incompletesentence 's review for:

Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu (Novel) Vol. 1 by Tang Jiu Qing

4.25

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

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 Heavy on political intrigue, government management, and power struggles, The Ballad of Sword and Wine has a dense, logic-driven plot with a massive cast of characters. At the very top stands the Machiavelian protagonist, Shen Lanzhou, and his nemesis the subtle strategist, Xiao Ce'an. Part-time enemies, part-time flirting partners, these two are just so entertaining no matter which limb of their plot dynamic they are stretching. While I think their romance is fun, it's not the central plot. For the most part, this is a very complicated story about running a country. And very little of this "running the country" has to do with the emperor. Instead, we see those around him as they struggle to gain power, not lose power, avoid power, or just plain survive while everyone else is tearing out each other's throats to get that power! It's complex and dense in content and I really enjoyed it. It's slightly hard to get into, as the first 5-ich chapters are vague and you are thrown in the middle of the situation (to the point that I wondered if I was reading the wrong volume, for a moment when I first started it.) but things settle into controlled chaos soon after and then the verbal battle of the main characters and the mental battles of the political factions sweep you off your feet! 

Highly recommend.