Scan barcode
amylynnknitsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Vo's writing is lovely and the story is surprisingly complex for such a short book.
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Murder, War, and Misogyny
There is a mention of forced sterilization.wardenred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Do you understand?
Such a beautifully crafted story! Reading it was like solving an intricate puzzle. There are all these layers here: the story of the exiled empress who conquered the empire through a long, clever game; her former servant girl, now an old woman, telling that story; and the cleric recording it. For such a short book, there are so many characters and narrative threads—and then there are also the gaps between those threads. The details Rabbit isn’t sharing. The nuance Chih isn’t fully grasping. The things In-yo kept to herself. The gaps are just as important as the threads for the experience, I found.
In a way, I feel like this book is a tribute to storytelling and history. It is very much about facts, what happened and why and to what end, and while multiple characters have their moments to subtly shine, for the most part characters feel like vehicles for the plot/history to unfold. They hurt, they grieve, they love, they yearn, and they still feel like game pieces on the board, or parts of a puzzle slotting together, or maybe like real life people from ages ago on a history book page: you know they were as human as you, but in the succinct account of world-shaping events, they feel more like forces of nature or links in a chain.
I’m not sure how much sense I’m making here trying to put these impressions into words, tbh, but this was truly an interesting experience. I usually gravitate toward character-driven fiction that delves deep into everyone’s heads. Here, I was getting to know the characters through events and causal connections, interspersed with short poignant moments that revealed some feelings and motivations more clearly at moments, only to leave many parts of the bigger picture up to interpretation.
I was also deeply moved by the lyrical writing style that perfectly conjured the impressions of duty, loyalty, and coldly calculated rage. I loved Almost Brilliant, Chih’s bird companion. And I really want to know more about the Singing Hills. I really hope the next novellas in this series are just as good and can’t wait to get to them, though I’ll definitely need some palate cleansers between these books to let all the impressions settle.
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy, Confinement, and Death
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility, Suicide, and Murder
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, Murder, Death, and Xenophobia
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Murder, War, Sexism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death, Confinement, Violence, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Misogyny
avacadosocks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny
Minor: Infertility, War, and Suicide
litoreads's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Misogyny and Body shaming
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy and Grief
Minor: Trafficking
jazhandz's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Sexual content
indeedithappens's review
- 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
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