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A review by melbsreads
The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin
challenging
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
Content warnings: murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, slavery, misogyny, violence, forced sex work, implied paedophilia
I was hesitant going into this because it's set in the 800s and I tend to feel a bit off about historical romances that are set THAT long ago because society was so overwhelmingly different and it's hard to write a romance with modern ideals that's set in that timeframe, you know?
Anyway, I didn't realise going in that this is also roughly a 50/50 split between a murder mystery plotline that the protagonists are investigating and a romance between the two of them. The first half of the book felt very dominated by the murder, and the second half felt very dominated by the romance, particularly the"what are we going to do, we're in love but you're betrothed to someone else and I don't want to be a concubine" aspect of the plot.
Ultimately, I did end up liking the characters and the story. But it was kind of a slow burn in terms of enjoyment for me...
I was hesitant going into this because it's set in the 800s and I tend to feel a bit off about historical romances that are set THAT long ago because society was so overwhelmingly different and it's hard to write a romance with modern ideals that's set in that timeframe, you know?
Anyway, I didn't realise going in that this is also roughly a 50/50 split between a murder mystery plotline that the protagonists are investigating and a romance between the two of them. The first half of the book felt very dominated by the murder, and the second half felt very dominated by the romance, particularly the
Ultimately, I did end up liking the characters and the story. But it was kind of a slow burn in terms of enjoyment for me...