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The Loom Tree
Not yet published
Expected 30 Jun 26
Ninth House
meets Babel for fans of myth and folklore in this contemporary fantasy about a Korean-American college student at a magical university where fairy tales intersect with family heritage to unleash powers beyond imagining.
“You always wanted magic to be real.”
Sharon and her daughter V’s points of origin hold common threads—both Korean American teenagers, raised by single mothers and searching for identity in the California suburbs. But during a Finals week celebration, high schooler V, compelled by strange impulses, crawls into a hollow tree trunk. That night in a fever haze, she sees gleaming strands of illegible text hovering over her body—flowing between her and her mother, leading to a long-forgotten diary.
With the aid of a luminous quill, a fountainhead of Sharon’s memories spill onto the faded pages. V witnesses her mother map out her past through drawings, diagrams, and reclaimed histories of her brief time at Alvsdahl, an exclusive East Coast college. Here, legacies and heiresses claimed descent from Bluebeard or Cinderella, grappling for control over family stories that could grant them terrifying abilities or burn them to ash. An Asian girl with an unknown inheritance was no one—until her discoveries cracked open Alvsdahl’s secrets.
Sharon’s rewritten narrative—of classroom rivalries, animal professors, debauchery in the woods, threatening Godmothers, and world-shattering powers—unfolds line by line as V desperately tries to help her mother, ultimately learning how to wield Sharon’s story to transform them both.
Lyrical and tender, Angela Mi Young Hur’s The Loom Tree is a magical campus novel centering two young women walking the thorny path toward adulthood, the fractures between parents and their children, and the global mythologies connecting us all.
“You always wanted magic to be real.”
Sharon and her daughter V’s points of origin hold common threads—both Korean American teenagers, raised by single mothers and searching for identity in the California suburbs. But during a Finals week celebration, high schooler V, compelled by strange impulses, crawls into a hollow tree trunk. That night in a fever haze, she sees gleaming strands of illegible text hovering over her body—flowing between her and her mother, leading to a long-forgotten diary.
With the aid of a luminous quill, a fountainhead of Sharon’s memories spill onto the faded pages. V witnesses her mother map out her past through drawings, diagrams, and reclaimed histories of her brief time at Alvsdahl, an exclusive East Coast college. Here, legacies and heiresses claimed descent from Bluebeard or Cinderella, grappling for control over family stories that could grant them terrifying abilities or burn them to ash. An Asian girl with an unknown inheritance was no one—until her discoveries cracked open Alvsdahl’s secrets.
Sharon’s rewritten narrative—of classroom rivalries, animal professors, debauchery in the woods, threatening Godmothers, and world-shattering powers—unfolds line by line as V desperately tries to help her mother, ultimately learning how to wield Sharon’s story to transform them both.
Lyrical and tender, Angela Mi Young Hur’s The Loom Tree is a magical campus novel centering two young women walking the thorny path toward adulthood, the fractures between parents and their children, and the global mythologies connecting us all.
- GenresDark AcademiaFantasy
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 30, 2026
4 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Angela Mi Young Hur
3 books97 followersAngela Hur received a BA in English from Harvard and an MFA in Creative Writing from Notre Dame, where she won the Sparks Fellowship and Sparks Prize.
Folklorn was included in The New York Times Book Review’s Top 10 Sci-fi/Fantasy of ‘21 and NPR’s Books We Love. Also featured in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, LitHub & elsewhere. The novel was also optioned by AMC TV Networks for series development. (Now no longer, but what a ride!)
Before publication, Folklorn was chosen by Kelly Link for a Tin House novel mentorship through the Tin House Summer Workshop.
Hur has taught English Lit & Creative Writing at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, in Seoul, Korea. She’s also taught for Writopia, a non-profit providing creative writing workshops for children & teens.
(*note: The Queens of K-Town was published by MacAdam/Cage in ‘07, but she wrote it in 3 months and it definitely shows. She doesn’t get royalties. It was like her demo tape, so Folklorn is her true debut.)
bluesky: @angelahur.bsky.social
insta: @angela.miyoung.hur
Folklorn was included in The New York Times Book Review’s Top 10 Sci-fi/Fantasy of ‘21 and NPR’s Books We Love. Also featured in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, LitHub & elsewhere. The novel was also optioned by AMC TV Networks for series development. (Now no longer, but what a ride!)
Before publication, Folklorn was chosen by Kelly Link for a Tin House novel mentorship through the Tin House Summer Workshop.
Hur has taught English Lit & Creative Writing at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, in Seoul, Korea. She’s also taught for Writopia, a non-profit providing creative writing workshops for children & teens.
(*note: The Queens of K-Town was published by MacAdam/Cage in ‘07, but she wrote it in 3 months and it definitely shows. She doesn’t get royalties. It was like her demo tape, so Folklorn is her true debut.)
bluesky: @angelahur.bsky.social
insta: @angela.miyoung.hur
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Did Not Finish
March 29, 2026Not the right book for me, unfortunately. As a British-descended New Zealander, I'm pretty far from being Korean American, which doesn't mean I don't very much enjoy books by Korean Americans sometimes. It's hit or miss, though, and this one was a miss.
Not so much because of the Koreanness, though. There were two reasons I didn't love it. One was that many of the characters are manifestations of folk tales, and it's not always clear (to someone who doesn't know all of the folktales really well) which ones, and so I felt like I was always missing essential context and whole scenes of dialog would make very little sense. I could figure out the untranslated Korean, at least in general, most of the time, but the folklore part only occasionally.
The other reason, which is more personal to me, is that at least as far as I read, the characters are all more or less damaged and alienated and also not great people, not kind or generous or warm or forgiving or supportive, which are the kind of people (real and fictional) I like to spend time with. So I took a break to see if I wanted to go back, and discovered that I didn't.
Well written, well edited, just not to my taste.
Not so much because of the Koreanness, though. There were two reasons I didn't love it. One was that many of the characters are manifestations of folk tales, and it's not always clear (to someone who doesn't know all of the folktales really well) which ones, and so I felt like I was always missing essential context and whole scenes of dialog would make very little sense. I could figure out the untranslated Korean, at least in general, most of the time, but the folklore part only occasionally.
The other reason, which is more personal to me, is that at least as far as I read, the characters are all more or less damaged and alienated and also not great people, not kind or generous or warm or forgiving or supportive, which are the kind of people (real and fictional) I like to spend time with. So I took a break to see if I wanted to go back, and discovered that I didn't.
Well written, well edited, just not to my taste.
Read
February 5, 2026An adult literary fantasy written for all of us children of fairy tales, about preserving our stories and histories and passing them on, defying those who seek to deny, diminish or erase us.
My take on “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” and Ungnyeo the Bear Woman of Korean origin myth, set on a college campus and stretching across a dual timeline between a mother and a daughter. Also featuring a moody musician son of Bluebeard, a fragile daughter of a lesser Cinderella, and many other borderless, cross-cultural figures of fairy tale, folklore, and proto-myth spanning continents.
A love letter to the study of interdisciplinary liberal arts and to coming-of-age narratives of adolescence and motherhood, full of mythic and pop-cultural archetypes and identity-cultivation through music, literature, film, fashion, infatuation and desire.
My take on “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” and Ungnyeo the Bear Woman of Korean origin myth, set on a college campus and stretching across a dual timeline between a mother and a daughter. Also featuring a moody musician son of Bluebeard, a fragile daughter of a lesser Cinderella, and many other borderless, cross-cultural figures of fairy tale, folklore, and proto-myth spanning continents.
A love letter to the study of interdisciplinary liberal arts and to coming-of-age narratives of adolescence and motherhood, full of mythic and pop-cultural archetypes and identity-cultivation through music, literature, film, fashion, infatuation and desire.
2026
March 9, 2026ANHPI TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books
April 25, 2026
"Local history matters too."
Legends always have some root in history, no matter how mystical or fantastical.
Living in Oklahoma, I've been aware of many different Native stories, some of which factor into this book.
Blending tribal mythology, childhood fairy tales, and Korean folklore, the author has created a truly original story. The magic finds V in a redwood tree and among the pages of her mom's fading magic journal, pushing her out of her comfort zone into a wealth of magic she never knew existed, leading to the core of all things, embroidered in a giant wooden hoop.
This book was honestly a perfect storm for me. And Zella, the Librarian Archivist, is my favorite character. (You'll see.)
"There's only so much continual fraying until we all come undone."
Legends always have some root in history, no matter how mystical or fantastical.
Living in Oklahoma, I've been aware of many different Native stories, some of which factor into this book.
Blending tribal mythology, childhood fairy tales, and Korean folklore, the author has created a truly original story. The magic finds V in a redwood tree and among the pages of her mom's fading magic journal, pushing her out of her comfort zone into a wealth of magic she never knew existed, leading to the core of all things, embroidered in a giant wooden hoop.
This book was honestly a perfect storm for me. And Zella, the Librarian Archivist, is my favorite character. (You'll see.)
"There's only so much continual fraying until we all come undone."
April 25, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I picked this up for the fairytales and the mythologies, and I wasn't disappointed in that area. I loved how multicultural the lore was, how familiar characters and concepts were presented in new ways, and how even science was thrown into the mix. It was a fantastic concept, although the worldbuilding sometimes got a bit too much at once, which could be a stumbling block for readers who aren't used to that.
It really resonated with me though as an Asian, as an Asian who'd relocated to a predominantly white country out of necessity, a daughter, and now a mother, too. I'm not Korean nor a fan of K-pop or K-dramas, so I wasn't familiar with the specifics of their culture, but there are Asian Family Things and Asian Diaspora Experiences and Issues that are universal and were captured really well in the book.
I read a review saying that most of the characters were awful and hard to root for, but I have to respectfully disagree. Yes, some were truly awful, but I could still relate to them -- probably because of my 'Asian immigrant and mother of a little girl' background. I even loved that the resolution wasn't a big fight and it was about relationships instead, some of which ended up really heartbreaking.
There were times when the writing would take me out of the immersion, particularly with dialogue that left me bemused because it didn't sound in character, or how omniscient Sharon seemed. But when I started reminding myself that this was the voice of a particular person's recollection, and there was even a magical aspect to it, I was no longer bothered.
At its core, this book is about daughters and mothers, about identity, and about how, as a people, we're more connected than we realize.
I picked this up for the fairytales and the mythologies, and I wasn't disappointed in that area. I loved how multicultural the lore was, how familiar characters and concepts were presented in new ways, and how even science was thrown into the mix. It was a fantastic concept, although the worldbuilding sometimes got a bit too much at once, which could be a stumbling block for readers who aren't used to that.
It really resonated with me though as an Asian, as an Asian who'd relocated to a predominantly white country out of necessity, a daughter, and now a mother, too. I'm not Korean nor a fan of K-pop or K-dramas, so I wasn't familiar with the specifics of their culture, but there are Asian Family Things and Asian Diaspora Experiences and Issues that are universal and were captured really well in the book.
I read a review saying that most of the characters were awful and hard to root for, but I have to respectfully disagree. Yes, some were truly awful, but I could still relate to them -- probably because of my 'Asian immigrant and mother of a little girl' background. I even loved that the resolution wasn't a big fight and it was about relationships instead, some of which ended up really heartbreaking.
There were times when the writing would take me out of the immersion, particularly with dialogue that left me bemused because it didn't sound in character, or how omniscient Sharon seemed. But when I started reminding myself that this was the voice of a particular person's recollection, and there was even a magical aspect to it, I was no longer bothered.
At its core, this book is about daughters and mothers, about identity, and about how, as a people, we're more connected than we realize.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
**THE LOOM TREE — Angela Mi Young Hur**
★★★★★
Angela Mi Young Hur's *Folklorn* announced her as a writer of rare and unsettling ambition — a novelist willing to let myth and realism collapse into each other without apology. *The Loom Tree* confirms everything that debut promised, and then pushes further.
The novel operates on two timelines held in deliberate tension. V, a young Korean American woman, watches her mother Sharon reconstruct her past through drawings, diagrams, and fragments of memory — specifically, her time at Alvsdahl, an exclusive East Coast college where family lineage is everything. At Alvsdahl, heiresses trace their descent from Bluebeard or Cinderella, and those stories are not metaphor — they are power, dangerous and literal. Sharon arrived there with no known inheritance and no claim to the narratives that confer ability and status. What she found instead cracked the school open. As V pieces Sharon's story together line by line, she begins to understand that the story itself is something she can wield.
What Hur does so well is hold the domestic and the mythological at exactly the same register — neither diminishes the other. The fractures between mothers and daughters, the particular loneliness of being an outsider to a world that runs on inherited narrative, the violence quietly embedded in fairy tales: all of it lives in the same sentences, inseparable. The campus novel scaffolding — rivalries, animal professors, debauchery in the woods — is strange and vivid and entirely her own.
Lyrical, layered, and genuinely unlike anything else being written right now.
★★★★★
Angela Mi Young Hur's *Folklorn* announced her as a writer of rare and unsettling ambition — a novelist willing to let myth and realism collapse into each other without apology. *The Loom Tree* confirms everything that debut promised, and then pushes further.
The novel operates on two timelines held in deliberate tension. V, a young Korean American woman, watches her mother Sharon reconstruct her past through drawings, diagrams, and fragments of memory — specifically, her time at Alvsdahl, an exclusive East Coast college where family lineage is everything. At Alvsdahl, heiresses trace their descent from Bluebeard or Cinderella, and those stories are not metaphor — they are power, dangerous and literal. Sharon arrived there with no known inheritance and no claim to the narratives that confer ability and status. What she found instead cracked the school open. As V pieces Sharon's story together line by line, she begins to understand that the story itself is something she can wield.
What Hur does so well is hold the domestic and the mythological at exactly the same register — neither diminishes the other. The fractures between mothers and daughters, the particular loneliness of being an outsider to a world that runs on inherited narrative, the violence quietly embedded in fairy tales: all of it lives in the same sentences, inseparable. The campus novel scaffolding — rivalries, animal professors, debauchery in the woods — is strange and vivid and entirely her own.
Lyrical, layered, and genuinely unlike anything else being written right now.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Angela Mi Young Hur and Erewhon books for the ARC!
I adored this book. I won't lie, I didn't find the first chapter exciting or interesting, even when the magic happened. But the second chapter was perfect and pulled me right in! Sharon's a really enjoyable character to read. She's a bit awkward, a bit of a loner, and too curious for her own good, and at times really envious and jealous which is understandable given the situations she's in. I'm so in love with her character, normally I don't enjoy first person point of view but I can't imagine reading Sharon or V's POV in third person.
Sharon's inner thoughts and feelings were (mostly) relatable and her struggle with her story and identity reminded me of myself in some ways, and her relationship with V was wonderful too. Both character's felt so alive and I really liked how similar their voices were, but also liked the differences too. Like mother like daughter and all that.
The fairy tale aspect threw me off a little at first even though I was expecting it. It felt a bit campy. but it was whimsical too and it really grew on me. I won't go into detail but I loved nuanced takes and twists that the stories and fairy tales had and it had me wishing for even more than what we got.
Some of the concepts and parts of the plot were a bit hard to follow, but I really loved the world building, it felt unique and fresh and was one of my favourite parts of the book and I do wish there was more of it. All in all, this was a banger of a book.
Thank you again for the ARC!
I adored this book. I won't lie, I didn't find the first chapter exciting or interesting, even when the magic happened. But the second chapter was perfect and pulled me right in! Sharon's a really enjoyable character to read. She's a bit awkward, a bit of a loner, and too curious for her own good, and at times really envious and jealous which is understandable given the situations she's in. I'm so in love with her character, normally I don't enjoy first person point of view but I can't imagine reading Sharon or V's POV in third person.
Sharon's inner thoughts and feelings were (mostly) relatable and her struggle with her story and identity reminded me of myself in some ways, and her relationship with V was wonderful too. Both character's felt so alive and I really liked how similar their voices were, but also liked the differences too. Like mother like daughter and all that.
The fairy tale aspect threw me off a little at first even though I was expecting it. It felt a bit campy. but it was whimsical too and it really grew on me. I won't go into detail but I loved nuanced takes and twists that the stories and fairy tales had and it had me wishing for even more than what we got.
Some of the concepts and parts of the plot were a bit hard to follow, but I really loved the world building, it felt unique and fresh and was one of my favourite parts of the book and I do wish there was more of it. All in all, this was a banger of a book.
Thank you again for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating 3.75/5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
Hey, this was pretty darn fun to read! I really enjoyed the mother, daughter povs and that the biggest relationship focus was the one between them. I also was living for the struggles with identity and how that theme was portrayed throughout the whole story.
The premise of academia, magic, and known fairytales and familiar characters intertwining was so compelling to me. I felt the the fairytale aspect often walked the line between campy and whimsy, which can be a difficult line to navigate. But I enjoyed it majority of the time. Not that campy is a negative aspect to have in a book! But it needs to be purposeful and match the tone of the narration to work. The narration in this story wasn't necessarily one that meshed well with a campy vibe.
But again, I very enjoyable read with relatable characters and a fun world.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
Hey, this was pretty darn fun to read! I really enjoyed the mother, daughter povs and that the biggest relationship focus was the one between them. I also was living for the struggles with identity and how that theme was portrayed throughout the whole story.
The premise of academia, magic, and known fairytales and familiar characters intertwining was so compelling to me. I felt the the fairytale aspect often walked the line between campy and whimsy, which can be a difficult line to navigate. But I enjoyed it majority of the time. Not that campy is a negative aspect to have in a book! But it needs to be purposeful and match the tone of the narration to work. The narration in this story wasn't necessarily one that meshed well with a campy vibe.
But again, I very enjoyable read with relatable characters and a fun world.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to the author & publisher for providing an early version and asking me to blurb this book!
From the moment I first stepped into the world of The Loom Tree, I was swept up in its spell. Angela Mi Young Hur has woven a fever dream of a modern fairy tale within the pages of a book that is at once an innovative campus novel, a reclamation of lost heritage, and a deep-dive into the world’s myths, all with a resonant and deeply human Korean-American experience beating at its fantastical heart.
From the moment I first stepped into the world of The Loom Tree, I was swept up in its spell. Angela Mi Young Hur has woven a fever dream of a modern fairy tale within the pages of a book that is at once an innovative campus novel, a reclamation of lost heritage, and a deep-dive into the world’s myths, all with a resonant and deeply human Korean-American experience beating at its fantastical heart.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews