Skip to main content

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
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to this site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

If you are in the mood for a sweet romance that gives Groundhog Day and Ferris Bueller vibes then this book is for you. What happens if you wake up to the same Valentine’s Day and everything always goes not to plan? What if you are someone who likes to plan and not share how you are really feeling?  Emilie, our female protagonist is very much a stickler for planning and keeping to societal norms. She never really speaks her mind. But this Valentine’s Day is different. She is different.  I found that the book itself is quirky and fun. It does have moments of sadness but there is a lot of heart in terms of how it is done. There could have been more time with other characters that are mentioned throughout but at the end of the day it is very much a Young Adult piece. There is nothing wrong with that. Would I read it again? Possibly if I want a Valentines themed book. It was also very quick to read for those who are not into big tomes. Rating: 4 Stars  
Post a Comment
Read more

The Unbreakable Code

I found now with reading the second one-off thriller books, that they have very similar qualities. I know, they are done by the exact same author. But just think, why is there always a person in a certain role to take the antagonist side? Well, just a thought anyway. So i hope you have all been sound this last week, because this week i'm taking you back to Dan Brown with his book ' Digital Fortress '. Whoo hoo! All in a days work. Sorry about before, i think i was in a deep idea of thought- i sometimes do that, like most people. But never mind that, you didn't click on this page to hear me babble on about myself- oh no. It's time for the big judgement and whether your in the right mind to try it out afterwards! Genre: Conspiracy, Thriller Publisher: Corgi Year Of Publish: First published 1998 Pages: 512 Of course this would be the UK version. But would you be able to break the unbreakable code?  So i bet you're wondering what is this all about? Well,...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

  I’ve been following Ashley Poston’s work for a while. At first it was the comic con series back in 2020 when she first became known to me during COVID. After I read the series I forgot about her for a while. It was only when I went into my local Waterstones to pick up The Dead Romantics she came back under my radar. She is now one of my must buys if a new book comes out. Her take of the romantic genre has always been fresh and interesting with some form of magical realism. A Novel Love Story follows our heroine Elsy, otherwise referred to as Eileen. Unlucky in love she struggles to try new things. Instead, she is comforted by her favourite book series by her favourite author, Rachel Flowers. On her way to a cabin retreat by herself, she finds her car broken down in a town that is somewhat familiar to her favourite book series. I’m not going to lie, compared to Poston’s earlier novels this book took some time for me to get into. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve had to...
Post a Comment
Read more