Take a photo of a barcode or cover
baileybeloved's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Loved the world building, the characters, & the ending.
As with a lot of historical fiction/retellings, you could see where the story was going the entire time & I knew, basically beat for beat, what was coming next, but it didn’t take away from the emotions of it.
Everyone got the ending they were always going to have & I respect that. I think Liang has excellent characterization skills, which really aids in making the plot both believable and predictable - not that that is a bad thing. Knowing the characters so well that I can predict their thoughts/motivations just means (to me) that you’ve created some very well fleshed out characters.
A small thing I really liked - up until the end - is that we see a lot of moments where Xishi is forced to face that people, regardless of kingdom, are just people. Everyone loses family in wars regardless of side, every kingdom has a king who is selfish, every court is made up of individuals with their own tragedies & losses, & every mountain can be stunning, regardless of the earth it resides on. Though Xishi sort of acknowledges this through noting her surprise (thinking specifically of the line”you call the Yue monsters?” ), it is kept in the background. It does not change Xishi’s mind or her mission, which I liked for her character. Then at the end, you have another character kind of bring that point home for her, which I thought was kind of unnecessary for the story. Like it is understandable that that is that character’s belief, but I just felt like that being the catalyst for Xishi’s next actions, & the ultimate climax of the book, was a little bit unnecessary.
Overall, I liked this story a lot. The book itself is also stunning (I have the hardcover with the art on the front (sword) & back (hairpin) beneath what is already a beautiful cover).
As with a lot of historical fiction/retellings, you could see where the story was going the entire time & I knew, basically beat for beat, what was coming next, but it didn’t take away from the emotions of it.
Everyone got the ending they were always going to have & I respect that. I think Liang has excellent characterization skills, which really aids in making the plot both believable and predictable - not that that is a bad thing. Knowing the characters so well that I can predict their thoughts/motivations just means (to me) that you’ve created some very well fleshed out characters.
A small thing I really liked - up until the end - is that we see a lot of moments where Xishi is forced to face that people, regardless of kingdom, are just people. Everyone loses family in wars regardless of side, every kingdom has a king who is selfish, every court is made up of individuals with their own tragedies & losses, & every mountain can be stunning, regardless of the earth it resides on. Though Xishi sort of acknowledges this through noting her surprise (thinking specifically of the line
Overall, I liked this story a lot. The book itself is also stunning (I have the hardcover with the art on the front (sword) & back (hairpin) beneath what is already a beautiful cover).
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
kestrel_of_the_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Heyoo, the antidote to the current colonizer romance epidemic.
Four stars because the love at first sight trope bores me to death- give me depth pls.
Overall a beautiful tragedy of love and war, and the loss it inevitably brings. This is a tough one to review without spoilers, so pardon the shortness. The end had me in it's grasp, I was so impressed with this storytelling technique I rarely come across. I am a huge fan of women spies and assassins, and absolutely loved how human Xishi was portrayed (big mistakes, light Stockholm Syndrome, but stayed true to her path). The end also had some very poignant political remarks that I feel are consistent through the ages.
Thank you Libro.fm for the opportunity with the ALC, I always always love Natalie Naudus' work.
Four stars because the love at first sight trope bores me to death- give me depth pls.
Overall a beautiful tragedy of love and war, and the loss it inevitably brings. This is a tough one to review without spoilers, so pardon the shortness. The end had me in it's grasp, I was so impressed with this storytelling technique I rarely come across. I am a huge fan of women spies and assassins, and absolutely loved how human Xishi was portrayed (big mistakes, light Stockholm Syndrome, but stayed true to her path). The end also had some very poignant political remarks that I feel are consistent through the ages.
Thank you Libro.fm for the opportunity with the ALC, I always always love Natalie Naudus' work.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
spellbindingtomes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
5.0
𝘐𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘳.
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of ancient China's Four Beauties, this novel follows a young woman's journey as she becomes a spy to save her kingdom. Trained by military advisor Fanli, Xishi infiltrates the rival Wu palace to seduce & weaken their king. As she navigates court politics & her growing feelings for Fanli, Xishi must maintain her cover or risk the destruction of both kingdoms.
•
•
•
Ann Liang's retelling of Xishi's legend is a breathtaking journey through ancient China's political landscape. Her writing paints such a vivid world, bringing to life the struggles of women in a male-dominated society.
The intricate dance of courtly politics & espionage was brilliantly executed, contrasted with the forbidden romance & pining between Xishi & Fanli added so much more to this already emotional story.
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦.
This isn't just historical fiction; it's a captivating experience that will resonate long after the final page. Prepare for a harrowing odyssey through love, duty, & self-discovery.
Fair warning: it's emotionally intense and gut-wrenching at times. I have not fully recovered as of posting this review ❤️🩹 but Ann has truly elevated her craft, cementing her status as a must-read author of mine.
If you loved I Hope This Doesn't Find You, prepare for something totally different but equally amazing ✨
Read if you love:
🏮 ancient Chinese legend retelling
🪷 strongly written FMCs
🏮 forbidden romance
🪷 star-crossed lovers
🏮 espionage
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of ancient China's Four Beauties, this novel follows a young woman's journey as she becomes a spy to save her kingdom. Trained by military advisor Fanli, Xishi infiltrates the rival Wu palace to seduce & weaken their king. As she navigates court politics & her growing feelings for Fanli, Xishi must maintain her cover or risk the destruction of both kingdoms.
•
•
•
Ann Liang's retelling of Xishi's legend is a breathtaking journey through ancient China's political landscape. Her writing paints such a vivid world, bringing to life the struggles of women in a male-dominated society.
The intricate dance of courtly politics & espionage was brilliantly executed, contrasted with the forbidden romance & pining between Xishi & Fanli added so much more to this already emotional story.
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦.
This isn't just historical fiction; it's a captivating experience that will resonate long after the final page. Prepare for a harrowing odyssey through love, duty, & self-discovery.
Fair warning: it's emotionally intense and gut-wrenching at times. I have not fully recovered as of posting this review ❤️🩹 but Ann has truly elevated her craft, cementing her status as a must-read author of mine.
If you loved I Hope This Doesn't Find You, prepare for something totally different but equally amazing ✨
Read if you love:
🏮 ancient Chinese legend retelling
🪷 strongly written FMCs
🏮 forbidden romance
🪷 star-crossed lovers
🏮 espionage
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Classism