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plush's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
Not sure what I was expecting out of this book, but honestly this was not it in the best of ways.
I knew I was going to like this book when in the content note the author explained that modern Chinese was used in the novel for practical reasons as well as “ a reluctance to learn a dead language for the sake of a fantasy novel”. This is my first book by this author, and suddenly I need to add everything else she has written to my TBR.
This book revolves around Zilan and her two siblings who are trying to make ends meet (or more accurately trying to “unend” meat). Zilan is desperately preparing for an exam to become a royal alchemist in order to support her sick family, with a casual side business of reviving the recently deceased.
Honestly, you would think this was going to be a light-ish, kinda funny YA fantasy. And at some points it is funny. I laughed out loud. But it is not YA and the content is not light. There are some plot moments and twists that are downright gruesome. I honestly spent a medium amount of time confused, but in the fantasy world building kinda way not the bad way.
I had a wonderful time throughout this entire novel. I absolutely love Zilan. She is smart, witty, stubborn, and just an absolute treat of a FMC. She is 17, and she feels 17 in a really authentic, naive way. The kind of 17 where you’re invincible and you’re going to change the world. She is really well fleshed out, and one of the best representations of a teenager I’ve seen in fantasy in awhile. Really all of the characters feel incredibly well done. ESPECIALLY the antagonist. *not spoiling who* but they are so intelligently wicked, I loved it.
The entire thing was spectacular. I laughed. I cried. I’m devastated that I’m ready for book two when book one hasn’t hit shelves yet.
Thank you so very much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I knew I was going to like this book when in the content note the author explained that modern Chinese was used in the novel for practical reasons as well as “ a reluctance to learn a dead language for the sake of a fantasy novel”. This is my first book by this author, and suddenly I need to add everything else she has written to my TBR.
This book revolves around Zilan and her two siblings who are trying to make ends meet (or more accurately trying to “unend” meat). Zilan is desperately preparing for an exam to become a royal alchemist in order to support her sick family, with a casual side business of reviving the recently deceased.
Honestly, you would think this was going to be a light-ish, kinda funny YA fantasy. And at some points it is funny. I laughed out loud. But it is not YA and the content is not light. There are some plot moments and twists that are downright gruesome. I honestly spent a medium amount of time confused, but in the fantasy world building kinda way not the bad way.
I had a wonderful time throughout this entire novel. I absolutely love Zilan. She is smart, witty, stubborn, and just an absolute treat of a FMC. She is 17, and she feels 17 in a really authentic, naive way. The kind of 17 where you’re invincible and you’re going to change the world. She is really well fleshed out, and one of the best representations of a teenager I’ve seen in fantasy in awhile. Really all of the characters feel incredibly well done. ESPECIALLY the antagonist. *not spoiling who* but they are so intelligently wicked, I loved it.
The entire thing was spectacular. I laughed. I cried. I’m devastated that I’m ready for book two when book one hasn’t hit shelves yet.
Thank you so very much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Violence, Animal death, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent
lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
tl;dr
An incredible read, featuring dark magic, an engrossing plot, a strong lead, and a genuinely terrifying villain.
Thoughts
The Chinese novel plot line of "get summoned to the palace to compete for stuff" plot is so SO delicious to me, and I was delighted to see the author's notes even touch on the historical roots of this plot. And while the fact that it's one of my favorite tropes certainly didn't hurt, this book is also just very good. The narrative skips right over asking if we "should" raise the dead and leaps straight into the cost. The consequences are quiet at first, ramping up into a terrifying fallout and a high adrenaline ending that had me screaming. Zilan is firey, powerful, and often out of her depth. Her determination mixed with insecurity is palpable, and oftentimes utterly relatable. And the villain! WOW! It's rare to find one so clever and coldly terrifying. I'm breathless. That ending's going to be stuck in my head for a while, and I am counting down the days until the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
An incredible read, featuring dark magic, an engrossing plot, a strong lead, and a genuinely terrifying villain.
Thoughts
The Chinese novel plot line of "get summoned to the palace to compete for stuff" plot is so SO delicious to me, and I was delighted to see the author's notes even touch on the historical roots of this plot. And while the fact that it's one of my favorite tropes certainly didn't hurt, this book is also just very good. The narrative skips right over asking if we "should" raise the dead and leaps straight into the cost. The consequences are quiet at first, ramping up into a terrifying fallout and a high adrenaline ending that had me screaming. Zilan is firey, powerful, and often out of her depth. Her determination mixed with insecurity is palpable, and oftentimes utterly relatable. And the villain! WOW! It's rare to find one so clever and coldly terrifying. I'm breathless. That ending's going to be stuck in my head for a while, and I am counting down the days until the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Classism, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Sexual violence, and Racism
Minor: Torture and Death of parent
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