of this novel and it shows. I was immersed in this world and it was due to all of the little details that made this time come alive. I was with Jade Moon as she looked up at the confessional poems written in the men's barracks on Angel Island and was horrified that there were only two reasons a father brought his daughter to America: To marry her off to a stranger or to sell her into prostitution. Her lyrical way with words is attested by the quotes, too numerous to use in this review, that I highlighted in my text.
I was equally engaged in the appendices and explanations that Honeyman had at the end of the work. It is a great YA novel as it has everything: an adventure, a coming-of-age, a history lesson, a love story, and a call to action to fight whatever is holding you down.
After reaching the conclusion, I remembered that early in the tale, Jade Moon, upon seeing Sterling Promises' fireworks states: "They [the fireworks] were like tiny promises that blossomed into tremendous things, like seeds that grew into trees, a drop of ink that birthed a poem, a dream nurtured into a life." Like Fa Mulan and the Cinderella in the film 'Ever After,' this description fits Jade Moon/Sung Fire Horse perfectly.
October 13, 2012
Richie’s Picks: THE FIRE HORSE GIRL by Kay Honeyman, Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, January 2013, 336p., ISBN: 978-0-545-40310-8
“I was not ignorant of how ridiculous I seemed to people. My feet wandered the village with little purpose other than my own pleasure, my mind constructed ideas that no one seemed to understand, and my heart held hopes that were far beyond my reach. But I could not help my thoughts or my dreams. I watched the wind lead the leaves in a dance, and I wondered if any of them ever wished they could find their own steps.”
One might well imagine these thoughts and dreams belonging to one of those restless American kids who gratefully found their way from Middle America to San Francisco in the sixties. But guess again.
Jade Moon is a Chinese teen who was born back in 1906 which, according to Chinese astrology, makes her a fire horse. The word is that girls born in a Year of the Horse are bad enough – they are known for being tempestuous, stubborn, and selfish – but girls born in a Fire/Horse year (which happens once every sixty years) are reputed to be a particularly dangerous breed.
Now seventeen, Jade Moon began building her bad luck reputation as a fire horse girl back at the moment she took her very first breath – which came at the same time that the mother birthing her was drawing her own last breath. The little Chinese village in which Jade Moon has since grown up with her father and grandfather has been far too small for all of her questions and attitudes, along with her current disdain over possibly being married off to the village bricklayer.
But, fortunately, out of nowhere appears the good-looking adopted son of the paternal uncle she never knew she had – actually, the now-deceased paternal uncle she never knew she had. And he, her adopted cousin Sterling Promise, has absconded with legal papers from his late adoptive father that can theoretically be used for Jade Moon’s father to get into the United States (if he assumes his dead brother’s identity). He – Jade Moon’s dad – reluctantly works out a deal with Sterling Promise in which the three of them are going to travel from Hong Kong to San Francisco and live in America – if they can all get their stories straight and make it through the line of legal roadblocks erected against Chinese immigrants in those days.
Throw in an ocean crossing, an extended stint under guard on Angel Island, and a triple-dose of betrayal, and you have the tale of one spirited girl clawing her way to a new life in America.
“The guard jerked his arm away from Sterling Promise and pointed to the barracks. Sterling Promise shook his head and continued to dig in his bag. I had never seen him so angry. I had finally knocked off the polish that coated his actions. It did not feel as good as I imagined it would.
“The guards grabbed Sterling Promise and started to drag him down the path. Suddenly, he stopped fighting with them. When his arm fell to his side, it was clutching the clothes I had left in his bag.
“Maybe now he understood.”
So begins Jade Moon’s dizzying and dangerous romp through the alleyways and organized crime venues of 1920s San Francisco Chinatown – disguised as a young man.
I’ve always gotten a thrill out of wandering around S.F. Chinatown – gazing up at the apartments above the busy streets and down the alleyways leading in and out of those streets. It remains for me a place of mystery and imagination. This story for middle school audiences – part thriller, part dark history, part cute romance – provides quite a taste of those streets (and what lay behind them) nearly one hundred years ago.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
“I was not ignorant of how ridiculous I seemed to people. My feet wandered the village with little purpose other than my own pleasure, my mind constructed ideas that no one seemed to understand, and my heart held hopes that were far beyond my reach. But I could not help my thoughts or my dreams. I watched the wind lead the leaves in a dance, and I wondered if any of them ever wished they could find their own steps.”
One might well imagine these thoughts and dreams belonging to one of those restless American kids who gratefully found their way from Middle America to San Francisco in the sixties. But guess again.
Jade Moon is a Chinese teen who was born back in 1906 which, according to Chinese astrology, makes her a fire horse. The word is that girls born in a Year of the Horse are bad enough – they are known for being tempestuous, stubborn, and selfish – but girls born in a Fire/Horse year (which happens once every sixty years) are reputed to be a particularly dangerous breed.
Now seventeen, Jade Moon began building her bad luck reputation as a fire horse girl back at the moment she took her very first breath – which came at the same time that the mother birthing her was drawing her own last breath. The little Chinese village in which Jade Moon has since grown up with her father and grandfather has been far too small for all of her questions and attitudes, along with her current disdain over possibly being married off to the village bricklayer.
But, fortunately, out of nowhere appears the good-looking adopted son of the paternal uncle she never knew she had – actually, the now-deceased paternal uncle she never knew she had. And he, her adopted cousin Sterling Promise, has absconded with legal papers from his late adoptive father that can theoretically be used for Jade Moon’s father to get into the United States (if he assumes his dead brother’s identity). He – Jade Moon’s dad – reluctantly works out a deal with Sterling Promise in which the three of them are going to travel from Hong Kong to San Francisco and live in America – if they can all get their stories straight and make it through the line of legal roadblocks erected against Chinese immigrants in those days.
Throw in an ocean crossing, an extended stint under guard on Angel Island, and a triple-dose of betrayal, and you have the tale of one spirited girl clawing her way to a new life in America.
“The guard jerked his arm away from Sterling Promise and pointed to the barracks. Sterling Promise shook his head and continued to dig in his bag. I had never seen him so angry. I had finally knocked off the polish that coated his actions. It did not feel as good as I imagined it would.
“The guards grabbed Sterling Promise and started to drag him down the path. Suddenly, he stopped fighting with them. When his arm fell to his side, it was clutching the clothes I had left in his bag.
“Maybe now he understood.”
So begins Jade Moon’s dizzying and dangerous romp through the alleyways and organized crime venues of 1920s San Francisco Chinatown – disguised as a young man.
I’ve always gotten a thrill out of wandering around S.F. Chinatown – gazing up at the apartments above the busy streets and down the alleyways leading in and out of those streets. It remains for me a place of mystery and imagination. This story for middle school audiences – part thriller, part dark history, part cute romance – provides quite a taste of those streets (and what lay behind them) nearly one hundred years ago.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
May 4, 2014
The Fire Horse Girl is an interesting and enjoyable ride. I liked it a lot because it takes place back in 1923 and I so love traveling back to different times. I love to learn about different cultures and traditions I might not be aware of and discover something new through the character's eyes, or at least, to see things differently.
Jade Moon's story starts off in China. She's an only child and a Fire Horse Girl. She's unlucky and a "disgrace to her family". Soon to be a grown woman and with a dull life ahead, Jade is desperate to get out of her village and travel the world in search for something better. When Sterling Promise enters her life and somehow is the cause why she gets to travel to the New World, fireworks explode.
I can't say enough how much I loved Jade Moon's character. She reminds me a lot of Disney's Mulan, and you have to know she's one of my favorite princesses ever. Anyway, Jade Moon is some serious kick-ass fire horse girl. She is smart, she's stubborn and she is a fighter. If she has a dream, she goes for it no matter how high she has to climb. Jade is a bit clumsy and might forget things, but it's because she is constantly daydreaming, which I don't deem unlucky at all. I can't believe people didn't see that in her, how special she was. Except for Nana and Sterling Promise, of course.
I struggled a bit to like Sterling Promise and to believe there was a love story between him and Jade. I didn't feel anything until the last chapters of the book and by then I had already made up my mind about the whole idea. So really, the romance is not that memorable, yet I'm okay with it, there were so many other things to focus on rather than lose my mind over their lack of feelings.
This book is a stand-alone, so naturally, I wish it were much longer. And, come to think of it, to have been more challenging for the characters to solve whatever they had to solve at the ending. It wraps up nicely, but it left me wanting for more action, more Jade, and why not? More Sterling Promise. Maybe I would have fallen deeper for him. Maybe. Still, The Fire Horse Girl is a book I would recommend to someone looking for a trip to the New World back in the days and hungry to experience the life of a Fire Horse Girl.
You can aslo find this review at The Reader and the Chef!
Jade Moon's story starts off in China. She's an only child and a Fire Horse Girl. She's unlucky and a "disgrace to her family". Soon to be a grown woman and with a dull life ahead, Jade is desperate to get out of her village and travel the world in search for something better. When Sterling Promise enters her life and somehow is the cause why she gets to travel to the New World, fireworks explode.
I can't say enough how much I loved Jade Moon's character. She reminds me a lot of Disney's Mulan, and you have to know she's one of my favorite princesses ever. Anyway, Jade Moon is some serious kick-ass fire horse girl. She is smart, she's stubborn and she is a fighter. If she has a dream, she goes for it no matter how high she has to climb. Jade is a bit clumsy and might forget things, but it's because she is constantly daydreaming, which I don't deem unlucky at all. I can't believe people didn't see that in her, how special she was. Except for Nana and Sterling Promise, of course.
I struggled a bit to like Sterling Promise and to believe there was a love story between him and Jade. I didn't feel anything until the last chapters of the book and by then I had already made up my mind about the whole idea. So really, the romance is not that memorable, yet I'm okay with it, there were so many other things to focus on rather than lose my mind over their lack of feelings.
This book is a stand-alone, so naturally, I wish it were much longer. And, come to think of it, to have been more challenging for the characters to solve whatever they had to solve at the ending. It wraps up nicely, but it left me wanting for more action, more Jade, and why not? More Sterling Promise. Maybe I would have fallen deeper for him. Maybe. Still, The Fire Horse Girl is a book I would recommend to someone looking for a trip to the New World back in the days and hungry to experience the life of a Fire Horse Girl.
You can aslo find this review at The Reader and the Chef!
January 2, 2013
Jade Moon is a Fire Horse and much too stubborn, strong-willed, and inquisitive for a girl in a Chinese family. All she wants is to be allowed to be herself, but as long as she remains in her small town in China, she has a duty to marry, even if it seems increasingly unlikely that anyone will want to take her. But then a young, smooth-talking man named Sterling Promise shows up with an opportunity, and soon, Jade Moon finds herself traveling with Sterling Promise and her father to America. This is the chance that Jade Moon has been waiting for, it seems, and she plans to make the most of it. But, as she finds out the hard way, America in 1923 is hardly receptive to Chinese immigrants and that Chinese women in particular are only ever brought to America for two reasons—marriage or prostitution. But Jade Moon isn’t about to give up her only chance at freedom without a fight, and if anyone can make their way in America, it’s a Fire Horse.
The Fire Horse Girl is a book with historical adventure, mystery, and romance, but more than anything, it is the coming of age story of a girl finding her way in an unfamiliar new world. Debut author Honeyman wonderfully blends the richness of the past with more modern sentiments in this story and especially with Jade Moon’s character; the country of China in the 20s is struggling between tradition and modernization, and so is Jade Moon, as she tries to honor her honor her family while also forging her own path. I was initially drawn into this story because of my sympathy for Jade Moon’s family struggles and fiery temper, but my interest soon shifted to the plot as well as things got a lot more dangerous, surprising, and exciting. Though I found the development of the some of the more minor characters less believable, overall I found the story of The Fire Horse Girl a fantastic one full of vivid cultural history, interesting and complex characters, and a thoroughly engaging plot.
The Fire Horse Girl appeals to readers who also liked The Girl Is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines and Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
The Fire Horse Girl is a book with historical adventure, mystery, and romance, but more than anything, it is the coming of age story of a girl finding her way in an unfamiliar new world. Debut author Honeyman wonderfully blends the richness of the past with more modern sentiments in this story and especially with Jade Moon’s character; the country of China in the 20s is struggling between tradition and modernization, and so is Jade Moon, as she tries to honor her honor her family while also forging her own path. I was initially drawn into this story because of my sympathy for Jade Moon’s family struggles and fiery temper, but my interest soon shifted to the plot as well as things got a lot more dangerous, surprising, and exciting. Though I found the development of the some of the more minor characters less believable, overall I found the story of The Fire Horse Girl a fantastic one full of vivid cultural history, interesting and complex characters, and a thoroughly engaging plot.
The Fire Horse Girl appeals to readers who also liked The Girl Is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines and Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
March 3, 2019
Jade Moon Chan, the Fire Horse Girl, is stubborn and fierce and prickly as a cactus. And I was immediately smitten with her and her story. I enjoyed this book. It shines a light on the struggle of Chinese immigrants to the United States in the early 20th century. There was also a lot of adventure and action. And although the romance was a little underdeveloped, it was sweet.
Likable enough characters and a good story, but not something I will love deeply. That being said, I still recommend it.
Likable enough characters and a good story, but not something I will love deeply. That being said, I still recommend it.
June 21, 2013
Jade Moon was born unlucky or cursed as many would tell her throughout her life. Her mother died giving birth to her "Fire Horse" daughter (the combination of a zodiac animal sign and element) and Jade Moon's entire existence has been one where her family and community criticize and shun her. She dreams of a better life, one with the freedom to start fresh and escape her curse of the impulsive and dangerous Fire Horse. When a stranger visits the family home and explains that he is Jade Moon's adopted cousin with plans to make his fortune in America, the future suddenly becomes so much brighter for Jade Moon. Through an arranged marriage kept secret from Jade Moon, her cousin is given the means the enter America provided that he marry Jade Moon. Jade Moon is initially delighted by this prospect of living in the land of promise. After spending months in a immigration detention center and then forced to pretend to be a boy to survive on the streets of San Francisco, Jade Moon learns that freedom comes at a high cost.
This was a very interesting look at Chinese and American cultures, one in terms of its limitations on females and the other in its view of immigrants. Set in the early 1920s, Jade Moon's prospects both in China or America were grim. Despite it all the book is told with a sense of hope and careful attention to historic accuracy. While overall the book was quite long with sections that could easily have been whittled down, middle school girls will enjoy this multi-cultural story of a girl who must reinvent herself in order to escape the curse that her life has become.
Recommended grades 7 & up. No language or mature situations. Will likely only appeal to female readers.
This was a very interesting look at Chinese and American cultures, one in terms of its limitations on females and the other in its view of immigrants. Set in the early 1920s, Jade Moon's prospects both in China or America were grim. Despite it all the book is told with a sense of hope and careful attention to historic accuracy. While overall the book was quite long with sections that could easily have been whittled down, middle school girls will enjoy this multi-cultural story of a girl who must reinvent herself in order to escape the curse that her life has become.
Recommended grades 7 & up. No language or mature situations. Will likely only appeal to female readers.
September 20, 2016
This story is set in the 1920's and deals with citizens from China moving to America and the struggles that follow. Half of the book takes place on Angel island- where Chinese immigrants were taken to be questioned and decided whether they could enter the country. Our main character is a girl named Jade Moon. Her village and own family treat her as if she is cursed, because she was born in the year of the Fire Horse. Girls in that year are assumed to be stubborn, willful, and full of ideas. Jade is all three and more. She feels trapped in China with no decent future, and that there is no way out. One day, a boy named Sterling Promise offers Jade and her father a way to America. Soon she finds herself going there.
Fascinating topic that was nice, but far too vague and not long enough. I would of liked more information about Jade settling in America. Maybe of her finally eating Jello or trying other new things. However, I'm glad she was able to leave China, the way she was treated there was ridiculous. Sadly, America won't be too different.
Jade was okay, until she became reckless. I liked her headstrongness and independent attitude until she made several impulsive decisions. Sterling- I have no clue about. He made me go from angry to feeling indifference. The "love" between the two didn't feel real at all. It was another case of insta-love, or at least on one person's part.
The first half of the book was slow, but the last half was much better and even changed my initial rating. Jade's journey was interesting and kept me wanting to know the end, but didn't leave me satisfied.
Fascinating topic that was nice, but far too vague and not long enough. I would of liked more information about Jade settling in America. Maybe of her finally eating Jello or trying other new things. However, I'm glad she was able to leave China, the way she was treated there was ridiculous. Sadly, America won't be too different.
Jade was okay, until she became reckless. I liked her headstrongness and independent attitude until she made several impulsive decisions. Sterling- I have no clue about. He made me go from angry to feeling indifference. The "love" between the two didn't feel real at all. It was another case of insta-love, or at least on one person's part.
The first half of the book was slow, but the last half was much better and even changed my initial rating. Jade's journey was interesting and kept me wanting to know the end, but didn't leave me satisfied.
January 28, 2016
Jade Moon is a fire horse, and in Chinese astrology, it means she is passionate and outspoken - a bit too much so. So much so, in fact, that she has ostracized herself with her bold speaking and boisterious ways. While her village sees her as bad luck and her father wants nothing to do with her, Jade Moon's dreams loom large and impossible.
So when an opportunity to go to America presents itself, it feels like her chance at happiness and freedom has finally come. In 1920s San Fransisco, however, happiness and freedom aren't as easy to come by as most Chinese immigrants imagined. Jade Moon will find herself risking everything to get a shred of her hearts desire.
This book is a mixed bag for me. While the language, especially in the beginning, is surprisingly beautiful, the story just didn't completely thrill me. The things she gets mixed up in while in San Fransisco almost bored me with their insinuated brutality and Jade Moon herself felt like a caricature. TOO outspoken. TOO unable to just calm herself and be quiet for a minute. I would've liked to see her grow up a little bit. I was actually quite annoyed until the last 10 pages or so, which did pull themselves together in an interesting enough way. Except I did like the part on Angel Island, which I actually knew nothing about until now. So even though the middle didn't do it for me, I do appreciate it as an immigration story about a people that aren't as represented in young adult literature.
So when an opportunity to go to America presents itself, it feels like her chance at happiness and freedom has finally come. In 1920s San Fransisco, however, happiness and freedom aren't as easy to come by as most Chinese immigrants imagined. Jade Moon will find herself risking everything to get a shred of her hearts desire.
This book is a mixed bag for me. While the language, especially in the beginning, is surprisingly beautiful, the story just didn't completely thrill me. The things she gets mixed up in while in San Fransisco almost bored me with their insinuated brutality and Jade Moon herself felt like a caricature. TOO outspoken. TOO unable to just calm herself and be quiet for a minute. I would've liked to see her grow up a little bit. I was actually quite annoyed until the last 10 pages or so, which did pull themselves together in an interesting enough way. Except I did like the part on Angel Island, which I actually knew nothing about until now. So even though the middle didn't do it for me, I do appreciate it as an immigration story about a people that aren't as represented in young adult literature.
April 21, 2020
4.5 stars.
I've read this book twice and have enjoyed it both times. From a middle school teacher perspective, I thought the writing was fantastic for the target audience (8th-10th grade). There was a lot of historical content to unpack and some great plot points for potential discussion with students. I teetered between giving this book a 4 or a 5 on the Goodreads scale, but ultimately, because it stuck with me so much after the first time I read it, I'm bumping up the star count and including this as one of my favorites.
I've read this book twice and have enjoyed it both times. From a middle school teacher perspective, I thought the writing was fantastic for the target audience (8th-10th grade). There was a lot of historical content to unpack and some great plot points for potential discussion with students. I teetered between giving this book a 4 or a 5 on the Goodreads scale, but ultimately, because it stuck with me so much after the first time I read it, I'm bumping up the star count and including this as one of my favorites.
October 11, 2018
Was the world full of traps and cages, or was I particularly good at falling into them?
Jade Moon was born in the year of the Fire Horse. For boys, a Fire Horse's forceful personality is no issue. But for girls, being a Fire Horse means a life doomed to being too bold and too reckless. With her "curse" hanging over her, Jade Moon can't escape the disappointment she sees in her family or their fellow villagers. She longs for adventure, to go someplace where women like her are accepted. When a boy named Sterling Promise comes to her home to convince her father to go to America, Jade Moon sees her escape. But a life in America is very different than the life Jade Moon imagined, and she might even have to rely on her Fire Horse personality to pull her through.
I was initially intrigued by this book for several reasons. For one, I love historical fictions, and will read them across pretty much any time. The 1920s aren't really a super popular time period, and the few that I've read have been more fantasy than straight up historical. The second reason I was so interested in this book was because it's the story of an immigrant coming to America, searching for a way to find her dream, and discovering that it's not as easy as she would have hoped. All in all, I didn't expressly dislike this book, I just found it a little bit... lacking, I guess you could say. I found The Fire Horse Girl to be just okay, so I'm giving it 2 stars.
Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of small things about this book that I liked. For instance, I enjoyed reading about a young woman trying to make her own path in life, even if it meant defying everything she was supposed to be doing for society's sake. I liked the secret duty she took upon herself after coming to America. I liked how her headstrong personality made her an important person to watch out for.
But I just didn't like the big picture. I struggled with a lot of it from the beginning. Jade Moon's characterization rested pretty heavily on her identifying as a Fire Horse. All of her good personality traits--her determination, her dreamer's mind, her outgoing attitude and protective side--were all attributed to her zodiac. But, so were all her negative traits, like her stubbornness, her recklessness, and her naivety. Jade Moon doesn't grow as a character at all because any character arc she might have had hides firmly behind the "this is who she is" idea, that her year of birth makes it impossible for her to better herself. It's honestly quite frustrating; the book ends without her becoming a better, more rounded person, which I was looking forward to.
I'm also at odds with myself over the plot. I admire that Honeyman wanted to show the difficulties that Chinese immigrants had getting into America. It truly was an unfair and hard road for them, and anyone else that didn't fit into the European box.
"Of course, they make them up. They are their rules. The Americans' rules. And we are in America now. If they make up rules, we have to figure them out and follow them."
Not to mention, in particular, the struggle it is for Chinese women to get into America, which just added another layer to Jade Moon's story. She desperately wants to go to America for herself, but she's unaware that there might be an alternative reason for her father agreeing to bring her along.
"And, Jade Moon, find out why they brought you before we land. Women are brought to America either to be wives or prostitutes. You may have dreams, but your father and Sterling Promise have plans."
But, honestly, it took entirely to long to get to the point of the novel. If there even was one. The beginning was a very slow introduction to Jade Moon's life in China, followed by a months-long
Not to mention that the blurb straight-up says that she and Sterling Promise fall in love. I certainly don't mind romance; I kinda like it, actually. But this one just was a little... eh for me. I personally did not think that Jade Moon and Sterling Promise shared a relationship deep enough to be called love in any way; they openly disliked each other for a long time, openly distrusted each other, and suddenly they're in love? No thank you.
Plus, this is just a personal preference, but I dislike the way the Chinese names were written in this book. All of the names are written in English, so "Jade Moon" and "Sterling Promise" are the literal translations of their Chinese names. There are also characters called "Snow Lily" and "Spring Blossom," and it just seemed a little off to me. I would've much rather seen their Chinese names, and don't really understand why they had to Americanize their names.
For me, The Fire Horse Girl was simply okay. It wasn't terrible, and I admire what Honeyman was trying to show with this book, but I just don't think the execution was up to snuff for me. Still, I think it's a decent historical fiction for those who want a 1920s American immigration story.
September 20, 2016
I don't normally read a lot of historical fiction, but I'm very glad I read this one. I picked it up for reader's advisory and was completely sucked into Jade Moon's story. It has action, betrayal, heartache, triumph, adventure, everything a good story should have.
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April 4, 2013Ah, the past, when men were men and girls were rebellious free spirits who would not be held back by society's expectations.
June 14, 2015
WOOWOO TEXAN AUTHOR!!!
Why did this book not get more coverage when it was released??!
Why did this book not get more coverage when it was released??!
Want to read
August 25, 2015Before Reading:
That cover is gorgeous.
That cover is gorgeous.
April 10, 2016
Its an awesome book. especially for us girls who know we can be just as good or even better than boys. :)
March 26, 2013
Great new historical YA fiction. Especially fun for a Fire Horse Girl like me.
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