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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
relaxing
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
The romance was more compelling than the murder mystery. It felt like the mystery was set aside sometimes for the romance (not that I’m complaining), but I think the book could’ve been more well rounded. I really enjoyed reading Bai Huang and Yue-ying come together despite their circumstances, and then seeing how they had to learn and work towards a more intimate relationship. Even though it was so satisfying seeing the slow burn and angst and the longing between the two, I also wish I could’ve gotten to see more. I feel like their relationship, along with other parts of the novel, could’ve left a bigger impact but there was just a lack of something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Torture, Pregnancy
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wish I liked this book; the author writes beautifully and I love the setting. But the characters felt too much like modern-day Americans cosplaying ancient Chinese, and that's too annoying for me to accept in a historical novel.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Forced myself to finish, but would have been a DNF if I didn't want to read book 2 with a group this month. The romance was not swoony and I'm not a fan of mysteries, so this book didn't have much to offer for me.
mysterious
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked the story in this book, but even when everything was going well in the book, there was this constant sense of doom.
I liked Yue-ying and Huang, but I didn’t see much relationship development. They spent time together and got to know each other, but the writing made it feel emotionless.
The plot was interesting, but as mentioned before, it made the whole book seem really dark and like nothing would ever be good again.
I liked this book, but I don’t think that this author’s writing style is for me, so even though I’m intrigued by Mingyu and Wu’s story, I’m not going to continue with this series.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
4.5 stars verging on 5
I stayed up way too late reading this and couldn't put it down until I finished it today, and overall it was really engaging and satisfying!
The romance is a complicated one, and if I had to nit pick on anything, it's wrapped up very neatly, but on the other hand Bai Huang and Yue-ying go through so much together, and grow together so much, it did largely feel earned.
Bai Huang was a type of character I almost never like (rich guy who things always work out for assumes things will work out for him), but Jeannie Lin wrote him so well I completely bought his arc and character growth without ever feeling like it was Yue-ying doing all the heavy lifting. And critically, Yue-ying is truly the protagonist, getting her own character arc and growth and well earned happy ending!
I enjoyed the mystery, which gets pretty much equal billing with the romance, but frankly I am less nitpicky or perceptive with mysteries so I just have less to say about it. There are some background strings left untied, which I'm guessing will be wrapped up in book 2.
cw:
I stayed up way too late reading this and couldn't put it down until I finished it today, and overall it was really engaging and satisfying!
The romance is a complicated one, and if I had to nit pick on anything, it's wrapped up very neatly, but on the other hand Bai Huang and Yue-ying go through so much together, and grow together so much, it did largely feel earned.
Bai Huang was a type of character I almost never like (rich guy who things always work out for assumes things will work out for him), but Jeannie Lin wrote him so well I completely bought his arc and character growth without ever feeling like it was Yue-ying doing all the heavy lifting. And critically, Yue-ying is truly the protagonist, getting her own character arc and growth and well earned happy ending!
I enjoyed the mystery, which gets pretty much equal billing with the romance, but frankly I am less nitpicky or perceptive with mysteries so I just have less to say about it. There are some background strings left untied, which I'm guessing will be wrapped up in book 2.
cw: