5 stars

filled star filled star filled star filled star filled star
samjey Avatar

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I've never read anything by this author before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. And I fell absolutely in love with this book. From start to finish, it's dreamy and surreal and magical in the best possible way.

I really love the way that the magic and the fantastical elements of the world within this book are presented as commonplace. As readers, we're dropped right in, and allowed to experience everything without pre conceptions. I felt like I just got thrown into the story with a lot of "show, don't tell," which I really appreciated. The lack of ponderous explanations also kept the book from going on too long. It was a nice tight 270-ish pages, and not a single word felt wasted. In fact, every word, every description, felt magical in itself.

As for the characters, I can't say that I liked most of them, particularly our MC, Luli Wei, but I fell in love with all of them. They felt real and true, even when they weren't "good." (And I have to shout out the queer rep in a book set in the 1930s. It felt authentic to the time without focusing on trauma or conflict.)

I devoured this book in 2 sittings, and it would have been one if I hadn't had to go to work.