“The shadows moved. No matter how Kiamling turned, she was unable to see all of the monster clearly. It leapt from doorway to shaded alley, the darkness like a cold patch at the back of her neck. People tripped over their own feet to get away. Others cowered, frozen, covering their heads, their eyes in denial. The beast zigzagged down the street with impossible speed, ricocheting off empty sedan chairs and stacks of baskets. With a groan, one of the chairs fell onto its side, toppling a row of them like mahjong tiles. A wooden sign swung with impact and a man was knocked to the ground. Everything the creature touched was lit as if with a match, a trail of fire marking its chaotic path.”
Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan
I struggle to write reviews for books I had mixed feelings on. I want to be fair to the author who worked so hard on it and to all the readers who might love the book. Harbour of Hungry Ghosts was an overall good read, but it just wasn’t completely the book for me.
Kiamling is a yiugwai hunter, learning from her grandmother Por Por how to honor the dead, give blessings and exorcise spirits and monsters who have crossed into this realm. Set in Hong Kong when the British are making a name there to overtake the very streets that do not belong to them, this novel is very atmospheric. I loved the setting and the lore of the yiugwai hunters. I loved watching Kiamling and her grandmother work together in the beginning to help the people of their community.
But one night, Por Por is taken by a strange new monster, one that Kiamling isn’t familiar with. Kiamling’s attitude toward exorcising demons and keeping the spirits away is very different than her grandmother’s. Kiamling is arrogant and full of herself, she is the type of person who things she knows best even if years of tradition would say otherwise. Her grandmother being taken is almost a gift to Kiamling at first. She is finally free to take jobs and help support her sister, Jingling in the way she always wanted to.
But the beast that is stalking Hong Kong is only growing worse, and Kiamling eventually must take action. With the help of her sister, an Englishman named Archie anf her childhood love Hoi gor, Kiamling must discover what and who this beast is and how to stop it.
Overall, this book had a lot of promise. Mostly what didn’t click for me was Kiamling. Her arrogance was something I really struggled to move past. I wished the reader could have seen more of her relationship with Jingling, but the focus of the novel’s relationships were definitely these secondary romance lines that had potential but weren’t fully developed. So for me, that part of the story just didn’t work. That being said, the ending had such an incredible twist that I wasn’t expecting. I am curious about book two because I wonder if the character growth I was so craving will come to fruition. Either way, I found this to be an enjoyable read with so many wonderful elements that will draw a lot of readers in.
Massive thanks, as always, to Orbit for sending this my way. Harbour of Hungry Ghosts releases July 28!
Of Worlds Forgotten 
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