The third book of the Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, Bitter Winds continues the saga of Chinese couple Benfu and Calli, and the abandoned young women in their care.Since the night her sister was almost burned alive in a fire and they were taken from their mother, Ivy has been the self-appointed guardian and guide to her blind twin, Lily. When Lily is snatched away and put behind … put behind locked doors, Ivy will do whatever it takes to get her sister home, even it means putting her own life in danger.
After Benfu and Calli’s long-lost daughter, Li Jin, is finally reunited with her birth parents, she opens a shelter for displaced people, turning her fortune from destitution and abuse to family and fulfillment. But her friend Sami remains consumed by bitterness—and Li Jin soon realizes she needs to make a difficult choice between revisiting the past or nurturing her own future.
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This is the third book in The Scavenger’s Daughters series and was an excellent addition to the series. In this book the characters of Li Jin, Sami, Ivy and Lily are more the focus and are thus more developed. Li Jin is operating a house for the homeless and her family has pitched in and supports the project, even living on the premises. Sami, who followed Li Jin to the city of Wuxi, seems to regret her life choices but feels boxed in, even more so after she gives birth to a baby girl named Lan. Sami is not a very likable character, particularly since she ignores the cries of her own infant, but she is one for whom I felt sorry because of her past. The twins, Ivy and Lily, fall into the hands of the government oppressors when Lily is trying to play her beloved violin at a festival. Lily ends up being arrested for taking part in the Falun Gong movement and Ivy has to try to rescue her. The plot was complicated and kept me reading because of the twists that kept occurring. Just like the other books in the series, I learned a great deal about Chinese history and culture by reading it. I really enjoyed learning more about Li Jin and I liked how the twins were growing up and becoming more independent, even Lily who is blind. I look forward to the next book in the series and highly recommend this book to those who want a story that is told from the heart and that is also informative. This book can be read as a standalone, but I don’t know why anyone would not want to read the entire series. It is so good!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via an online contest. I was not required to write a positive review, The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
I love a good series and this was a great addition to the Scavenger’s Daughter series. You get to see a continuation of Li Jin’s story as well as the story of the twins, Lily and Ivy. It was an enjoyable story, but also touched on difficult topics of things that are happening in China. I would definitely recommend this book.
This is a darker story in the series, and deeper dive in to the twins Lily and Ivy. I liked getting to know the twins and seeing the differences in their personalities beginning to show. The plot takes a surprising twist and gives us a look into another facet of corruption in the government.
I enjoyed the story, but there wasn’t as much closure as there was in the previous books. I struggled a bit with a few inconsistencies in the time line.
While this is a stand a line book I highly recommend reading the entire series in order.
I’m not usually one to read a book straight through, rather reading only a couple chapters a day. I haven’t been able to do that with this series. I’ve been drawn in from the beginning and have read the first three in about a week.
I have lived in the Far East a couple times, never China. I can easily picture the villages, people with their little shops and vendor carts, the hundreds of bicycles everywhere. Kay Bratt shows how officials openly take advantage of the people. She takes you beyond those storefronts and into the back alleys where evil things happen. She also brings you back to see that there are good people there willing to not only help their own family but others as well.
While this is a novel and it does have a somewhat feel good ending. It does leave the question of what happens to Sami who gives her all for the happiness of the family.
I loved all in this series by Ms. Bratt. Start with the first one, Scavenger’s Daughter.