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egurgens's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
A Mulan-esc story, where the daughter of a weakened father is called by her country to participate in an event. However, it's not war, its a tailoring competition, where only men are allowed. Maia has to navigate not only the super competitive competition, but she has to be careful not to appear feminine, and she has to deal with the court enchanter, who seems able to see through her disguise as a man.
Maia must deal with overly-savage competitors, magic, the enchanter, and the sanshen's daughter, who doesn't want to marry, even to save the country. There are three parts to this story, the competition, the journey, and the results. Maia is strong, confident in her abilities, but has to deal with challenges though impossible. With the help of the court enchanter, Edan, she goes on a journey to accomplish her task, and maybe even develop some feelings along the way.
Maia must deal with overly-savage competitors, magic, the enchanter, and the sanshen's daughter, who doesn't want to marry, even to save the country. There are three parts to this story, the competition, the journey, and the results. Maia is strong, confident in her abilities, but has to deal with challenges though impossible. With the help of the court enchanter, Edan, she goes on a journey to accomplish her task, and maybe even develop some feelings along the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, Murder, Sexism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, War, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
hanarama's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
3.0
The Good:
- Plot is fun and interesting.
- Main character is clever and likeable.
The Bad:
- Prose is a little more tell than show at times.
- Romance is a bit bland and over takes the plot after a point.
You Might Like this Book if You Like:
- Fairytales and impossible tasks.
- Competition storylines.
- Fashion
The story is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway, which I feel is a bit disingenuous. The only similarity to Mulan is that Maia crossdresses in order to enter the initial competition, which only lasts for about 1/3 of the story.
Beyond that, this is a highly patriarchal setting where women are prevented from working as anything more than maids or cooks. I expected the book to be more critical of this, but it really wasn't outside of how Maia is effected. There are a few comments made regarding the Emperor's betrothed, but not much beyond that. I would have liked at least the love interest to be less patronizing towards Maia. While he seems very supportive of her goals as a tailor, he still comes off as kind of belittling.
The moments spent in the world's mythology are compelling and fun. I loved the descriptions of the clothes and Maia's work, but I felt like there was a lot that could have been improved with this book. I will likely still read the second book, and I am hoping to check out Six Crimson Cranes at some point, but this one was pretty middle of the road for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexism
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