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.

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.

Felt so dated and I didn’t like the virgin princess-experienced barbarian dynamic.