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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love the idea of reincarnation across different timelines and the idea that love is just finding a past flame from centuries ago. I felt the sex scenes were not written for me. Outside of those particular scenes, I would have give five stars as this was so beautifully written.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It stuck the landing!
A gorgeously ambitious debut novel.
This worked for me. Usually in a three+ timeline/destined lovers, a section doesn’t work for me. But I was engrossed and enthralled by each time period. They felt separate, but interconnected and I was into all three.
I saw this on random pride month lists and picked it up. I love being surprised by a gorgeous piece of writing.
I can’t wait for Huang’s next book.
‘I don’t know how else to describe a bittersweet feeling inside - in this moment that I meet him, I realize I might be lonely for the rest of my life.’
The truth is… you belong to me.
“History is carved by men who did not have their fathers’ favor.”
‘And yes, I did also wonder if instead of being discarded, I’ve been spared by benevolent fortune… spared from a life or death might lurk around every palatial corner, where the riches would only be exceeded by treachery.’
‘How do you know when you are in love? I learned early on that for people like me, there are no grand gestures, no bold declarations painted across the sky. There are only little hidden moments, intense yet fleeting as shooting stars, they quickly burn away into night.’
‘To Remember is a dubious gift, and a staggering burden.’
A gorgeously ambitious debut novel.
This worked for me. Usually in a three+ timeline/destined lovers, a section doesn’t work for me. But I was engrossed and enthralled by each time period. They felt separate, but interconnected and I was into all three.
I saw this on random pride month lists and picked it up. I love being surprised by a gorgeous piece of writing.
I can’t wait for Huang’s next book.
‘I don’t know how else to describe a bittersweet feeling inside - in this moment that I meet him, I realize I might be lonely for the rest of my life.’
The truth is… you belong to me.
“History is carved by men who did not have their fathers’ favor.”
‘And yes, I did also wonder if instead of being discarded, I’ve been spared by benevolent fortune… spared from a life or death might lurk around every palatial corner, where the riches would only be exceeded by treachery.’
‘How do you know when you are in love? I learned early on that for people like me, there are no grand gestures, no bold declarations painted across the sky. There are only little hidden moments, intense yet fleeting as shooting stars, they quickly burn away into night.’
‘To Remember is a dubious gift, and a staggering burden.’
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I would categorize this as a romp, and as a romp it works very well! I read it quickly and enjoyed it very much.
Looking at other reviews it seems like people took issue with how the dialogue is written, and I gotta say I really didn't feel that way. It's not the best dialogue I've ever read, but it never took me out of the story.
I'm not in the habit of writing full reviews, but I will note a couple things that feel remarkable to me:
1. There is precious little homophobia. If you get through the very first chapter, you are past the worst of anti-gay sentiment in the book (shame, no violence). Instead, it lives in a presumption of male homosexuality. "Casual queerness" is maybe an understatement--almost all the men in this story are queer.
2. There is a lot of sex in this book! This is central to the story--as an asexual person, I have read my share of romance novels etc and enjoyed them just fine, but the spicy content in those books does not always feel as essential as this book's sexual content. If you are repulsed by sex this is simply not the book for you. There are also graphic (though generally brief) instances of sexual assault that cannot be brushed past.
3. Nearly every character in this book is Asian. Most are specifically Chinese, though that specific demonym and China are scarcely (maybe never) named, and I think maybe as a white/non-Asian person there's a nuanced or historical reason for that and I'm just ignorant of it. Anyway this feels notable!
Looking at other reviews it seems like people took issue with how the dialogue is written, and I gotta say I really didn't feel that way. It's not the best dialogue I've ever read, but it never took me out of the story.
I'm not in the habit of writing full reviews, but I will note a couple things that feel remarkable to me:
1. There is precious little homophobia. If you get through the very first chapter, you are past the worst of anti-gay sentiment in the book (shame, no violence). Instead, it lives in a presumption of male homosexuality. "Casual queerness" is maybe an understatement--almost all the men in this story are queer.
2. There is a lot of sex in this book! This is central to the story--as an asexual person, I have read my share of romance novels etc and enjoyed them just fine, but the spicy content in those books does not always feel as essential as this book's sexual content. If you are repulsed by sex this is simply not the book for you. There are also graphic (though generally brief) instances of sexual assault that cannot be brushed past.
3. Nearly every character in this book is Asian. Most are specifically Chinese, though that specific demonym and China are scarcely (maybe never) named, and I think maybe as a white/non-Asian person there's a nuanced or historical reason for that and I'm just ignorant of it. Anyway this feels notable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood
Moderate: Animal death
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes