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dumblydore's review
4.0
Jade Lee is now on my "interesting authors to watch out for" list. While I wasn't exactly enthralled with hot anticipation, I was impressed with the change of scenery. Lee has tackled a sub-genre that is quite relative to me, and also very fascinating.
This is part of her Tigress series, all set in the exotic locale of China. This particular novel covers the inter-racial relationship between an upper class American white woman, Joanna Crane, and an aristocratic Manchurian crown prince (disguised as a Shaolin monk), Kang Zhou Tun.
Summing this up extremely loosely—Joanna, in an attempt to join the Boxer Rebellion out of her naive misplaced sense of justice and liberty, meets trouble with licentious revolutionaries, which is where Zhou Tun comes in. To his disbelief and anger, Joanna quickly discerns that he is Manchurian royalty. Fearful for his cover, he "takes" her to the Tigress Shi Po, where under her strict instruction they learn the way to enlightenment through carnal pleasure (whoddathunkit).
There is initial hostility and tension between Joanna and Zhou Tun, for all their cultural differences, but as they learn the way of the Dragon/Tigress (I'm picturing a Bruce Lee-esque type of guy here, heh) they come together in perfect harmony.
Lee has taken actual historical figures of the Qing Dynasty (such as the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Shunzi) and spun a convincing and entertaining tale weaving them into the narrative to serve the blossoming romance between Zhou Tun and Joanna.
It's clear that Lee is very perceptive of both Western and Eastern sensibilities which I fully appreciate, and which is why the relations between Zhou Tun and Joanna never seem implausible or absurd (Taoist euphemisms aside). It might also be why I don't feel particularly piqued that while much of the imagery is sensual, the feeling isn't nearly enough to match it. There is a level of restraint in the writing, quite deeply laden with metaphor and philosophical ideals, which may be a hit or miss for readers.
The keyword for this book is UNIQUE. I hope to see more in the future.
Rating: 3.5/5
This is part of her Tigress series, all set in the exotic locale of China. This particular novel covers the inter-racial relationship between an upper class American white woman, Joanna Crane, and an aristocratic Manchurian crown prince (disguised as a Shaolin monk), Kang Zhou Tun.
Summing this up extremely loosely—Joanna, in an attempt to join the Boxer Rebellion out of her naive misplaced sense of justice and liberty, meets trouble with licentious revolutionaries, which is where Zhou Tun comes in. To his disbelief and anger, Joanna quickly discerns that he is Manchurian royalty. Fearful for his cover, he "takes" her to the Tigress Shi Po, where under her strict instruction they learn the way to enlightenment through carnal pleasure (whoddathunkit).
There is initial hostility and tension between Joanna and Zhou Tun, for all their cultural differences, but as they learn the way of the Dragon/Tigress (I'm picturing a Bruce Lee-esque type of guy here, heh) they come together in perfect harmony.
Lee has taken actual historical figures of the Qing Dynasty (such as the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Shunzi) and spun a convincing and entertaining tale weaving them into the narrative to serve the blossoming romance between Zhou Tun and Joanna.
It's clear that Lee is very perceptive of both Western and Eastern sensibilities which I fully appreciate, and which is why the relations between Zhou Tun and Joanna never seem implausible or absurd (Taoist euphemisms aside). It might also be why I don't feel particularly piqued that while much of the imagery is sensual, the feeling isn't nearly enough to match it. There is a level of restraint in the writing, quite deeply laden with metaphor and philosophical ideals, which may be a hit or miss for readers.
The keyword for this book is UNIQUE. I hope to see more in the future.
Rating: 3.5/5
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