Predictable but had some really good eerie vibes

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Zilan is a very juvenile character; she never seems to think things through and she's very rash. She's foolishly trustworthy of everyone and, of course, completely underestimates those around her. This also made the book very predictable and I was a little bored reading through the story because there were no surprising factors until the very end. This book definitely reads as a YA story. As for Hong, he's an extremely flat character and I wish he had a larger role. He doesn't contribute much at all and he doesn't have many strengths. Also, Zilan and Hong's romance is so abrupt and awkward. I personally feel like we barely got to see the growth in their relationship and both of them are very rash in their decisions. They're also quite naïve. The most frustrating part about this book is just how easy it was to predict what happened because of how Zilan overestimates her own capabilities despite everyone around her pointing out inhibiting factors. There were a lot of things that should have been obvious to her, considering the history of everything, like how cunning the Empress is.

Despite all this, the author does an incredible job creating some eerie vibes. There were some pretty bittersweet moments as well as moments where I was squirming because of how creepy it was (which I actually loved). The plot twists were very predictable, but the twist at the end was a very good one. I do wish there were some things that happened differently but honestly, it did make me look forward to the next book.