I was expecting the plot to be fast paced and perhaps able to incite an adrenaline rush through me, but sadly to say, it was rather slow. It was interesting at first as Li Lan was slammed immediately regarding being a ghost bride from the first page, and then the ghost of Tian Ching started to haunt her dreams. I appreciate the way the author introduced several cultures and things about Malaya, but it's a shame that it was not a focal point in the story since most of the plot involved Li Lan's journey in the spirit world instead. In escaping her fate of being courted by a spirit, she found a first love, lost her own body leading to her spirit wandering and encountering other spirits as well as a dragon. The story mentions a lot of superstitions and folklore surrounding the Malayan people, especially the Chinese people, most definitely due to the fact that the main character, Li Lan is a Chinese herself.
The Ghost Bride is about a young maiden from the 1890s Malaya, who got caught into marrying a man who has already died. That's supposed to be " penanggal", which is definitely way more terrifying than a " pontianak". Despite being happy with the rep of Malaysian ghosts, I did notice a mistake when " pontianak" is mentioned as a flying head of a woman who died during childbirth, with her inside organs trailing down-I can't recall the exact words the author used, but still, no. I mean, it's not every day that I get to see " pontianak" or " pelesit" being mentioned in an English book, much less a young adult one. I have to admit, nothing excites me more than being able to understand the reference of the local ghost names in The Ghost Bride.
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