The book only managed to surprise me (but then tremendously) in the last third or so. I think before that, Xingyins path was just too paved out for her. She is this golden child and gets everything she sets her mind to. It doesn‘t hold a lot of surprises.
Sometimes Xingyin also annoyed me, with her stubborn pride which determines all her actions, which I simply cannot identify with. She is also a bit naive, especially with feelings and the writing seems to reflect that. I think I grew the most fond of her through her interactions with others but because Xingyin is often alone and, especially in the beginning, there isn‘t much dialogue, you don‘t get to know this side of her well.
Otherwise I greatly enjoyed the lovely details of Chinese mythology, the intricent descriptions of the landscape, gardens and architecture and the detailing of clothes and jewels as well as the mention of the food.
Because the story dragged on a bit in my opinion, I‘ll only give this two out of five stars. Lets hope all of the second installement is as exciting as the last third of this book and with less boy drama!
