Scan barcode
sarahb919's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Torture, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Blood, Gaslighting, and Death
Minor: Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content
riverrliam's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Confinement, War, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
strawb3rrysugar's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual harassment and Death of parent
kaebaebae29_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Blood
Minor: War
cloudwatcher's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Minor: Death of parent and Blood
theonlysentree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Death, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gore, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Moderate: Torture and Alcohol
wpapnik's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse
lizboyce's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
At times it was a bit slow but the pacing picks up at the end. There was a twist I didn’t see coming at all, which is always a fun feeling. Overall I would recommend this book and did quite enjoy reading it. The only reason I did not give it a full 5 stars is because I think to fully appreciate the story, you should enter in with some background knowledge of the myths this book is based on. I had to stop more than once to google certain myths so I could better follow what was happening.
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Blood, Classism, Animal death, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
weareinheritors's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The world and descriptions of locales and some people are great, I really would've loved to see more. I also liked the magic and, of course, always love me some
The plot feels rushed and a little too easily resolved, but intriguing all the same. I don't like how *easy* it was to resolve a lot of long-standing worldbuilding issues (
I really didn't care for any of the main characters (Shuxiao is a real one, though. I want more of her, please). The sorta-kinda rebound love "triangle" almost made me DNF (specifically the
I'll read the sequel for the worldbuilding, but I'm not rushing into it.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Infidelity