May 28, 2012
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Stir Fry Xangan
A mini review of Oil in the Wok by Yumin Ye ( @wyrdkismet )
Given that I generally don’t read hardly any books and those that do tempt me are predominantly Sci-fi or Fantasy the chances of me picking a story about the hopes, dreams and dramas of a teenage girl are pretty slim, but luckily for me the author of Oil in the Wok also writes on Xanga so despite my preconceptions I got hold of a copy and was happy to be pleasantly surprised.
Having spent quite sometime reading and enjoying Yumins blog I knew (no matter the content) that the writing style and mind behind it would be entertaining and intriguing but I didn’t expect this book to hold my attention quite as much as it did nor be as effective on my emotions, but by the time I got to the end of Oil in the Wok I was not only quite moved but also completely hooked on the life and dreams of its protagonist Amber Yang.
The story follows Amber through a short period of her young life during which her house becomes the hide away of teen pop diva Brooke Fulton, who for personal reasons wants nothing more than to turn off the lime light and become just another girl. But as if Brookes sudden appearance in Amber’s life wasn’t enough she’s also dealing with the collapse of her parents marriage, her own social meltdown with school friends and her desperate desire to somehow figure out not only who she is but also how to reach her dream goal of becoming a singer.
As a story it is well constructed and keeps you reading, despite nothing major happening it has a real life feel to it that makes it very easy to care for the characters and get wrapped up in the events.
The writing reminded me of a diary, but one written from the first perspective or perhaps even from within the thoughts of Amber. At times this can be frustrating because you find yourself just wanting to grab her and yell ‘STOP over analysing’ but this only adds to the sense of realism, especially when you realise just how much your own mind and thought processes mirror those of Ambers, always caught on the horns of some decision or other never knowing if you’ve made the right choice or even sometimes if a choice should be made at all.
For me this book really had nothing going for it other than me knowing the author’s blog but despite that it totally won me over and I think that’s pretty impressive. By the time you reach the final page I defy anyone not to be wishing Amber Yang the best of luck
Comments (13)
nice review!
Thanks for the review, it does sounds like a great books to read. I’ll look up for it and see how it goes. I’m glad to hear you’re reading, such a great habit to have for an author, take reading as a part of the writer’s job
I’m in mommy mode today lol
When I first saw the title, I thought you actually cooked something. The book does sound interesting. Thanks for the review.
P.S. I believe the author is very much like the character in the book. I heard that from a good source.
Thanks for sharing.
Great review
@lanney - Thanks
It was a good read.
@xXxlovelylollipop - lol yea
well it’s not going to become a habit…but I’ve been listening to lots of amazing audio books which always helps my writing.
And yea I hope you get a chance to check this one out, it was nice.
@naughty_virgin - Lol sadly no :/ despite lots of people telling me I should I have still not gotten round to learning to cook…maybe someday.
@Roadlesstaken - :) I rather hoped that was the case…although I also hope that the real ‘Amber’ has things slightly more figured out by now
@KnightInCROATIANarmor - Still working on getting through Winnetou, then i’ll see if I can write one up for that too
@firetyger - Thanks
@SaintBlue1131 - No rush.
aww bede! <3 i’m really honored that you took the time to grab a copy of my book, read it, take it apart and write a review! yours is the first since a really good friend of mine wrote one for me on amazon in the customer review section. this means so much to me! so glad that you enjoyed it and could relate to Amber’s thought processes. also glad you noticed she overanalyzes a lot. that’s exactly what i was going for and an author could not have asked for more!
@wyrdkismet - :D you’re very welcome Yumin.
lol but it was all good and I hope I tempt a few extra purchases.
I really did enjoy it, I was kind of nervous when i started reading it because I wanted to write a review but I didn’t know if I’d like it and didn’t want to write a bad review
Well done for getting something published, it must be a pretty awesome feeling to see something you wrote sitting up there on Amazon
And yes lol there are too many times I am stuck thinking things over and over and never acting or choosing just like Amber hehe so it was pretty eay to relate to her.
This is a great review! Yumin is such a great writer (via her blogs); although I must confess I haven’t read this book =(
Your review makes me wanna go grab a copy for sure! Thanks so much!
@oOo_itsJuJu - Really glad you liked it and feel like checking the book out.
I’m sure you won’t be disappointed :D
Nice review
I’m not really into books like this, but maybe someday I’ll have to give it a shot.