"A city of a hundred arched bridges and a thousand cherry trees. A city of mud and sweat and sewage. A city of golden cranes and amber sunsets. A city of secrets." Mac: Renée Ahdieh blew me away with The Wrath and the Dawn, so when Lauren told me about her new Throne of Glass-meets-Mulan project, I. Was. Down. Full disclosure, this book took a while (like 30 pages or so) before I really got into it, but when I did—oh boy. It got good. I love the alternating points of view way more than I thought I would. Mariko and her brother are super interesting foils for each other, even when we don't see them interact for most of the book. And speaking of Mariko... "Two sides of her continued their silent war: the part that wished to remain in the thick of things and the part that wished to observe from a distance." "I will be a reed in the current. A reed of folded steel." Mariko, Mariko! She is beauty, she is grace. She designs throwing stars and bombs and has a brain full of strategy and genius. I loved her more and more as the book went on, and her exploration of gender was yet another layer to the book that kept me fascinated. "Mariko wanted to splash him again. Wanted to best him in all ways. Wanted to kiss him silent." The romance... I'm here for it. I'm 110% here for it. Also, I love that I couldn't predict who the main love interest would be for a pretty long time because the the romance is so slow and hard-fought. :) "Everything seemed crisper. Scents flooded her nostrils, and sights flashed across her vision—marinated squid sizzling over an open flame, vividly dyed paper lanterns strung above bolts of lustrous silk, displays of painted fans and freshly sliced persimmons, creamy bean curd floating in barrels of cold water. She smelled and tasted everything in the air with the abandon of a girl in a fevered dream." Renée Ahdieh's writing comes to life with generous and vivid description, and the atmosphere really makes this book. The sounds in "creamy bean curd" line KILL me. So good. Highly recommended! Go and get yourself a copy so you can let the ending break your heart and then we can eagerly await the sequel together! Lauren: This book definitely lived up to my expectations, and I loved the pacing of Mariko joining the Black Clan. The dialogue was very witty, and the descriptions lush. I loved the author's series The Wrath and the Dawn, and I love this one as well. I look forward to reading the sequel. :)
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