Review: Diamond Head by Cecily Wong

Diamond Head

by Cecily Wong

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  At the turn of the nineteenth-century, Frank Leong, a fabulously wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But something ancient follows the Leongs to Hawaii, haunting them. The parable of the red string of fate, the cord which binds one intended beloved to her perfect match, also punishes for mistakes in love, passing a destructive knot down the family line. 

When Frank is murdered, his family is thrown into a perilous downward spiral. Left to rebuild in their patriarch’s shadow, the surviving members of the Leong family try their hand at a new, ordinary life, vowing to bury their gilded past. Still, the island continues to whisper—fragmented pieces of truth and chatter, until a letter arrives two decades later, carrying a confession that shatters the family even further.

Now the Leong’s survival rests with young Theresa, Frank Leong’s only grandchild, eighteen and pregnant, the heir apparent to her ancestors’ punishing knots. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Historical fiction mixed with a look at cultures and traditions - it was so good!  

Diamond Head is the story of the women of Frank Leong's life - from his wife to his daughter in law to his grandchild and beyond.  The current storyline is taking place as they bury Bohai who is a father, son, husband and brother.  The women take themselves back in time to tell the stories that brought all of them to this moment.  I loved how each woman went back in time to tell her own story and how they interconnected.

One thing I wish for this book - minor, but would have been key would have been a family tree at the beginning.  I would have loved that piece of reference to use as I was reading.  NOTE - I was reading an Advanced Readers Copy, not sure if a family tree is in the final copy.  

The characters and their stories made this book.  But the look into the Chinese and Hawaiian culture took these women's stories to the next level.  I loved seeing how relocating the family to Hawaii affected all of them and what traditions they kept and what new ones they added.  

If you have been reading the same historical fiction back to back, this is a new twist on the genre that you would enjoy.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.