Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

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The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho

8 reviews

dragongirl271's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“But when she said there was nobody in the house, that made me wonder who counted as somebody.”
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho

While novellas are generally not something I reach for as much (I prefer longer works of fiction), they are a favorite way of mine to see how I feel about an author I just discovered. I'm left feeling just as pleased as I was hoping. This story is delightful and so funny at times (Cho writes banter incredibly well).

This story is PACKED with so much in it. We get war and religious persecution, character growth from a whole band of characters, commentary on gender identity and spirituality, and honestly still more. The book tells the story of a young nun, Guet Imm, joining up with a group of bandits as she tries to survive in a world of war and violence after living a life of seclusion. The resulting tale is full of cute, funny, tense, sweet, and grief-filled moments as Guet Imm and the bandits bring out both the best and worst in each other during their journey.

The worldbuilding is done quite well, especially for a fantasy novella. Cho gives us just enough details (from mostly dialogue) to help us understand the current situation. I mentioned before, but the banter is done very well. I laughed a LOT. We get queer and trans representation and we even get thoughtful discussion regarding those identities and spirituality! A few action scenes show up and add a lot of excitement. The whole thing is a very slice-of-life, single-small-quest-story kinda vibe. Do I wish it was longer? Yeah. It definitely has room for expansion, especially considering the large cast of characters and amount of commentary made throughout. Does it need to be longer? Probably not. It's perfectly delightful as is and great for multiple reads. I think I'll grow to like it even more as I reread it.

3rd person POV. Fast pacing.

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a2_rache11's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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chalkletters's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

In addition to being a book club book, The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water was recommended on a list of queer heist novels. I’m glad I read it for book club, and not as a fan of heists, because it’s really notwhat I want from that description. There are bandits, yes, and (debatably) stolen treasure and negotiations, but little of this is the result of forethought or organisation.

Putting aside heist-y expectations, Zen Cho’s world-building is lovely. The religious Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water has a great name, and the details about the goddess and her followers are spread through the story, building up a background which feels significant and convincing. Without giving anything away, the religion-specific compliments and treasures were a really nice touch.

Zen Cho’s pacing worked well, until the very end, which felt a little abrupt. While there had been hints about the relationships between different characters, these didn’t really have enough time to build before they were suddenly impacting the plot in surprisingly big ways. To a reader used to enjoying novellas, this might not be a problem, but in comparison to a full-length novel it felt somewhat light. While the prose of The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water didn’t stand out, it was pleasant enough, and a longer novel would be enjoyable.

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love Zen Cho's writing so very much. It's so funny and heartfelt and it's just so magical. Honestly, I would have read 300 more pages of this story, but it's such a joy of a contained story. It's a lovely story of people on the margins, and those finding community and love with each other. It's not a straight up wuxia, but it exists in that world, and it's just lovely.

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