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Heiress Apparently (Daughters of the Dynasty) by Diana Ma

 


SYNOPSIS

Gemma Huang is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Illinois, having abandoned plans for college to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now she is living with three roommates in a two-bedroom hovel, auditioning for bit roles that hardly cover rent. Gemma's big break comes when she's asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing.

When she arrives, she's stopped by paparazzi at the airport. She quickly realises she may as well be the twin of one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations, in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from - one her mother would conceal from her daughter at any cost.

REVIEW

So I have just finished this book only half an hour ago and it still gives me that warm and cosy feeling inside which I wasn't expecting from the synopsis. This book has a lot of heart. From having the strength to say what is right from wrong to having the confidence to discover more about the family that has been lost for so many years. I'm glad that this book is only the first, as you can tell there is so much more of this story to be told and the intrigue that it leaves upon at the last page.

However, it does share one very important message: in order to get what you want there is only one way to truly look at it, fortune favours the bold. Gemma is a character that is not only bold and develops upon this throughout her journey of self-discovery as an actress and her self-worth. She's strong yet sympathetic and that is something that I deeply respect of her.

There is also a lot about how women are the movers and shakers in this particular story and that nothing can deter what really means to them. This is from Gemma all the way to her mother and their own ideals for what they consider to be a better world. You can't help but thing how admirable each and every one of them are in their own ways.

I can't wait to see what happens next as we get to discover more about this interesting world that Ma has created. Not only this, but learning more about a culture that we tend to make assumptions about and it has been fascinating to learn more about it and see the other side of the coin that we don't tend to think about. I think that this book was a long time coming. I'm just glad that it's now here.

RATING: **** (4 STARS)

WHERE TO BUY

Amazon: Heiress Apparently (Daughters of the Dynasty): Amazon.co.uk: Ma, Diana: 9781419749964: Books
Waterstones: Heiress Apparently (Daughters of the Dynasty) by Diana Ma | Waterstones
Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3917/9781419749964
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