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honuzbubbles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
mayaism_01's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
One of my anticipated releases of 2023, it had an exceptionally strong start, teetered out toward the middle due to some mismanaged pacing (I hate a badly placed flashback), and had a slightly fumbled ending. I overall still enjoyed the story, I found some of the revelations towards the end shocking and the worldbuilding to be fun, but fell into a serious slump during the middle of this book. I felt like some of the emotional beats didn't land as powerfully as they should've because of the lack of time spent with specific characters and locations.
The writing was really flowery (positive!) and poetic, with really lush descriptions of the locations, magic, and grief the characters experience. I was really only engaged by the relationship between Lan, Zen, Shàn’jūn, and Tai, these characters being the most engaging part of the story and the thing pushing me to finish. I'll probably still pick up the sequel because I want to know what happens to them but I hope for a better-paced sequel!
The writing was really flowery (positive!) and poetic, with really lush descriptions of the locations, magic, and grief the characters experience. I was really only engaged by the relationship between Lan, Zen, Shàn’jūn, and Tai, these characters being the most engaging part of the story and the thing pushing me to finish. I'll probably still pick up the sequel because I want to know what happens to them but I hope for a better-paced sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
tigrelilje's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, and Sexual harassment
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Holy. Shit. This book blew me away and I can't believe I read it in one sitting! I enjoyed the characters and the story. Now I'm anxiously waiting for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
peachythi_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Updated Review: 1/10/24
Anyone who has read or watched Xianxia or Wuxia would be familiar with the themes in this book. Cultivation, Qi, Gods, Demons, Yin, and Yang.
And even if you are not Amélie Wen Zhao does a wonderful job introducing her world to the reader.
The book is a dual POV Chinese fantasy novel following the journey of Lan and Zen as they traverse the world of the ancient art of practicioning, in a land long stolen by invaders. Lan and Zen have so much heart to them, and their past is as much as a mystery to us as it is to everyone else around them. As we follow along their journey we get bits and pieces of a lost ancient world and a secret dark history locked away.
The characters have so much heart to them and even though we stay with Zen and Lan for the majority of the book, the other characters introduced are just as ✨golden✨.
Zhao has created one of the most beautiful Chinese Fantasy Worlds I have ever seen.
Anyone who has read or watched Xianxia or Wuxia would be familiar with the themes in this book. Cultivation, Qi, Gods, Demons, Yin, and Yang.
And even if you are not Amélie Wen Zhao does a wonderful job introducing her world to the reader.
The book is a dual POV Chinese fantasy novel following the journey of Lan and Zen as they traverse the world of the ancient art of practicioning, in a land long stolen by invaders. Lan and Zen have so much heart to them, and their past is as much as a mystery to us as it is to everyone else around them. As we follow along their journey we get bits and pieces of a lost ancient world and a secret dark history locked away.
The characters have so much heart to them and even though we stay with Zen and Lan for the majority of the book, the other characters introduced are just as ✨golden✨.
Zhao has created one of the most beautiful Chinese Fantasy Worlds I have ever seen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
totsfions's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Me reading any romance novel: that ending was too rushed.
Me reading any fantasy novel: that ending was too drawn out.
Any way, aside from the ending taking an eternity, this book was wonderful. I loved the magic systems and the deep attention to Chinese lore and myth that went in to developing this world. It also handles the complexity of power with a nuance not often seen in YA. This book reckons not only with the injustices of colonialism, but also the power structures that existed beforehand. It allows it's characters to process their grief, but also to find just retribution; to imagine not only what their lives would have been but also what they will be next.
Me reading any fantasy novel: that ending was too drawn out.
Any way, aside from the ending taking an eternity, this book was wonderful. I loved the magic systems and the deep attention to Chinese lore and myth that went in to developing this world. It also handles the complexity of power with a nuance not often seen in YA. This book reckons not only with the injustices of colonialism, but also the power structures that existed beforehand. It allows it's characters to process their grief, but also to find just retribution; to imagine not only what their lives would have been but also what they will be next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
gwenythepooh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Check the trigger warnings!
This is a rich, winding story that had me enthralled. I couldn’t stop reading. Can’t wait for the next book.
This is a rich, winding story that had me enthralled. I couldn’t stop reading. Can’t wait for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
nyah_ellexa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I received the ARC for this book but only got around to reading it now.
I must say, I very much enjoyed the journey. The story is very compelling and the characters are complex yet lovable.
I love fantasies inspired by Asian folklore and history, so this book was right up my alley. It tells a great tale of China’s real experience dealing with the colonization and subsequent war crimes by the British. Many plotlines of this story were directly in context with real historical events, which I found extremely intriguing.
Lan, our protagonist, is someone I grew to really enjoy reading about. She’s spunky and independent yet not written as this stereotypical “not like other girls” type of female protagonist, which is very refreshing. She has some character flaws, but I believe that’s what makes me like her more. Just because she is a woman and our main character, doesn’t mean she has to be this perfect embodiment of good.
The author does a very good job at writing a compelling fantasy. My only gripe is that some of the dialogue come out very forced or too wordy. There’s a good chunk of exposition dumps within the dialogues or dialogues that seem to run for too long, almost as if the dialogues were translated. I do not fault the author too much for this though, as I’m aware that English was not her first language. The dialogue still flows pretty well in most parts and the times that is doesn’t still aren’t so bad that it hinders my reading experience.
Another small thing: I didn’t like the character of Dilaya. I found her rather unjustifiably rude to Lan and, especially since she’s the only other girl in the story of continued importance, I was a bit turned off by the fact she hated Lan so much. I found her strained relationship with Lan to be rather frustrating to read about and I wish the only two girls in the story didn’t hate each other so much. It just felt catty to me and I hope they both develop as character throughout the series and grow fond of each other.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to continuing the series!
I must say, I very much enjoyed the journey. The story is very compelling and the characters are complex yet lovable.
I love fantasies inspired by Asian folklore and history, so this book was right up my alley. It tells a great tale of China’s real experience dealing with the colonization and subsequent war crimes by the British. Many plotlines of this story were directly in context with real historical events, which I found extremely intriguing.
Lan, our protagonist, is someone I grew to really enjoy reading about. She’s spunky and independent yet not written as this stereotypical “not like other girls” type of female protagonist, which is very refreshing. She has some character flaws, but I believe that’s what makes me like her more. Just because she is a woman and our main character, doesn’t mean she has to be this perfect embodiment of good.
The author does a very good job at writing a compelling fantasy. My only gripe is that some of the dialogue come out very forced or too wordy. There’s a good chunk of exposition dumps within the dialogues or dialogues that seem to run for too long, almost as if the dialogues were translated. I do not fault the author too much for this though, as I’m aware that English was not her first language. The dialogue still flows pretty well in most parts and the times that is doesn’t still aren’t so bad that it hinders my reading experience.
Another small thing: I didn’t like the character of Dilaya. I found her rather unjustifiably rude to Lan and, especially since she’s the only other girl in the story of continued importance, I was a bit turned off by the fact she hated Lan so much. I found her strained relationship with Lan to be rather frustrating to read about and I wish the only two girls in the story didn’t hate each other so much. It just felt catty to me and I hope they both develop as character throughout the series and grow fond of each other.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to continuing the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Rape
chaos_and_chapters's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Slavery, Medical content, and Cannibalism
shaipanda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- 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
3.0
Thanks for the publisher for the early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I seriously considered DNFing this around 35% but pushed through given the very high ratings and how many early reviewers seemed to love this. Unfortunately despite ultimately finishing it I did not end up loving it the way I wanted to. I wasn’t pulled in and despite the drama and action of the story, I found it a bit of a slog to get through personally. I was also really hoping this was a stand alone which it definitely is not, but that’s my own fault for not checking. While I did enjoy the writing and the world overall, I didn’t feel entranced and invested in the characters.
Edit: I’m pushing this up to a 3 because idk 2.75 feels really harsh when there’s nothing specific I remember disliking looking back it was just very meh for me so I’m gonna give it a 3
Edit: I’m pushing this up to a 3 because idk 2.75 feels really harsh when there’s nothing specific I remember disliking looking back it was just very meh for me so I’m gonna give it a 3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Genocide, and Rape