A review by zozoisgolden
Flower Net by Lisa See

4.0

Rating 4. Contains possible spoilers.

This is one of those books that I tell myself I'm not going to like but I end up doing so anyway. This is due to Liu Hulan, the main character.

She is a wonderfully complex character, drawn between loyalty to family and tradition, her own personal impulses and the duty as a law enforcer. The perfect amount of stoic and empathetic.
David didn't grow on me as much as Hulan did, but I did sort of empathize with his role as the morally torn defense lawyer still holding a flame for his ex.

The romance between them annoyed me because of how easily it was rekindled (dumb I know. I'm weird). In fact, I would have given this a full 5 stars if not for it (which I NEVER do). That is how much I enjoyed it. The female character was the least love-lorn to my surprise (not because of gender roles but the time period.....ok I'm surprised point blank. Sue me)

The mystery itself was a bit mild. Drawn out to add tension but nevertheless still surprisingly enjoyable. Some of the other characters thought were dumb and annoying as f*ck. No seriously. But so as not to spoil anything (hahahahahahahaha) I won't go further into details.

All in all, it was a steady thrill with a likeable protagonist and well built cultural background.