I had never heard of the Indo-Japanese War, let alone knew there were 2 of them! History was one of my favorite subjects growing up and really still is. The Second Indo-Japanese War is considered to be the largest Asian war of the 20th century, with between 10 and 25 million Chinese civilians and over 4 million Chinese and Japanese military personnel dying. The attack officially made the Indo-Japanese War linked with WWII. While this war took place during World War II, it wouldn’t technically merge into WWII until Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The story takes place in the late 1930’s during the Second Indo-Japanese War.

I love that this book like The Night Tiger is first and forth most a historical fiction novel. I have never read anything by Janie Chang but when I read the synopsis of this book I knew it would be in my wheelhouse. I loved the historical aspect mixed with a hint of fantasy. Last year I read The Night Tigerby Yangsze Choo, and I was one of my favorite books in 2019 Q1. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country’s fate forever.īased on true events, rich in Chinese history and lore, The Library of Legends is both an illuminating exploration of China’s recent past and an evocative tale of love, sacrifice, and the extraordinary power of storytelling.” Learning Shao and Sparrow’s true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. Her family’s past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students’ common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack.

“Myths are the darkest and brightest incarnations of who we are…”Ĭhina, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction (Second Sino-Japanese War)

The library of legends