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.

Comments

My Favourite Books... So Far

I have only really been reading seriously since I was thirteen years old, but I sure have found some books which I believe have really entertained and changed my perspective of life. Here are a few that I have rounded up that might be of interest to you. 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Yes, this is pretty much a staple in any young reader's bookshelf, but not for me it wasn't. I didn't get to read this treasure until I was nineteen and I was so annoyed that I left it so long. Seriously, who doesn't love the idea of winning a golden ticket to a chocolate factory? It's the perfect little read for any age. Don't get me started on the writing! Oh, I could talk all day about it. It's simply perfection. 2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell I know I'm basic. This is already such a popular book already, but I just couldn't resist. This book personally came at the right time for me. I read it just as I was going round and researching universities t...

From Worm to Bookworm

Since beginning of this blog back in 2014, I have taken you through many of the books that I have read and my thoughts on various other topics involving books. However, one thing that I have never really opened up about is how I became a bookworm . How I started and how my love affair still continues to this day. Back in primary school I struggled. I mean really struggled. Struggled to fit in, struggled to be present, struggled with reading and comprehension and make any real friends. It was only when i moved to another primary school i began to see my self-worth. I was finally able to have the chance to read anything. You would think this is where I got the bug right? WRONG! Yes, the change helped me but it wasn’t long, I mean just under two years until I thrust upon secondary school. As you can imagine, this was a challenge like what most 11 year olds would experience. Me? I felt like I had been swallowed up whole. It was only when I turned year 8 (12-13 years old) the wind began to ...

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle

So what do I truly think about this book? Well, it says it all when it takes a whole two years to get through. If I am being honest, when I first came to read this book I was very excited. Possibly even elated to find out more about one of my favourite pythons. But I came out with a very different opinion to what I began with. First of all, if you want to keep your sanity, as well as your time and money, don't read this. I mean seriously don't read it - not even if you have a curiosity. Trust me it will help you in the long-run. The book itself starts with his beginnings, who he was and what made him become the very python that we all know today. (Albeit, this can be seen to be very brief). But after this character development is where this book begins its downfall into the pit of doom. Why? Is all I can really say. Fame has really gone to his head. He has really gone down the road of no return. Not only did he cheat on his first wife but his name droppings became inc...

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

When I look at 'Here we are now' I think of a fair few things. First of all, there is not many father/daughter relationship type YA books on the market at the moment. Secondly, I thought that it would be interesting to see how such a relationship between father and daughter, with the added stress of the Dad being famous adds to the hype of this type of story. However, when delving into the book itself, it felt as though it was more about the relationship between her father and mother, rather than the main protagonist herself. In fact, it seemed as though the main character was pushed to the side so much, due to the flashbacks, that it felt as though she was a weak supporting character. To this day, it feels as though I haven't really understood what Taliah (the supposed main character) was all about and her mind processes, that we usually see with other beloved characters. Throughout the book I had found that for the plot itself, I felt as though it was far too shor...

Angels and Demons

As i am an A-level Religious Studies student, i feel like it would be wrong not to read this book. Not because it is mandatory or even relevant. I also understand that most of the information presented within this book was false and harshly critised. But no matter what, it is all a bit of fiction; a bit of entertainment. So this is the first book in the Robert Langdon series, which i must admit the character himself is very dear. I don't know why but after completing the whole of the book, i couldn't stop thinking about the plot. It may have been because how some of the twists in the book are pretty much outrageous. Or that most of the information about the Vatican i have never heard about before. The plot itself is about Robert Langdon has been called up in the middle of the night because of a significant murder. Branded by the Illuminati. Vittoria Vetra and himself discover that the antimatter once created by the victim of the murder is now missing. The only clue to k...