Mini Reviews: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu & How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I have two mini reviews, one for The Kingdom of Back and one for How We Fall Apart. Both of these have been on my TBR for ages, and I was excited to read both of them. However, only one of them lived up to my expectations.

Title: The Kingdom of Back
Author: Marie Lu
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Series: None
Page Count: 313 (paperback)

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in eighteenth-century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age—her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

As Nannerl’s hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true—but his help may cost her everything.

In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

Content Warnings

sexism – illness – manipulation

There are no spoilers in this review.

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Before reading this book, I didn’t know that Mozart had an older sister. I didn’t know he had any siblings. The Kingdom of Back taught me about Mozart’s older sister, Maria Anna, affectionately called Nannerl. She was the only other child in the family, besides Wolfgang, who lived past infancy. As a musical prodigy who is a girl, Nannerl’s one wish is the be remembered forever. But she knows that as a young woman during the eighteenth century, that’s not going to happen for her. She’ll play until she’s of marriageable age, that’s it. But then she meets a mysterious boy who strikes a deal with her and her wish might not be lost.

First of all, fantasy mixed with historical fiction seemed like the perfect read for me, as they are two of my favorite genres and I am so glad that it lived up to my expectations of it.

The worldbuilding in the story was whimsical and magical. I loved how the kingdom was built upon the stories told by Nannerl and Wolferl. Lu’s writing gave off that mystical presence and I could picture the fantasy world in my mind. With this world also showed the bond between the Mozart siblings. Though Nannerl is sometimes a bit jealous of the attention and praise her brother receives, she’s still his older sister and has the need to protect him.

I felt so much for Nannerl whenever she experienced some kind of sexism. Girls were not allowed to compose music, that was something boys did. Nannerl had to bottle up all the music she wanted to compose and the feelings she felt. If she expressed them, she wouldn’t be a “proper lady” or a “good, obedient daughter.” Because she was a girl, she didn’t get the same recognition that her brother did; that’s the main reason that many people don’t know of her.

I wasn’t super in love with the ending of the book and how everything turned out with the Kingdom of Back. It seemed kind of. . . I don’t know the word, but it just didn’t click with me.

This book was entertaining and such a fun read, while also being really educational. I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end; Marie Lu has some great things to say in it about the writing of the book and being a young woman in the eighteenth century.

My Rating: 4/5 dragons

Title: How We Fall Apart
Author: Katie Zhao
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult
Series: How We Fall Apart #1
Page Count: 298 (hardcover)

Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends–Krystal, Akil, and Alexander–are the prime suspects, thanks to “The Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.

They all used to be Jamie’s closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy’s full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too.

Content Warnings

death of a friend – violence – parent neglect – panic attacks – drug use – mental illness – student/teacher relationship – racism – murder – blackmail – fire – suicide

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I saw that this book was a bit controversial on Goodreads, so I didn’t have extremely high expectations for it. However, How We Fall Apart failed to meet those expectations.

I don’t really usually write reviews about books I didn’t like, but I had a lot to say about this, so here it is. We can start with what I did like. The diversity was a plus, with Nancy being Asian-American, the main characters being Asian, and there being a side sapphic relationship as well.

I thought that the story needed some more exposition. I love books that go right into the action, but I feel like mysteries and thrillers need a bit more setting up before getting into the main part of the story. It all felt too sudden and I would’ve liked to get to know the characters more beforehand.

The characters had unique backstories and histories, which I liked, but other then that, they didn’t have a lot of depth to them. They all reacted the same way when they were told that they were suspects of Jamie’s murder, but the four of them come from very different classes and home lives; they should’ve had their own different reactions.

I also found it quite hard to believe that the four main characters could’ve been best friends who Jamie. Before she died, Jamie was that kind of person who always had to be one above everyone else. If someone got above her, she would make sure to take that person down. She acted this way with everyone, even her friends. I kept asking myself, “how are they friends?” and the answer I got for myself is that they weren’t, really. They just wanted to make sure to not get on Jamie’s bad side.

The characters had a very strong protection of their reputation. Like, they’re dealing with a murder and these life-changing secrets are being revealed to the whole school and their biggest concern is whether their reputation will be ruined. Yes, Sinclair Prep is very competitive and such, but these things that are happening around them are more important than their social status at school.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me. It didn’t give me the thrill that mysteries usually give me. The story was a bit predictable which didn’t make the big reveal very exciting or surprising. The characters didn’t act like normal high school students at all, which was very unrealistic and didn’t sit right with me.

My Rating: 2.5/5 dragons

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Have you read The Kingdom of Back or How We Fall Apart? Are they on your TBR?
What are some historical fictions or mysteries you recommend?