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dielesemotte'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Der Anfang war meiner Meinung nach etwas holprig, weil die Handlung teils sehr stark gerafft wurde. Und auch wenn ich verstehe warum, hat es mir den Einstieg sehr erschwert. Aber die Geduld hat sich ausgezahlt: Xingyin ist eine tolle Protagonistin und ihre Gewissenskonflikte waren wirklich interessant.
Ich bin bekanntermaßen kein Fan von Love Triangles, dementsprechend hat mich diese Plotline ziemlich genervt. Trotzdem finde ich Xingyin und Liwei ein tolles Paar.
Überraschenderweise waren für mich die Kampfszenen eines der Highlights in diesem Buch. Normalerweise sind das die Szenen, die ich nur überfliege. Aber hier waren sie so mitreißend und nachvollziehbar geschrieben, dass ich es quasi vor mir gesehen habe.
Ich setze jetzt erstmal Band zwei auf meine Wunschliste :)
Überraschenderweise waren für mich die Kampfszenen eines der Highlights in diesem Buch. Normalerweise sind das die Szenen, die ich nur überfliege. Aber hier waren sie so mitreißend und nachvollziehbar geschrieben, dass ich es quasi vor mir gesehen habe.
Ich setze jetzt erstmal Band zwei auf meine Wunschliste :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
riverrliam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
I was thoroughly entertained! I love a badass, female warrior. I loved Xingyin and her growth throughout the book. There was adventure, romance (including a messy triangle), grief, friendship, and magic. The author does a great job with visual descriptions and the scenery is often jaw droppingly beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Confinement, War, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
strawb3rrysugar's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I originally picked this up in an effort to read outside of my comfort zone; I don't pick up a lot of fantasy books and know next to nothing about Chinese mythology. I have to give due credit to Kuri Huang, the book's cover illustrator, whose work is absolutely stunning. This isn't usually relevant in book reviews for me, but as an illustrator myself, it would be dishonest to say it wasn't a factor in me buying this book.
High points: the descriptions and setting are beautifully described and well developed. The book reads as very atmospheric and immersive, which definitely enhances the experience of reading an adventure series. I felt like I was right alongside Xingyin and her journey to return to her mother. While I'm not the biggest fan of a love triangle (and in the least spoiler-y way possible, there is an obviously correct love interest made apparent from the start), but there's enough angst and drama for it to fit within the story. The dragons are very cool - I will never complain about the presence of dragons in a book.
Low points: the pacing and the tension are where this story lacks the most. Scenes that feel like they should be more important or momentous are glossed over pretty quickly in summary, which makes Xingyin's development feel a little stale (considering the author's prose is on the flowery side, it surprised me that there's very little tension built). The beginning is a little slow, and it took me a while to fully get into the book. The Act 3 plot twist made the ending a little sour for me, as I felt it started to bring up elements of the story/worldbuilding that should have been established much earlier. Many of the side characters, *especially* the women, deserved a little more background/development and time to shine. And this is more of a nitpick, but this book's magic system seems kind of vague (though this might be due to my lack of knowledge in Chinese mythology).
Overall, while the pacing and some of the tropes weren't my favorite, I looked forward to curling up with this book, along with a blanket with a cup of tea in hand. If you like Chinese mythology, romantic angst, and want a more adventurous fantasy, you might enjoy this.
High points: the descriptions and setting are beautifully described and well developed. The book reads as very atmospheric and immersive, which definitely enhances the experience of reading an adventure series. I felt like I was right alongside Xingyin and her journey to return to her mother. While I'm not the biggest fan of a love triangle (and in the least spoiler-y way possible, there is an obviously correct love interest made apparent from the start), but there's enough angst and drama for it to fit within the story. The dragons are very cool - I will never complain about the presence of dragons in a book.
Low points: the pacing and the tension are where this story lacks the most. Scenes that feel like they should be more important or momentous are glossed over pretty quickly in summary, which makes Xingyin's development feel a little stale (considering the author's prose is on the flowery side, it surprised me that there's very little tension built). The beginning is a little slow, and it took me a while to fully get into the book. The Act 3 plot twist made the ending a little sour for me, as I felt it started to bring up elements of the story/worldbuilding that should have been established much earlier. Many of the side characters, *especially* the women, deserved a little more background/development and time to shine. And this is more of a nitpick, but this book's magic system seems kind of vague (though this might be due to my lack of knowledge in Chinese mythology).
Overall, while the pacing and some of the tropes weren't my favorite, I looked forward to curling up with this book, along with a blanket with a cup of tea in hand. If you like Chinese mythology, romantic angst, and want a more adventurous fantasy, you might enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual harassment and Death of parent
polaris1117's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and War
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
lucyatoz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Xingyin is the daughter of the Moon Goddess Chang'e and has grown up on the moon with Ping'er', her mother's attendant, for company. However, she finds herself needing to flee from her moonlit world to that of the Celestial Emperor and Empress, their immortal enemies. First she becomes a servant in a noble family's household, where she is ostracised until she meets a young man. Xingyin has the opportunity to learn alongside him, inside the Celestial Palace, as companion to Prince Liwei. This starts her journey back to her mother, though not before she masters archery and becomes the First Archer in Captain Wenzhi's army, finding herself in many battles, and then embarks on her most perilous quest, to gain the pearls of the Four Dragons for the Celestial Emperor which will she her mother freed from her imprisonment.
I borrowed a copy of this novel from my local library and listened to it on cloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 15, part of a duology, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
I borrowed a copy of this novel from my local library and listened to it on cloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 15, part of a duology, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
kaywhiteley's review
adventurous
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? No
5.0
I love a girlboss
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Classism, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Kidnapping
wpapnik's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked this book! The tone and pace of the book reminded me a bit of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It was a pretty easy read and overall enjoyable. I did find the political systems and history to be a little hard to follow - thus making it more difficult to immerse myself in the book. Regardless, it found it to be a nice read and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse
alyssajp's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent