43 ratings | 5 reviews | avg rating:4.26

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Karen Bao

Goodreads Author

Born

Berkeley, CA, The United States

Website

http://www.karenbao.com

Twitter

KarenJBao

Genre

Science Fiction, Children's, Young Adult

Member Since

March 2014

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Karen Jialu Bao does science in the lab, then goes home and writes about it. A Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, she studies mosquito brains by blasting them with an electron beam. She has eight ear piercings for no reason. Her favorite activities include cooking, tending her plants, singing, and playing her violin. She is the author of Pangu’s Shadow (Lerner, 2024), the Dove Chronicles trilogy (Penguin Teen), and a contributor to the upcoming YA anthology (AB)SOLUTELY NORMAL (Candlewick Press, 2023).

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Karen Bao’s books

Average rating: 3.61 · 2,659 ratings · 426 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Dove Arising (Dove Chronicles, #1) 3.57 avg rating — 1,962 ratings — published 2015 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ab[solutely] Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Mercedes Acosta (Contributor), Francisco Stork (Contributor) 3.99 avg rating — 568 ratings — published 2023 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dove Exiled (Dove Chronicles, #2) 3.63 avg rating — 366 ratings — published 2016 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pangu's Shadow 3.93 avg rating — 140 ratings — published 2024 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dove Alight (Dove Chronicles, #3) 3.76 avg rating — 139 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Karen Bao's Blog

I've been tagged! #mywritingprocess

I've been tagged in the Twitter meme #mywritingprocess. Here's all the sense I could make of myself:

1. What am I working on now?
Nothing, actually. It's midterm season, so I'm on hiatus. But I've got edits for DOVE ARISING's sequel percolating in my brain. Also, I keep getting distracted by this idea for a fantasy series.... I love it so much that I wish I'd decided to write it first. Probably can' Read more of this blog post »

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Published on March 06, 2014 06:42

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Series by Karen Bao

Dove Chronicles (3 books)
by

Karen Bao (Goodreads Author)

3.59 avg rating — 2,467 ratings

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Karen Bao rated a book it was amazing The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Loved it, would ride for Fen and Alekhai any day. The queer friendships at the center of this book ground the plot as it goes into truly unexpected places. Read it!!
Oct 21, 2025 01:06PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Bao rated a book it was amazing You Had Me at Hello World by Rona Wang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
love the MC and LI both. funny, incisive commentary on the tech world and trump's america. definitely not plagiarized -- author works in tech and has a CS degree from MIT, while the people she's been rumored to plagiarize from haven't gone anywhere n ...more
Jul 24, 2025 12:43PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of You Had Me at Hello World by Rona Wang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — You Had Me at Hello World by Rona Wang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Bao is now following Rona Wang Author of You Had Me at Hello World
Jun 18, 2025 01:41PM · like
Karen Bao has read Pangu's Shadow by Karen Bao (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 17, 2024 06:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pangu's Shadow by Karen Bao. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pangu's Shadow by Karen Bao <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Bao and 2 other people liked Ya'el Carmel's review of Pangu's Shadow: "What a remarkable book! It is no easy task to write a page-turning, space-academia, sci-fi murder mystery that YA audiences will love while ALSO delivering gentle insights and consideration of social inequity. Somehow, Karen does just that with Pangu" Read more of this review »
Feb 22, 2024 11:21AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pangu's Shadow by Karen Bao. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pangu's Shadow by Karen Bao <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Bao is now following Ayushi (bookwormbullet)'s reviews
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Karen Bao rated a book it was amazing Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 08, 2024 06:09AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Bao rated a book it was amazing Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 05, 2024 11:49AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
A Million More Pages: Gryffindor Class Schedule	1043	150	Jan 27, 2015 05:23AM
A Million More Pages: Date Night at the AMMP Carnival	70	141	Jun 05, 2016 06:11AM
A Million More Pages: Girls Girls Girls! - Theme of the Month Challenge	132	146	Jul 04, 2016 09:06PM
Play Book Tag: [Poll Book Tally] Dove Arising by Karen Bao 3 stars	1	6	Jul 25, 2020 06:47PM
Play Book Tag: * Poll Ballot Tally -- Announcements and Reporting	5521	184	Dec 31, 2020 04:35PM

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Karen’s Quotes

“I doubt if I have made the best use of all my calamities. Soft, amiable natures they would have refined to saintliness; of strong, evil spirits they would have made demons; as for me, I have only been a woe-struck and selfish woman.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Villette

tags: calamities, miss-marchmont, selfish, suffering, villette

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