The Ghost Bride: Yangze Choo

I love stories that deal with other culture's beliefs. In this one Li Lan of Malaysia comes of marriageable age and learns her father had made a match for her with a boy she had recently taken an interest in. However the marriage agreement had been terminated because the eldest son died and they could not marry the cousin, Li's betrothed, to a poor girl like herself. The family instead asked for her to become a "ghost bride" to the deceased son. Li becomes haunted by the ghost of the son and journeys to the land of the dead to set things right. She meets her deceased mother in the land of the dead as well as a dragon man, with whom she eventually falls in love. There is adventure and suspense and when she comes back to the world of the living finds another spirit has entered her body. With help from her nanny the spirit is dispelled and she returns to find out she is again betrothed to the man she thought she wanted to marry. I enjoyed how nothing and no one is exactly as they seem and that she changes her mind on who to love once she realizes she has a choice. I also liked the whole idea of the funeral offerings and how they appeared in the land of the dead. I was sort of frustrated at the end, if Li Lan chose death anyway then why not let the spirit remain in her body, and then she wouldn't have to put up with her in the afterlife until she died. This was a very interesting and enjoyable read.