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A review by theengineerisreading
Wing of the Locust by Joel Donato Ching Jacob
4.0
This one surprised me in a good way because I keep on seeing mixed reviews before I decided to give it a go and I’m glad that this worked for me as I enjoyed the first book and planning to continue with the second book.
Wing of the Locust is the first book in a fantasy series set in pre-colonial Philippines. I heard from the author that Ma’i, the kingdom where the story took place, is inspired by Laguna at the aforementioned time.
In WOTL, we follow Tuan and his humble life in Ma’i until the day everyone discovered that he is cursed/gifted with the ability of a mambabarang. He then escaped his mundane life and started his apprenticeship under Ma’i’s resident mambabarang, Muhen.
First thing that I really liked is the writing style. I would describe Joel’s style as on-point as he was able to deliver the needed information without sounding overwhelming.
My usual problem with fantasy writers is the way most of them do OA info-dumping in the first few chapters which leads to overcrowding of elements that affect the balance of the story. With WOTL, I didn’t encounter this issue and had a smooth transition learning about Ma’i and how it imprisoned our main character which then transitioned to Tuan’s life before and after the revelation.
There’s also a discussion about social hierarchy during that time and how significant it is to have works showing that our country already have a governing body even before the Spaniards arrived.
And who wouldn’t love reading references that are relatable? This book is Philippines wrapped in a book form and transported centuries ago. There’s too many to mention but you’ll definitely notice those once you read this.
Fantasy, social commentary about power, discussion about family and friendship, Filipino myth and lore - there are so many great things that were included in this book. No wonder why it won Scholastic’s Asian Book Awards.
My only issue is that it is a bit short for my liking. WOTL concluded at around 215 pages but that’s solvable since book 2 (Orphan Price) is already out and I’m excited for what’s more to come to Tuan and his friends.
RATING: 4stars
Wing of the Locust is the first book in a fantasy series set in pre-colonial Philippines. I heard from the author that Ma’i, the kingdom where the story took place, is inspired by Laguna at the aforementioned time.
In WOTL, we follow Tuan and his humble life in Ma’i until the day everyone discovered that he is cursed/gifted with the ability of a mambabarang. He then escaped his mundane life and started his apprenticeship under Ma’i’s resident mambabarang, Muhen.
First thing that I really liked is the writing style. I would describe Joel’s style as on-point as he was able to deliver the needed information without sounding overwhelming.
My usual problem with fantasy writers is the way most of them do OA info-dumping in the first few chapters which leads to overcrowding of elements that affect the balance of the story. With WOTL, I didn’t encounter this issue and had a smooth transition learning about Ma’i and how it imprisoned our main character which then transitioned to Tuan’s life before and after the revelation.
There’s also a discussion about social hierarchy during that time and how significant it is to have works showing that our country already have a governing body even before the Spaniards arrived.
And who wouldn’t love reading references that are relatable? This book is Philippines wrapped in a book form and transported centuries ago. There’s too many to mention but you’ll definitely notice those once you read this.
Fantasy, social commentary about power, discussion about family and friendship, Filipino myth and lore - there are so many great things that were included in this book. No wonder why it won Scholastic’s Asian Book Awards.
My only issue is that it is a bit short for my liking. WOTL concluded at around 215 pages but that’s solvable since book 2 (Orphan Price) is already out and I’m excited for what’s more to come to Tuan and his friends.
RATING: 4stars