First of all, I enjoyed the strong writing style that brought out this incredible setting as well as made the characters all seem like real-life people to me. Henry Li was my favorite character in this novel; I loved his complexity, his intelligence, his loyalty, his sense of sarcastic humor, and his willingness to sacrifice for family and friends. The family relationships/dynamics, friendships, and rivals/enemies to more all endeared this book to my heart immediately.
Secondly, I enjoyed being immersed in the Chinese culture, the arts, the cuisine, and even the tough parts of social inequities which made it feel real. The plot didn't shy away at the tough themes and I appreciated the tough look into racism, poverty, inequality, and bullying.
I enjoyed the suspense of the Beijing Ghost app tasks and found myself glued to the action to find out what happened next. However, I was extremely disappointed, if not frustrated, with the lack of consequences, especially for Alice's final task she accepted for payment. This made Alice unlikable to me and morally gray in nature, which is not a problem except Alice never seemed to accept responsibility for her choices and therefore, I don't believe she learned from her unethical mistakes and grew as a better person.
Another disappointing part of this plot was the lack of complete world building. How Alice turns invisible is never explained and this left me feeling unsatisfied with the magical realism this novel is based upon. Also, why didn't Henry and Chanel freak out about Alice turning invisible? Their acceptance of it took me immediately out of suspending my belief.
Secondly, I enjoyed being immersed in the Chinese culture, the arts, the cuisine, and even the tough parts of social inequities which made it feel real. The plot didn't shy away at the tough themes and I appreciated the tough look into racism, poverty, inequality, and bullying.
I enjoyed the suspense of the Beijing Ghost app tasks and found myself glued to the action to find out what happened next. However, I was extremely disappointed, if not frustrated, with the lack of consequences, especially for Alice's final task she accepted for payment. This made Alice unlikable to me and morally gray in nature, which is not a problem except Alice never seemed to accept responsibility for her choices and therefore, I don't believe she learned from her unethical mistakes and grew as a better person.
Another disappointing part of this plot was the lack of complete world building. How Alice turns invisible is never explained and this left me feeling unsatisfied with the magical realism this novel is based upon. Also, why didn't Henry and Chanel freak out about Alice turning invisible? Their acceptance of it took me immediately out of suspending my belief.