Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/01/2024 Gr 4–8—Twelve-year-old Evie has never seen eye-to-eye with her hardworking, no-nonsense mother. She always hated helping in her mom's tailor shop and hearing the constant reminders that if Evie just worked harder, she could do better. Then her mom dies suddenly in a car accident, and Evie finds herself desperate for any remaining trace. When a talking monkey appears in the shop and tells Evie that her mom was the master of the mythical Spindle of Fate and is now trapped in Dìyù, the Chinese underworld, Evie goes on a quest with Kevin, the awkward son of another Guild member, to rescue her. This novel expertly weaves Chinese mythology with a story about grief. It is at its strongest when Evie is with her family and the other Guild members; it is weaker when Evie and Kevin are in Dìyù. Lim's take on the underworld is a fresh one: Dìyù, while full of the typical horrors, is also a bureaucratic hell of red tape and missing paperwork that adults may find relatable, and kids will find amusing. Overall, the book is at its most compelling when focusing on families, grief, and healing. Evie's journey will be one that builds empathy in readers, while having broad appeal with its fantasy and adventure plot. VERDICT A worthy addition to any library where readers are gobbling up fantasy, and more importantly, a poignant story about family grief and love.—Kristin Brynsvold - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2024 Evie Mei Huang is in hell—literally. When her mother died 10 days ago, it rocked the family, but now, with help from a secret magical society, Evie Mei intends to bring her mother back from the underworld. Inspired by Chinese mythology, this Diyu, the realm of the dead, is no joke. Evie Mei and her companion outrun murderers, negotiate with animal-headed demons, and swim through pools of blood on their way down. But what initially seems like cathartic wish fulfillment (who among us hasn’t wanted to find out that someone we loved isn’t really gone?) eventually reveals itself to be a more-complex exploration of how Evie Mei finally faces her loss. A relatable Evie Mei candidly navigates questions about bereavement: how to be brave for her family, how to find meaning in senseless tragedy, and how to reconcile her love for her mother with their strained relationship. Lim’s debut middle-grade fantasy will appeal to readers who appreciate a grim (and sometimes darkly comical) bureaucratic underworld and ask questions about how we learn to accept unavoidable grief. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.