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A review by theengineerisreading
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
5.0
Have your ever read a book that connects so much to you it feels like it's seeing through your soul? In my case, Erin Entrada Kelly's MG fantasy debut, Lalani of the Distant Sea, will be THAT book. Because even though the narration did not clearly state that the story has Filipinx MCs and setting, the entirety of the storyline screams Filipino pride.
First, let me just tell you that this book is rich with Filipino folklore and mythology so wonderfully reimagined, it will make yourself more interested to our own stories and legends. Revolving on the story of Lalani Sarita, a young Sanlagitan girl who always thinks outside of the box and loves stories of mysteries. When an overlong drought came upon the island of Sanlagita pestering both the people and their produce, people tried to make ends meet by making the most out of what's left in their village. But Lalani is different as she is a girl with a fresh perspective of the world. When an instance brought her along the footsteps of the forbidden lands of Mount Kahna, Lalani found the truth behind the darkness covering this clandestine landform. But with this comes a choice that pushed her to go beyond her limits and do what she think is best for her family and the rest of Sanlagita. The question is, will she make it out of the quest alive or will she be just like any other Sanlagitan men who tried before but never came back to their homeland?
As powerful and imaginative as it is, Erin's Lalani of the Distant Sea easily became my most favorite book of the year. The fact that it features the best of the best of Philippine mythology and folklore is definitely something that excited me when I first heard about it last year and now that I finished a copy and will soon be released. I love how Erin reimagined most Filipino folk stories like the nunso (a wordplay for nuno sa punso) and Fei Diwata (Diwata means fairy in Filipino). There's also a lot of interesting tale characters in this like Ziva, the goyuk, Bai-Vinca, whenbos, the weeping loset, the Ditasa-Ulod, and the mindorens (which I imagine as tamaraws and mindoren must be derived from Mindoro?) If you want a fresh take on the Philippines old fables and folklores, this book should definitely be on your shelves.
Another thing I love about this book is how it challenges the beauty of childhood thinking in a way that it inspires children and adults like me to always see the bigger picture in everything the way our MC, Lalani, does. The story delivered the notable Erin Kelly vibe which embodies her Filipino trait of being generous to others and being brave in times of desperation.
Moving on, let me highlight another good point on this book which is the importance of making yourself go the distance. Lalani Sarita may be a simple girl in the outside but her brain holds more plans than anyone. She simply had the choice to just accept her fate as a Sanlagitan girl who will be either a mender or a farmer but she did not conform to the norm and instead did her best in forging her own path. This may be subtle but that takeaway tells a lot when it comes to taking the risk and doing things that we should do instead of just going with the flow and be a dead fish.
I may not be able to translate all the things I love about this book but let me have this space to scream that this is how being represented feels like.
Lastly, the illustrations in this book were exemplary and outstanding. Lian Cho's artwork served its purpose and added a clearer view to the picture being painted by Erin's words. And let me just commend Erin, Lian, and the rest of the Greenwillow team for bringing this book to the world. You guys deserved all the love.
FUN FACT:
When I finished the book, I had the time to chat with Erin since I defffff love this and I want to be a Sanlagitan. I asked her who is her inspiration in naming one of the Whenbos in Isa, Sai, and she confirmed that it's me because I met her last year when she's still finishing this book and I absolutely panicked and hell yeah, send a lot of hugs to her. Waaaaaah!
RATING: 5 astonishing pahaalusk shells
First, let me just tell you that this book is rich with Filipino folklore and mythology so wonderfully reimagined, it will make yourself more interested to our own stories and legends. Revolving on the story of Lalani Sarita, a young Sanlagitan girl who always thinks outside of the box and loves stories of mysteries. When an overlong drought came upon the island of Sanlagita pestering both the people and their produce, people tried to make ends meet by making the most out of what's left in their village. But Lalani is different as she is a girl with a fresh perspective of the world. When an instance brought her along the footsteps of the forbidden lands of Mount Kahna, Lalani found the truth behind the darkness covering this clandestine landform. But with this comes a choice that pushed her to go beyond her limits and do what she think is best for her family and the rest of Sanlagita. The question is, will she make it out of the quest alive or will she be just like any other Sanlagitan men who tried before but never came back to their homeland?
As powerful and imaginative as it is, Erin's Lalani of the Distant Sea easily became my most favorite book of the year. The fact that it features the best of the best of Philippine mythology and folklore is definitely something that excited me when I first heard about it last year and now that I finished a copy and will soon be released. I love how Erin reimagined most Filipino folk stories like the nunso (a wordplay for nuno sa punso) and Fei Diwata (Diwata means fairy in Filipino). There's also a lot of interesting tale characters in this like Ziva, the goyuk, Bai-Vinca, whenbos, the weeping loset, the Ditasa-Ulod, and the mindorens (which I imagine as tamaraws and mindoren must be derived from Mindoro?) If you want a fresh take on the Philippines old fables and folklores, this book should definitely be on your shelves.
Another thing I love about this book is how it challenges the beauty of childhood thinking in a way that it inspires children and adults like me to always see the bigger picture in everything the way our MC, Lalani, does. The story delivered the notable Erin Kelly vibe which embodies her Filipino trait of being generous to others and being brave in times of desperation.
Moving on, let me highlight another good point on this book which is the importance of making yourself go the distance. Lalani Sarita may be a simple girl in the outside but her brain holds more plans than anyone. She simply had the choice to just accept her fate as a Sanlagitan girl who will be either a mender or a farmer but she did not conform to the norm and instead did her best in forging her own path. This may be subtle but that takeaway tells a lot when it comes to taking the risk and doing things that we should do instead of just going with the flow and be a dead fish.
I may not be able to translate all the things I love about this book but let me have this space to scream that this is how being represented feels like.
Lastly, the illustrations in this book were exemplary and outstanding. Lian Cho's artwork served its purpose and added a clearer view to the picture being painted by Erin's words. And let me just commend Erin, Lian, and the rest of the Greenwillow team for bringing this book to the world. You guys deserved all the love.
FUN FACT:
When I finished the book, I had the time to chat with Erin since I defffff love this and I want to be a Sanlagitan. I asked her who is her inspiration in naming one of the Whenbos in Isa, Sai, and she confirmed that it's me because I met her last year when she's still finishing this book and I absolutely panicked and hell yeah, send a lot of hugs to her. Waaaaaah!
RATING: 5 astonishing pahaalusk shells