The Girl with Ghost Eyes

By: M. H. Boroson

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

It's the end of the 19th century in San Francisco's Chinatown, and ghost hunters from the Maoshan traditions of Daoism keep malevolent spiritual forces at bay. Li-lin, the daughter of a renowned Daoshi exorcist, is a young widow burdened with yin eyes - the unique ability to see the spirit world. Her spiritual visions and the death of her husband bring shame to Li-lin and her father - and shame is not something this immigrant family can afford.

When a sorcerer cripples her father, terrible plans are set in motion, and only Li-lin can stop them. To aid her are her martial arts and a peachwood sword, her burning paper talismans, and a wisecracking spirit in the form of a human eyeball tucked away in her pocket. Navigating the dangerous alleys and backrooms of a male-dominated Chinatown, Li-lin must confront evil spirits, gangsters, and soulstealers before the sorcerer's ritual summons an ancient evil that could burn Chinatown to the ground.

With a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore, The Girl with Ghost Eyes is also the poignant story of a young immigrant searching to find her place beside the long shadow of a demanding father and the stigma of widowhood. In a Chinatown caught between tradition and modernity, one woman may be the key to holding everything together.

©2015 M. H. Boroson (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A brilliant tale of magic, monsters, and kung fu in the San Francisco Chinatown of 1898." (Publishers Weekly)

Kick a** characters, action & emotional punch

The narrator's native fluidity with Chinese was the cherry on top of a kind of story we never get to hear. Her range nearly encompasses very distinct voices female and male, young and old. As a historical fiction/fantasy about immigrant Chinese told through the eyes of a young female Daoist priestess, this is the first exploration I've read of what gender, duty, spiritual and generational assimilation struggles might look like among Asian immigrants. I LOVED it.

wasn't what I had hoped for but wasn't horrible

the story at times, feels very much like a light novel... which is disheartening, as I abhor light novels. though, in general it has a great supernatural vibe.

also a bit disappointed with the narrator, at times it seemed as if she was over acting - there was a lot of the mournful, upset kind of reaction that I didn't think was always warranted. I've heard her before and she's done such a better job with other books.

interesting

interesting. its a good story, just not really my style. narrator did a good job.

definitely worth a listen

well researched and written. the voice actor does exceedingly well at making you feel the love, pain, and sorrow of the main character of the book.

Phenomenal

this was a beautiful story about a strong woman saving the day even though we rushing is working against her. From the social dictations to her own mental limitations, she fights. it's amazing and well told.