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sarahb919's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Loved the ghost world! Loved the stories rich landscapes and how the lands of the living and dead reflected each other
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Blood, Stalking, Drug use, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Sexism, Drug abuse, Abortion, Addiction, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Body horror, Murder, Child death, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Self harm, Death of parent, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying
Minor: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, and Pregnancy
tahsintries's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Murder, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, and Addiction
coryyalva's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The concept of this book was amazing and the magic and mystery behind it (mixed with the deep sadness I felt for Li as she tried to navigate in a world where women were seen as lesser and unimportant) were unbelievably well written. I was so close to giving this book four stars. However, the last hundred pages felt unbelievably rushed and I felt like there was so much more we needed to know. It made the ending (which was good) feel lackluster. I would have loved another 20-30 pages.
Nonetheless, I do recommend everyone read this book, especially women. This book was a deeply beautiful example of what it feels like to be a woman, the pressure that is put onto women, and it is a great reminder, in the midst of the story, that women have gone through so much to get where they are today.
Nonetheless, I do recommend everyone read this book, especially women. This book was a deeply beautiful example of what it feels like to be a woman, the pressure that is put onto women, and it is a great reminder, in the midst of the story, that women have gone through so much to get where they are today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
Minor: Abortion and Murder
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Abortion, Drug use, Murder, Colonisation, and Death of parent
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
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
n_asyikin_'s review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A simple fantasy set during the British colonialization of Malacca following Li Lan who'd found herself traversing between the land of the living & the spirits (i.e., dead).
What I liked most about the story was the element of mystery; a sort of whodunnit relating to the death of Li Lan's suitor (from the dead). Also, the fantasy world created by Choo rooted in Chinese beliefs was a source of adventure; the world-building related to this was pretty decent.
This story was written from a first-person perspective, rooted more in the "telling" than "showing" what occurred. I wouldn't have any problem with that, but I felt that Li Lan's narration & attention tend to be flighty, disrupting the flow of the story. I found myself unable to enjoy the progress fully as just as I was about to delve into one of the story arc, the story diverted into another. And the prior story arc tends to re-appear at odd moments at times; the transition rather none smooth.
I also thought most of the side characters tend to be rather one-dimensional. Li Lan was verbose as a narrator (honestly, I thought she was too verbose at times). Often, I found a lot that was being said lacking in substance. So her descriptions over her interactions with others tend to be rather superficial. Not to say that her relationships with others weren't interesting, e.g., how could her interactions with Fan the stubborn spirit be boring, or her willingness to investigate the corruption in the afterlife with an "agent" of Heaven (& love interest, the loong Er Lang, be anything less than fascinating. But, I found that I don't really get the opportunity to know "know" them. Many of Li Lan's observations weren't insightful for me. Also, there was an inherent "she's not like other girls" theme which I don't really like. Some may argue that it reflected era-related misogyny, the superficiality of Li Lan's thinking made me feel its unnecessary; that it didn't really contribute much to the story. And I felt the same way about the romance, unfortunately; I just wasn't convinced, & thought it was kind of out-of-nowhere sort of situation. Although, the romance did have an air of lightness, or dreaminess to it. Maybe that was why I did not respond well to it; I tend to prefer greater emotional insights with romances.
That being said, I did quite enjoy the story. The elements of fantasy was suffice to make it interesting, though only little aspects of the characters were shown. If you like a simple read that doesn't delve too much into characterizations, that focus heavily on the external world & quick observations, you would enjoy this.
What I liked most about the story was the element of mystery;
This story was written from a first-person perspective, rooted more in the "telling" than "showing" what occurred. I wouldn't have any problem with that, but I felt that Li Lan's narration & attention tend to be flighty, disrupting the flow of the story. I found myself unable to enjoy the progress fully as just as I was about to delve into one of the story arc, the story diverted into another. And the prior story arc tends to re-appear at odd moments at times; the transition rather none smooth.
I also thought most of the side characters tend to be rather one-dimensional. Li Lan was verbose as a narrator (honestly, I thought she was too verbose at times). Often, I found a lot that was being said lacking in substance. So her descriptions over her interactions with others tend to be rather superficial. Not to say that her relationships with others weren't interesting, e.g., how could her interactions with Fan the stubborn spirit be boring, or her willingness to investigate the corruption in the afterlife with an "agent" of Heaven (& love interest, the loong Er Lang, be anything less than fascinating. But, I found that I don't really get the opportunity to know "know" them. Many of Li Lan's observations weren't insightful for me. Also, there was an inherent "she's not like other girls" theme which I don't really like. Some may argue that it reflected era-related misogyny, the superficiality of Li Lan's thinking made me feel its unnecessary; that it didn't really contribute much to the story. And I felt the same way about the romance, unfortunately; I just wasn't convinced, & thought it was kind of out-of-nowhere sort of situation. Although, the romance did have an air of lightness, or dreaminess to it. Maybe that was why I did not respond well to it; I tend to prefer greater emotional insights with romances.
That being said, I did quite enjoy the story. The elements of fantasy was suffice to make it interesting, though only little aspects of the characters were shown. If you like a simple read that doesn't delve too much into characterizations, that focus heavily on the external world & quick observations, you would enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Misogyny
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