Death by Dumpling

2.5/5

Full disclosure, I mostly read this book because I was curious about cozy mysteries and the character is half Asian with an ethnic mom and a white dad, just like me.

I don't feel fair criticizing the things I want to be critical about in this book because most of them are staples of cozy mystery books. I don't want to sound like I'm shaming people for liking the things that these books are known for.

So, I'll just leave my short and simple thoughts right here: as cute and relatable as this book was, I unfortunately don't think it was for me. It followed what I perceived to be the usual cozy mystery formula with all of the usual cliches and tropes you can expect. There's nothing in this book that surprises or shakes things up. I think the main thing that makes it stand out is the fact that it's Asian. But there's nothing wrong with that! This is a funny, light-hearted, and easy read, and if that's what you're looking for, you'll enjoy this book.

I gave the book an extra half-star for how relatable the main character is to me and the fact that we share the same opinion on the word “oriental.”