Lunar New Year Love Story (Book Review)
Book Cover for Lunar New Year Love Story
I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but as soon as I saw this graphic novel I knew I had to read it. The artwork on the cover is just so stunning! There's just so much detail in the cover, I mean look at the Chinese Lion swirling amongst the stars.
Have you ever watched a lion dance? I've been to couple festivals that had Lion Dancers performing and it's always a pleasure to watch. I never thought about the hard work and dedication that goes into the art but we get to see that dedication as Valentina explores her new passion.
Our main girl Valentina used to be obsessed with Valentine's Day until she learns the truth of her parent's relationship. Discovering that everything she's known is a lie leads Val to swearing off true love, until she has a meet cute with a mysterious Lion Dancer. From that moment Val makes it her mission to prove that her love life is not cursed and doomed to fail.
Now, I'm not normally one for romances but this story immediately captured my attention. I enjoyed following Valentina around as she journeyed through love and discovered new hobbies. With each page I devoured I wanted more, I so badly wanted to see how her story ended but I also didn't want it to end. Does that make sense?
The characters were all so easy to fall in love with, even the side characters. All the characters just felt so relatable, it was easy to understand their motivations.
Now I have to gush about the artwork because just look at that cover. I really fell in love with the way the artist used color: The changes from vibrant to dark, the muted tones. It was all just so captivating! Some of the darker scenes are a little creepy, one of the characters in these scenes will forever haunt my nightmares. I can't wait for you to met him.
The art was really detailed too. I could actually see the lions dancing off the page, it made me want to go and see a lion dance again. Don't even get me started on the full page spreads! I could stare at this art forever.
This graphic novel is easily something I could read over and over again. The story and art are so captivating, I can't imagine myself growing tired of it. I'm looking forward to my next read through and to another lion dance performance.