#trans characters?

Fantasy - Asian - Queer Rep

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Thisss book!!! I know I pretty much sound repetitive at this point, but this was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2022. It was so easy to fall in love with the world created by Shelly Parker-Chan and i can't wait for the release of the second book in the series.    

Cover art: JungShan

I was fascinated by the characters in this book, i think it's one of the top things that made reading it so incredible. It was beautiful to watch the characters unwind their inner gears as the storyline unfolded, which within itself presented a complicated narration that was incredibly pleasurable to experience. The history behind the storyline is delivered in a light chinese style which i think is better suited for a wider audience (also good for Chinese novel lovers like myself), where we go through time as various characters that revolve around the two main drivers of the story.

Reading the way Shelley Parker-Chan wrote the first section of the book, when Zhu Chongba was then simply referred to as the girl was really interesting. I loved that part as much as it hurt me. We got to see the resilience that got her to commit all the atrocities required of her for her continued survival, which later on became beyond the need for survival. And then watching the incredible parallels between her and Ouyang and all the pain that he holds within his mutilated body. It was just too good for my angst loving heart.

And it's worth mentioning the beauty of the romance within the story, however light it was. It was refreshing to read such a real description of love, so very combined with pain and regret, yet so soft and fragile.