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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
relaxing
sad
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? No
3.5
Pros:
World building and characters
Historical perspective
Well-written, captivating storytelling (especially as an audiobook)
Learned about Malay culture and folklore
Cons:
How some of the plot points were “solved”
Lagging at times during second half particularly in the spirit realm
Ending felt very quick, feel like more could’ve been done with it
Overall I loved learning about the history, language, and culture of Malay! Wonderful historical fantasy novel that was good but not great-there wasn’t a “wow” factor for me. I enjoy learning about other cultures and beliefs so I’m happy to have read the book but it won’t be memorable unfortunately. Maybe because I’m not a big fantasy reader that “took away” from my experience compared to other readers?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Misogyny, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Suicide
replaceblue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Fatphobia
beholderess's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took me a second to get into this book. I had watched the miniseries first and the tone and overall plot of the book and show are so different. But I still really enjoyed the book. It's got a dreamlike quality to it that I really loved reading. I also liked the journey of Li Lan moving from being sheltered and wanting convention to wanting something more than her mortal life. I don't know, I had a good time (and the third act of the book is so different from the show that I could not put it down).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse
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