Rich world and amazing female main character!
My favorite thing about this book was the immense influence that Vietnamese culture had on it. It was just so satisfying being able to pick up on familiar things and terms as I was reading, and I was excited to read a book by another Vietnamese-American like myself. But happy as I was about that, I actually wasn’t that much into the romance or the plot of this book.
It was adorable at first to have a male love interest that was so shy and not overly confident or seemingly incapable of being embarrassed, but Bao quickly became a character that I got tired with. It wasn’t even for his shyness, but for his constant bringing up of how he’s just a poor apprentice. He brought it up so much around Lan and made backhanded comments to her about her rejection of him that it made Bao unlikeable to me. I wanted to tell him to give it a rest already because like it or not Lan was there to help him.
Consequently, my dislike of Bao made me love Lan. Her character development throughout the book was such a joy to see. She went from this sheltered, stuck-up rich girl to this girl who learned to appreciate what she had and was willing to go out of her comfort zone for the people she loved. Lan’s worst moment by far in the book was when she rejected Bao, but she redeemed herself so much, apologizing more than once sincerely to Bao. Even when Bao had an attitude with her, Lan still managed to be understanding and reasoned that Bao’s attitude was because of her rejection of him, his tiredness, their long journey, etc. I wish more female main characters were like Lan!
The plot was the weakest part of the book. It might as well have been black spice this and Gray City that. The plot was all about the potential of black spice and Lan and Bao getting into the Gray City, which I think could’ve been described better. The city itself didn’t feel as big and filled with people as it should have, and there was very little exploration of it. Maybe Dao’s other books explore more of the city and the world, but in this book I was just more interested in the story of the dead Xifeng than I ever was with Mistress Vy, black spice, and the Gray City.
Despite my lack of interest in the book’s plot and dislike of Bao, Song of the Crimson Flower still warmed my heart. I loved Lan and the ending, and Julie C. Dao’s use of Vietnamese culture in this book created a rich world that I’d love to return to if she writes another book for it in the future!
It was adorable at first to have a male love interest that was so shy and not overly confident or seemingly incapable of being embarrassed, but Bao quickly became a character that I got tired with. It wasn’t even for his shyness, but for his constant bringing up of how he’s just a poor apprentice. He brought it up so much around Lan and made backhanded comments to her about her rejection of him that it made Bao unlikeable to me. I wanted to tell him to give it a rest already because like it or not Lan was there to help him.
Consequently, my dislike of Bao made me love Lan. Her character development throughout the book was such a joy to see. She went from this sheltered, stuck-up rich girl to this girl who learned to appreciate what she had and was willing to go out of her comfort zone for the people she loved. Lan’s worst moment by far in the book was when she rejected Bao, but she redeemed herself so much, apologizing more than once sincerely to Bao. Even when Bao had an attitude with her, Lan still managed to be understanding and reasoned that Bao’s attitude was because of her rejection of him, his tiredness, their long journey, etc. I wish more female main characters were like Lan!
The plot was the weakest part of the book. It might as well have been black spice this and Gray City that. The plot was all about the potential of black spice and Lan and Bao getting into the Gray City, which I think could’ve been described better. The city itself didn’t feel as big and filled with people as it should have, and there was very little exploration of it. Maybe Dao’s other books explore more of the city and the world, but in this book I was just more interested in the story of the dead Xifeng than I ever was with Mistress Vy, black spice, and the Gray City.
Despite my lack of interest in the book’s plot and dislike of Bao, Song of the Crimson Flower still warmed my heart. I loved Lan and the ending, and Julie C. Dao’s use of Vietnamese culture in this book created a rich world that I’d love to return to if she writes another book for it in the future!