Teen Book Review Blog
Death of The Yellow Swan
By Steven M. Roth
Review by Odelia of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
January 2026
I rate this book a 3 out of 5, mainly for its strong opening and the progression of the plot. The beginning pulled me in immediately with the intrigue around the Yellow Swan’s backstory and the world we were introduced to. The first few chapters were genuinely exciting. I especially liked the short chapters; they kept the momentum tight and made the investigation feel urgent. The shifting narrations from Sun-jin, the victim, her father, and various side characters added layers that helped move the story along.
Sun-jin is an interesting protagonist: an ex–SMP officer forced into solving the Yellow Swan’s murder within seven days or risk being exposed for his own past crimes. His investigation is complicated by the political tension of 1930s China, especially between the Chinese and Japanese, and by the fact that he must work alone, relying on his own contacts. Characters like Zhu Chan, Big-Eared Tu, Mei-hua, Kanji Gorō, and his brother Sun-yu added a lot to the world, though some of them felt unnecessary and underdeveloped.
As the story progresses, the plot becomes more tangled, with Sun-jin navigating shifting loyalties, being followed, and surviving an attempted murder by the Yellow Swan’s lover. I appreciated how the narrative switches between first and third person and includes the victim’s perspective from the past, which added much-needed substance. However, despite these moving parts, the central mystery started to feel predictable. As more details about the Yellow Swan’s background emerged, like her mother’s similar death, and her involvement with both Chinese and Japanese factions, it became easier to guess who the killer was.
The ending didn’t land with the impact I expected. The reveal that the Yellow Swan was a double agent and that her father orchestrated both her death and her mother’s death felt rushed, especially considering how overwhelming the political and emotional setup had been. I wanted there to be repercussions for what happened to her, something that lingered after the case was solved, but the ending felt definitive. The final chapter shifts abruptly into a war-like aftermath, with Sun-jin becoming an unlicensed investigator, which felt disconnected from the main mystery.
Overall, the book had strong potential and a gripping start, but it spent so much time building the world that it didn’t fully deliver the payoff I was hoping for. The characters were compelling, but the plot sometimes felt jumbled, and the ending lacked the shock factor and satisfaction I felt when reading the first few chapters.
Malice
By Keigo Higashino
Reviewed by Odelia of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
I rate this book a 5 out of 5. It took me on a ride I didn’t see coming. By the middle, I genuinely thought the killer had already been revealed and that the story was dragging just to keep me hooked, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The early chapters, told from Osamu Nonoguchi’s perspective, made me trust him completely. I believed everything he said. I didn’t think he would ever mislead me. The twists had me gripping every page, almost scared to reach the ending because I knew something bigger was coming.
At first, I assumed this would be another typical murder mystery where the killer is either someone close or someone random. I had no idea how close the truth actually was. Nonoguchi’s narration feels honest at first, almost normal, until the opening act of violence snaps everything into place and sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The plot is simple, but the execution is brilliant.
As the investigation unfolds, Kaga starts digging into every detail. The questions and evidence begin to accumulate, and his personal bias becomes increasingly apparent. I kept thinking I would be able to defend Nonoguchi, that I understood him, but the book slowly tears that belief apart. The short chapters make every reveal land harder.
The deeper I got, the more shocking everything became. The manuscript, the ghostwriting suspicions, the affair, the jealousy simmering under years of friendship. When the book finally reveals that the murderer is the main character himself, everything I believed flipped. The simplicity of the plot becomes its biggest advantage that propelled the story further. The protagonist leads you astray while barely being present in the story at all.
I went into Malice unsure if a Japanese translation would resonate with me, but the first chapters hooked me instantly. The conversations between Kaga and Nonoguchi, the layers of writing about writing, the psychological unravelling, all of it left me stunned. The ending had me gasping. I was not expecting anything when walking into Keigo Higashino’s world. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Clever, layered, and unforgettable. Especially since I’m not an avid reader, I recommend it to everyone.
The Thief
By Fuminori Nakamura
Reviewed by Odelia of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
I rate this book 4 out of 5. As someone who doesn’t read a lot, I wanted a crime and mystery story with short chapters and an engaging flow, and this book delivered exactly that. The chapters explain a lot, even though they were quite short at first. The protagonist’s journey caught me off guard. A story about a thief didn’t seem special at first, but the moment his personality cracked under the gaze of the little boy and his mother, I realized there was more to him than robbery. Whether he dies or not at the end is a perfect cliffhanger. It makes you question whether all his efforts meant anything, even though he chose this life and its consequences were always his destiny to fulfil.
As I kept reading, I found myself feeling unexpectedly bad for the protagonist. He’s morally corrupt, but there’s a part of me that wanted him to find some kind of peace. Learning about his childhood made me understand how he became who he is. His bond with the boy and his concern for him gave him a reason to live, even when he knew the boy’s mother was using him.
I loved the writing style, especially the opening, where he describes the people in the train station. There’s no introduction, no dialogue, just pure observation, and it pulled me in immediately. The side characters were written in a way I really appreciated. They came and went without ever taking the spotlight, yet they were essential to moving the story forward.
The tension rises when he’s forced to work for Kizaki, a mob boss who manipulates him with just a few words. Kizaki barely appears, but every time he does, he leaves a mark. The protagonist’s final task, retrieving an envelope from a businessman, spirals into something bigger, and the money he ends up with only makes things worse. The reveal that Kizaki’s men had been watching him the entire time was genuinely shocking.
The ending hit hard. Despite Kizaki’s promise, the protagonist is left to die in an empty alleyway, clinging to life and hoping someone will find him. The final image of him throwing a coin toward a shadowy figure is haunting. I really enjoyed this story. It never drifted from its plot, and seeing the world through the eyes of a thief was more immersive than I expected. Side note: I wanted the ending to be definitive but I liked this ending either way.