My initial response was shock and denial. There were many other criticisms, too many to list here, but they ranged from “even the so-called dark skinned people have BLUE eyes” to comments about the book betraying my white privilege. The use of words such as “primitive,” “uncivilized” and “savages” was racist and inappropriate. This book featured a white savior plot in which the white girl saved the “other” cultures. The other group of people was obviously based on Japanese culture, and the depiction included racist tropes and stereotypes, which might best be described as “fetishist.” One group of people in the book appeared to be modeled after Native Americans, and my depiction included racist tropes and stereotypes The author was reading my book and live-tweeting negative commentary as she went, demonstrating both what a terrible writer I am and how offensive my book was.

The rebukes multiplied: “racist pile of garbage.” “A truly disgusting and racist piece of work.” “DEAR GOD THIS IS SO RACIST AND REPULSIVE.” “I hope this book tanks and the writer never writes another word again.” On one author’s Twitter feed, I found a long thread about my book. “Racist trash,” someone tweeted about my book. The main theme? How easily privilege allows us to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. Difficulties, action and a bit of romance ensue, culminating in a bloody battle that forces our peaceful heroine to face the brutal reality of war. “The Continent” is a young adult fantasy in which a privileged girl from a peaceful, technologically advanced society becomes stranded on an icy continent in the middle of a war zone. I woke up one morning to scores of messages on my phone: “Are you all right?” “Is there anything I can do?” “Is this true?” I had no idea what was going on, but in short order discovered that a controversy over my book had erupted on Twitter and was growing more intense by the minute. But in November 2016, just eight weeks before publication, everything changed. Every day, I floated around in a giddy bubble. The average rating on Goodreads was high, eventually 4.75 out of a possible 5 stars. For seven months, the book picked up buzz, and my publisher (Harlequin Teen) was receiving excellent feedback. Galleys were printed and widely distributed to bloggers, booksellers, librarians and readers.

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao