A review by laurareads87
The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

With a tagline like this -- "A tale of first love, bad theology and robot reincarnation in the Chinese afterlife." -- I knew I'd like this novelette.  In The Terracotta Bride, Siew Tsin resides in the tenth court of hell with a husband her elder uncle married her off to; here, unlike in the other courts of hell, the dead have enough wealth (in the form of offerings made by their living relatives) to bribe demons to (mostly) leave them alone.  Many seek to stay here, avoiding reincarnation into their next life, so as to maintain their personality and memories.  When Siew Tsin's husband brings home a third wife made of terracotta, Siew Tsin must navigate their relationship as well as a dangerous new threat.

The world-building in this story is fantastic, and I really appreciated Siew Tsin as a protagonist. Cho has included a lot of themes thoughtfully for such a short work. Definitely recommend.

Content warnings: violence, death, sexism, misogyny, mention of a car crash causing death (not graphic)