*I received a digital copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: An Echo in the City
Author: K. X. Song
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 20, 2023
ISBN: 9780316397025
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Phoenix knows her parents have invested thousands of dollars to help her leave Hong Kong and get an elite Ivy League education. But Phoenix just wants home. The trouble is, she doesn’t know where that is … until the Hong Kong protest movement unfolds, and she learns the city she’s come to love is in danger of disappearing.
Seventeen-year-old Kai sees himself as an artist, not a filial son, and certainly not a cop. But when his mother dies, he’s forced to leave Shanghai to reunite with his estranged father, a respected police officer, who’s already enrolled him in the Hong Kong police academy. Kai wants to hate his job, but instead, he finds himself craving his father’s approval. And when he accidentally swaps phones with Phoenix and discovers she’s part of a protest network, he finds a way to earn it: by infiltrating the group and reporting their plans back to the police.
As Kai and Phoenix join the struggle for the future of Hong Kong, a spark forms between them, pulling them together even as their two worlds try to force them apart. But when their relationship is built on secrets and deception, will they still love the person left behind when the lies fall away?
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This beautiful book is impossible to put down. Set in Hong Kong amid the anti-extradition protests, it follows the perspectives of Phoenix and Kai, an unlikely partnership, as they navigate not only their opposing sides of the protests, but their burgeoning feelings for one another as well. Everything about Kai and Phoenix lies in opposition. He is from mainland China, has no money, struggles with who he wants to be, is soft spoken, yet is learning to fight for the police force. Phoenix is finding her voice and learning to speak up not for her self, but for the future she wants for her nation. She comes from wealth, but it doesn’t define her. Like Kai, she’s found a creative outlet through her photography, which she uses to amplify the voice of her movement.
These two souls, standing in opposition, truly do find common ground as they connect through the protests. Though Kai’s motivation is less than pure and he finds himself in a part of duality, torn between what is expected and what is right, nonetheless, his feelings for Phoenix are rooted and truth. He cannot help himself falling in love with her.. Phoenix’s confidence, not only in herself, but in those around her, encourages Kai to open himself and explore parts of him that he’d shut off after the loss of his mother. Through Phoenix, he’s able to slowly but surely find himself again. The only question is whether or not it will be too late.
Phoenix and Kai’s story is entrenched in the protests against the government and the Extradition Bill as they stand as a nation to fight for democracy and their future. Their experiences are heartbreaking and the intensity and violence of the conflicts between protestors and the police force is rife with hatred and tension. These characters are up close and personal with the threat of losing everything and everyone they love. Extended imprisonment awaits anyone who is caught and they are at the heart of some of the most difficult and gut wrenching escapes, trying to get those they care most about out of the country before they are arrested.
This is a highly unique and poignant story. I’ve never read anything quite like it and it rings loud with the truth of the experiences of so many people living in Hong Kong. It’s a story full of hope and fire. It’s characters want to do more and be more than what is facing them, and despite their fears, they stand to fight for what they believe in. It’s a beautiful and captivating story, written in such detail that you can’t help but lose yourself to Song’s words. You’ll be swept away.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 