By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop”
By Roselle Lim
Penguin Random House, 2020
Vanessa Yu has always been able to see people’s fortunes and misfortunes in tea leaves. It’s a gift she never asked for, a gift she never wanted. And when she sees death for the first time—following an unfortunate appointment with a matchmaker—it’s a gift she desperately wants to get rid of, but she’ll settle for controlling it. Otherwise, how can she truly live?
So when her eccentric, fortune-telling Aunt Evelyn shows up, Vanessa accepts her offer to go to Paris to help set up a new shop location for their family’s tea business, as well as learn more about her gifts. Vanessa begins to realize that knowing your destiny isn’t a curse, but not being able to change it is.
“Tea Shop” takes place in the same world of magical realism as her previous book, a world in which fortunes can be found in more than just the bottom of a teacup and red threads of fate are real. Despite this, we have characters dealing with issues many of us can relate to: wanting to find love, nosy loved ones who think they know what’s best for you, wanting to be your own person, and not have outside forces dictate your future. This helps ground the story and balance out the more magical elements.
Vanessa is a strong character who knows what she wants and what she doesn’t. It might take her a moment to work up the nerve to voice her thoughts (like many people), but she knows what she is worth and knows what she deserves and has reached a point in her life where she won’t settle—a great lesson for many of us.
Lim also introduces readers to many members of the Yu family, from Vanessa’s loving parents to her interfering army of aunties. I personally enjoyed reading about the latter’s antics and the lengths they would go in the name of family.
“A Sweet Mess”
By Jayci Lee
Griffin, 2020
With running her highly successful bakery, Comfort Zone, and working on its expansion, Aubrey Choi doesn’t have time to date. But when her one night stand, Landon Kim, turns out to be a celebrity food critic and a cake mixup leads to him giving her bakery a horrible review, she’s left with a mess that could destroy her business.
To make up for his mistake, Landon offers Aubrey a spot on a celebrity cooking show he’s producing. She begrudgingly accepts to save her bakery and reputation, but wants nothing more to do with Landon. Of course, these intentions go out the window as Aubrey and Landon find themselves in close living quarters and growing even closer.
“Sweet Mess” is a fun, romantic comedy with two people who are both trying to become their own people, away from the harmful legacies of their fathers. Aubrey is smart and determined to show her parents that she can be successful and doesn’t need their money, power, or privilege. Landon gave up his dream of opening his own restaurant to pick up the pieces his father left and to be there for his mother and brother. Needless to say, they both bring baggage to the relationship and it’s satisfying to see how they each deal with their issues.
This was something else I really appreciated. While strides have been made, the romance genre still leans very white so it was great to see two Asian American characters who are not exoticized. They’re just an everyday couple who fall in love and overcome many obstacles to be together.
In addition to reading about two complex and complicated characters, it was also refreshing to see two people who don’t fit the stereotypical image of what it means to be a successful Asian American (in this case, Aubrey and Landon are Korean American). Lee shows readers that we are more than just doctors, lawyers, and engineers, and we can look good while doing it.
This was something else I really appreciated. While strides have been made, the romance genre still leans very white so it was great to see two Asian American characters who are not exoticized. They’re just an everyday couple who fall in love and overcome many obstacles to be together.
“Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch”
By Julie Abe
Little, Brown Books, 2020
More than anything, Eva Evergreen wants to earn her rank as a Novice Witch before her 13th birthday. Otherwise, she’ll lose her magic forever. All she has to do is find a town in her realm, live there for one moon and help said town (by doing good all around), and fly back home on a broomstick.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic, not very impressive as the daughter of one of the most powerful witches in the realm. To make things worse, her magic doesn’t always work the way it should and whenever she overuses it, she falls asleep.
So when she lands in Auteri, a quiet coastal town expecting a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl, the residents are a little underwhelmed to say the least. But Eva sets up a repair shop to help the people of Auteri, determined to prove she is worthy. And she does help them, though some of her “semi-magical fixes” may take a more disastrous path toward their solution.
But when the town gets news that the biggest magical storm in history is coming their way, Eva’s pinch of magic may not be enough to protect them.
Eva is a clever young girl readers of all ages will be rooting for. While her magical abilities may be limited, that doesn’t stop her from trying her best to help others. While her young age may make her easier to dismiss, Eva refuses to be ignored. She makes mistakes and may not know everything, but that also doesn’t mean she knows nothing. I loved this about Eva and all of the young people in “Semi-Magical Witch.” Abe shows readers that just because someone is young or that they may not be who or what you expected, it does not mean they cannot get something done, that they cannot make a change. And that is a lesson all of us can make note of.
Samantha can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.