Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip (Book Review and Giveaway!)

Title: Song of the Silk Road
Author: Mingmei Yip
Publisher: Kensington Publishing

As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Lily Lin was captivated by photographs of the desert -- its long, lonely vistas and shifting sand dunes.  Now living in New York, Lily is struggling to finish her graduate degree when she receives an astonishing offer.  An aunt she never knew existed will pay Lily a huge sum to travel across China's desolate Taklamakan Desert -- and carry out a series of tasks along the way.

Intrigued, Lily accepts.  Her assignments range from the dangerous to the bizarre.  Lily must seduce a monk.  She must scrape a piece of clay from the famous Terracotta Warriors, and climb the Mountains of Heaven to gather a rare herb. At Xian, her first stop, Lily meets Alex, a young American with whoms she forms a powerful connection.  And soon, she faces revelations that will redefine her past, her destiny, and the shocking truth behind her aunt's motivations.

Powerful and eloquent, Song of the Silk Road is a captivating story of self-discovery, resonant with the mysteries of its haunting, exotic landscape.

My thoughts: I don't think that I have read a book set in China before.  I really liked the story line as it was peppered with descriptions of beautiful locations and much cultural history. It moved along pretty quickly, changing locales and "tasks" and keeping me interested in to where Lily would have to go next and who she might meet along the way.  There were many colorful characters from monks to fortune tellers to other travelers. 

After starting it, I was not readily invested in the character of Lily Lin.  She seemed very shallow and self-centered and sometimes the dialogue seemed a little stilted. I think that Lily comes full circle though and even though the ending contained an unforeseen twist, it had a very satisfactory conclusion.

Yip has two previous novels out, Peach Blossom Pavilion and Petals from the Sky that I think I will adding to my TBR list. 

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Meryl L. Moss Media in exchange for my review.~

Meryl L. Moss also is letting me give away a copy of Song of the Silk Road to one of my readers!  This giveaway is open to US/Canada only.  It will end at midnight CST on April 27.

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Song of the Silk Road
Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington, April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7582-4182-5
356 pages