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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
IDK if this was boring because of the narrator or if the text itself was boring but either way, this was middling at best.
🎧 The narrator was really not for me. She has a very sedate, almost whispery voice. So everything seemed a bit uninteresting even when it was like, a sword fight. Barely any changes in voice for different characters which made it harder to follow, particularly since the POV switches quite a bit and kind of randomly (mid chapter and mid scene).
🌶️ 3/5 There were a couple explicit scenes but nothing very exciting (or maybe it was excitingly written, but the voice made it seem not exciting? I honestly can't tell.)
🏳️🌈✊ There's no gender or sexuality diversity. The book takes place in China and almost everyone in the story is Chinese. The MMC is a white westerner. The FMC comes from wealth and prestige, and the MMC is a wandering fighter with no family; while this is obviously class diversity, we barely see its repercussions because the two MCs spend most of the book alone with each other on the road and in hiding.
🎧 The narrator was really not for me. She has a very sedate, almost whispery voice. So everything seemed a bit uninteresting even when it was like, a sword fight. Barely any changes in voice for different characters which made it harder to follow, particularly since the POV switches quite a bit and kind of randomly (mid chapter and mid scene).
🌶️ 3/5 There were a couple explicit scenes but nothing very exciting (or maybe it was excitingly written, but the voice made it seem not exciting? I honestly can't tell.)
🏳️🌈✊ There's no gender or sexuality diversity. The book takes place in China and almost everyone in the story is Chinese. The MMC is a white westerner. The FMC comes from wealth and prestige, and the MMC is a wandering fighter with no family; while this is obviously class diversity, we barely see its repercussions because the two MCs spend most of the book alone with each other on the road and in hiding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
a1exander's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mood_reading_maya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
If there's one thing Jeannie Lin knows how to do well, it's create an atmosphere of tension and high stakes. This was perhaps my favorite aspect of the story. Ryam and Ai Li were on the run for the majority of the book. The story centers around political intrigue and family honor. Both Ryam and Ai Li are very much self-sacrificing characters, which adds a distinct layer of complication to their romantic relationship - especially towards the end of the book. Ai Li has run away from her arranged marriage after learning of her fiancé's potential involvement with her brother's death. The connection between MCs fell into the realm of insta-lust/insta-love, and I think in the context of the story and its heightened adrenaline it made sense. This book did very little to endear a reader to Li Tao, Ai Li's betrothed and the character behind all of the military and political scheming. I am especially curious to see how their storyline plays out in book 2.
I was confused in the beginning when Ryam's physical description was outlined before realizing he was not an Asian character. This may have been easier to distinguish through eyeball reading as opposed to the audiobook, which was the format I chose. Once I understood that the term "barbarian" was referencing a unique group of people from the West (somewhere in Europe), it made more sense. I did have to do some Googling to gain better context for this bit of information.
I was confused in the beginning when Ryam's physical description was outlined before realizing he was not an Asian character. This may have been easier to distinguish through eyeball reading as opposed to the audiobook, which was the format I chose. Once I understood that the term "barbarian" was referencing a unique group of people from the West (somewhere in Europe), it made more sense. I did have to do some Googling to gain better context for this bit of information.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
aqtbenz's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Kidnapping
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love Jeannie Lin's prose and scene-setting, and thoroughly enjoyed the political machinations of her Tang Dynasty backdrop. The romance, however, just left me a bit bored. There was a lot of wandering - literally - for the majority of the book, and it felt aimless at several points. I have already started the next book in the series, though, because the characters who return as main characters in book two are so promising. Looking forward to reading more of the Tang Dynasty series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Murder
onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Heavier on action, but still very swoony. I loved the Tang Dynasty China setting, and Ai Li was a fun FMC - the sixth child and a girl with a lot of secrets! The third act breakup/ conflict was a little too drawn out for my taste but the ending was really satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
bookiecharm's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
2.5
Felt so dated and I didn’t like the virgin princess-experienced barbarian dynamic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sydapel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I've been wanting to read this for a while and the adventure romance of it all did not disappoint!! The dynamic between Ai Li and Ryam is really well fleshed out and Jeannie Lin does an excellent job of showing where the puzzle pieces of their relationship fit. Minor point off for what I felt like was a super convenient ending and unexplained minor character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Murder, and War