A fun compilation of folk tales from east Asia (China, Malaysia, and Singapore), The Girl Who Became a Goddess explores stories that feel at once familiar to us and new all at the same time. Unfortunately, while the writing was very pretty, the overall stories didn't stick with me. There wasn't enough depth added to the retellings to make me really resonate with the characters, and as a result, I didn't hold onto any emotions for the characters after I was done. Still, I'm always very excited to see folk tales from underrepresented mythologies (at least in western publishing) getting shared with the world, so I was happy to read this.

Even with how short this book is, it took me forever to get through it. I had really high hopes, as I'm very much interested in folklore and myths from different places, but I honestly just found it boring. Somehow it seemed both rushed and dragged out at the same time.

The Girl Who Became a Goddess is a selection of stories based on the fairytales told to you as children from Malaysia, Singapore and China. The book ends with the long tale of The Girl Who Became a Goddess, but has about 6 other short stories too. The book also has the author discussing how she feels about these stories, that she has adapted from the word of mouth she heard growing up.

The stories were so well written in the magical folklore style writing that you feel enamoured with. It really felt like I was reading my big book of fairytales that I loved reading as a child, and despite not knowing any of these asian stories, I still felt a sense of nostalgia. .

With the style of stories, I think this would have worked so well as a children-style book with illustrations which aren’t part of the ebook version I read (so I’m unsure if the physical books do have this!). However, I feel like this would have fleshed out the shorter stories too, and made them feel more like you’re jumping into each world.

Each story has a different length, with the titular The Girl Who Became a Goddess being the longest. Some of the shortest stories did feel like they could have more to them, however it does fit with the folklore/fairytale feel as these are stories that have been passed down through people talking. Each story also has a mix of quality as well as quantity, but these are each going to be personal preferences I think.

I understand why the author wanted to discuss the stories she grew up hearing, however I think the discussion and the stories themselves could have been separated. With the stories being so short, flipping between story and memory/discussion made the book feel longer to read. Seeing as it was only around 100 pages long, this just didn’t feel right for me.

Positives of The Girl Who Became a Goddess
Nostalgic Asian folklore stories
Easy to read
Negatives of The Girl Who Became a Goddess
Short book and varying quality of each story

Such a fun look at Malaysian folklore. I wasn’t familiar at all, but loved reading the stories. Some were only a page, some were much longer, but this was a super quick read!

What I really liked about this is that they had stories from something other than Greek/Roman/Irish European -centric that I see in bookstores. It did not really delve into the stories but these fairytales were a really fun and enjoyable read.

Having loved folktales of different cultures I wanted to pick this up. While I liked it I couldn't immerse myself in any of the stories so this isn't for me.

#TheGirlWhoBecameAgoddess #NetGalley

A beautiful collection of stories that make for an incredible contrast to the oft-repeated Grimm fairytales or Greek myths. This is a book I would happily hand over to my younger siblings, and which I'd like to see given to young children of all ethnicities. I know I, as a white person, had never come across any of these stories before - and now I really want to dive in to other collections of Singaporean mythology!

I'm someone who loves to pass the time in other worlds, in folktales and fantasies, and so this book really hit home with me!
This collection of folktales from Singapore, Malaysia, and China are really interesting as its not the most commented branch of folktales around, everyone is always going for the irish tales, the Norse and Greek myths. It was a nice change of pace! Especially as I love their culture!

This was an interesting collection of short stories. I felt like there weren't enough details to fall in love with aspects of the book, it felt too quick for me. Although it's pretty short, it felt like a lot more could be packed in to it. Overall, enjoyable read, with not your average 'happy endings'.

3.5 Stars ( I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

This is a collection of folktales with the title story being a novella several chapters long, with such a gorgeous cover design. All the stories take place in ancient traditional Asian landscapes with the author giving an explanation of the tale as well as her experience in regards to hearing them. Some of the meanings of the tales are a little confusing with some being a version of a similar fairytales. What I really loved is the main title story “The Girl Who Became a Goddess”; which I believe is about seven ish chapters; involving an arranged marriage, freakish storms, gods and a hunter. I would be interested in reading the author’s other works and this was an enjoyable reading experience.

Hard pass for me, it felt like we were thrown in one story and then thrown out too quickly. I didn't get enough details or information about it, when i got sort of into the story, i got thrown out and into a new one - and it was alot of information where the author had gotten it from or felt about the story, for my part - that wasn't really nessesary.

I was so excited by this book's concept of retelling Asian folktales because it's a source of stories that I feel is so overlooked in modern publishing!

On the whole, I really liked this -- the writing voice is lovely and the stories in question are refreshing and fascinating to read about. That being said, apart from the eponymous last story in the book, which also happened to be the longest, none of them particularly stood out to me. I think I'd have liked to have more of a sense that the author was putting her own mark on these tales, especially since this seemed marketed as a collection of retellings rather than a simple collection or anthology of classic stories.

I picked this up on International Women's Day, thinking it would be a wonderful introduction to Singaporean and Malay myths and folklore with a focus on female characters. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered there isn't even a tale about a Girl who became a Goddess. Damn you click-bait title!! (gnashes teeth and flails fists at the sky).

Personal rant about the title aside, it is a decent collection of tales that appealed to my soft spot for non-European folklore. The author's notes about each entry were unnecessary. This isn't a school assignment. You don't need to constantly justify the inclusion of a story and why you enjoyed it. However, while he last one was useful, as it expanded on main title character, I would have loved to have read it in story-mode rather than a critical reasoning essay.

Recommended: bedtime reading for wee ones to feed their inner Homer (just skip the author's notes)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the reading copy.

While I did enjoy this book as a whole, it felt like a rushed rough draft. I think that after another edit or two, this could be a four or five star book. I did enjoy learning about the folklore of other cultures.

I love folktales as much as the next person and this was no exception. But I would say it could have been flushed out a bit more.

3.5 stars

It was nice reading some folktales from different Asian countries. Though I found it to be a bit mediocre, I enjoyed the writing style and the vibe the author set in. The folktales vary in length but I enjoyed the long ones a lot.

As for the last story, I enjoyed it the most despite me not finding the story to match the title. The folktale it is based on is titled that but I was hoping the author would spin her interpretation in that direction too rather than leaving it a bit hanging.

Overall, it was a nice read with a very pretty cover though I felt like it was missing a bit of something more.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

This book immersed me in to a fairytale existence free from real life. Unfamiliar with Asian traditional folklores I enjoyed these tales for the first time picking up on the cultural differences.
A beautiful collection I would recommend to others.
My thanks go to Netgalley, the author and publisher in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

I used to live in Singapore and Malaysia and I thought this would be an interesting book of fairytales and I really liked all of them.

My Thoughts
I love folktales and fairy-tales and stories that have traveled across time from that ancient story-teller to each of us as we narrate stories to others. Many of my fondest memories of my grandparents definitely revolve around the tales they told me on moonlit (or dark) nights. And I love retellings or twists on tales told as well. So it was inevitable that I pick this book up (and that cover!)

The author tells these stories as she remembers them; and includes some information about each one providing personal and cultural context that add to the book. So, these are kind of adapted retellings that still maintain the true flavor and ambiance of the original tales.

Note that these are not fairy tales that are the happily-ever-after type. Instead, they take the reader through the whole gamut of emotions. While Kancil the mouse-deer might make you smile with his cunning, you are bound to find yourself feeling sad or angry or something else as you read another tale in this collection.

The book was magical and nostalgic all at once. While many of the stories were new to me, there was a familiarity about them that reminded me of the tales I heard growing up in India (and the many other folk and fairy tales I read from around the world, for example, ‘Stone Soup’). While I did end up with a couple of favorites from this collection, the one that had the most impact was undoubtedly ‘The Cricket Son’

I do wish the black-and-white illustrations had followed the gorgeous color scheme of the cover and that there were more stories included here. But overall, I closed the last page feeling satisfied at a good read.

In Summary
A wonderful collection to have in any library, especially for those who love folktales, fairy tales, or would love to read books from around the world, or just read!

Rating: 4.5/5
Reading Level: All ages (there is something in this for everyone)
Reread Level: 3.5/5

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital review copy. These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

Side Notes
Reading about Kancil in this collection reminded me of books I read years ago – two other Kancil tales – ‘Mangoes & Bananas‘ and ‘The Sacred Banana Leaf‘ – both of which were fantastically illustrated in traditional Indian art forms. Both books thus were a wonderful mingling of two cultures.

This book was absolutely amazing. So rich and magical. I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend for those who like fables.