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blacksphinx's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a lovely little story that is being terribly misrepresented by the plot synopsis on the back. The plot of this story is that a cleric from the abby at Singing Hills, Chih, has been sent to record information about the events leading up to the reign of the Inuit-coded Empress of Salt and Fortune, In-yo, over the Chinese-coded empire of Ahn. She is recently deceased and all of her records are still intact at the compound where she was once held in exile. Chih winds up obtaining an account from an old handmaiden of In-yo's nicknamed Rabbit, who reveals how she came into the Empress' confidence. At first Rabbit doesn't want to come right out and say anything direct to this cleric, as she tries to decide what should be left on the floor of history. But over the duration of their many conversations, Rabbit decides to let go of some heavy secrets she's been carrying.
I can see how this wouldn't be the book for everyone. If you wanted to be reductive, the plot is an old woman recounting long-ago events to a cleric and their talking bird. But I kept finding myself getting lulled into the word of the story, the glittering court and the crafty Empress. I understand why this series has gotten so much attention and I'm definitely in it for the long haul.
I can see how this wouldn't be the book for everyone. If you wanted to be reductive, the plot is an old woman recounting long-ago events to a cleric and their talking bird. But I kept finding myself getting lulled into the word of the story, the glittering court and the crafty Empress. I understand why this series has gotten so much attention and I'm definitely in it for the long haul.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Trafficking, Death, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: War, Blood, Medical content, and Infertility
Passing mention to forced sterilization.trizk's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"I felt so very old. At less than twenty-five, before everything that came after, I had no idea how long life was."
Listened to this on audiobook while annotating on my Kindle off and on and the writing blew me away. It's so poetic and beautiful. The way the story is told reminded me of a studio Ghibli film, meaning if you want a fast story WITH action, it will not be here. The author takes their time to tell this story, and it was hard for my neurodivergent ass, but it was well worth it.Because that ending??? Okayyy...bc why no one told me this shit was lowkey sad asf
The audiobook narrator, Cindy Kay, did a very good job of bringing this story to life. Their voice was very soothing and suited the story. It truly captured the feeling of being told a story by someone;in this case, by rabbit especially. I definitely would come back to just relisten to the audiobook for a relaxing time, or if I couldn't sleep.
Listened to this on audiobook while annotating on my Kindle off and on and the writing blew me away. It's so poetic and beautiful. The way the story is told reminded me of a studio Ghibli film, meaning if you want a fast story WITH action, it will not be here. The author takes their time to tell this story, and it was hard for my neurodivergent ass, but it was well worth it.
The audiobook narrator, Cindy Kay, did a very good job of bringing this story to life. Their voice was very soothing and suited the story. It truly captured the feeling of being told a story by someone;
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, and Xenophobia
Minor: War, Suicide, and Pregnancy
__codex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Rape, Suicide, Classism, Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Violence, Grief, War, and Xenophobia
melodyseestrees's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility, Suicide, and Murder
yourbookishbff's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
This is a beautifully woven character study, with a stunning narration, though I understood very little of what was important to the narrative until at least 50% (this may not be a series I can trust myself with on audio - I kept getting distracted and having to rewind!). This is intentionally subtle, and it ultimately made this a reading experience I can't quite sum up. I'll continue the cycle, as I now feel I understand the general outline of the series and its intention, and I'm guessing on a reread this one will improve for me!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, Murder, Death, and Xenophobia
library_gremlin's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Suicide, and Pregnancy
avacadosocks's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny
Minor: Infertility, War, and Suicide
litoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is gorgeously written, well-paced, and it deserves the highest praise possible. I cannot believe I was so lucky for this to be my first read of 2024. The bar has been set ridiculously high in terms of ratings.
The story follows a cleric who is listening to an older woman named Rabbit's story about the Empress of Salt and Fortune, In-yo. We learn that Rabbit and In-yo had a beautiful human relationship one can only describe as non-romantic soul mates. They would do anything for each other while maintaining public appearances as royalty and handmaiden.
No spoilers, but the ending truly shows the level of this friendship and how beautiful human connection can be. This novella is short and perfect. If I can finish it in a couple of hours, so can you, and you ABSOLUTELY should.
The story follows a cleric who is listening to an older woman named Rabbit's story about the Empress of Salt and Fortune, In-yo. We learn that Rabbit and In-yo had a beautiful human relationship one can only describe as non-romantic soul mates. They would do anything for each other while maintaining public appearances as royalty and handmaiden.
No spoilers, but the ending truly shows the level of this friendship and how beautiful human connection can be. This novella is short and perfect. If I can finish it in a couple of hours, so can you, and you ABSOLUTELY should.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Misogyny and Body shaming
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
indeedithappens's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Infidelity, Suicide, Abandonment, Infertility, Violence, Classism, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, War, Colonisation, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder
growintogardens's review against another edition
2.75
Was it pretty at times? Yes. Was I lost often? Also yes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, War, and Suicide