I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
I was sitting on this book since early May thinking I have plenty of time to read it way before the release date and I also wasn’t in the mood to read fantasy. Finally in the beginning of August I started it. Well, I wanted to love this book o much but despite my best efforts I couldn’t. Yes, it has a lot of brilliant elements to it, a lot I’m going to mention later but overall it didn’t make as good of an impression as I would have loved. Honestly for me it was a bit boring.
But first and foremost start with the good. The first thing anyone notices about thos book Is the cover. It’s such a stunning yet simple image that it old the book for me even before reading the synopsis. I known for my tendencies of buying books just by the first impression the covers has on me and this one definitely would fall into that category.
The other thing that I found absolutely enamoring is the great, creative and imaginative solutions used in the writing style. The words used create a beautiful pictures and most of them are rarely used in modern YA literature, I’m not talking about the ones the author created for her Asian inspired language.
Then the whole narration of the story through letters and tales told by one character to the other just so unique and interesting. For some reason for me it created a memoire like atmosphere. I really liked this structure but it has its drawbacks too. I think it takes away from the intensity the plot a bit how it gets to the reader, to me by secondhand. It also was hard to tell when the author means thing metaphorically or literally.
The plot takes place in a world loosely inspired by historical China, Japan and Mongolian settings and it a highlight for me because I love stories taking place in them. Unfortunately, the already slow paced storyline got even more dragged out by, in my opinion unnecessary and overly detailed, explanations of the language and descriptions of inconsequential places. So yeah, the biggest problem for me with this book was that its really slow and I just couldn’t get into it.
You can safely say that Tiger’s daughter is a character driven book. The story is told from the two main characters point of view but we get marginally more of Shefali side.
Both of the characters are really complex, fleshed out and since we follow their stories from a really young age it is also interesting to the change they go through over the years.
Shizuka, the daring, disciplined, somewhat cold and quite self-absorbed warrior princess and Shefali, her doting and persistent friend, companion and so much more. They take on the threats of their world to save their people, inspired and influenced by their larger than life mothers.
The connection is clear between them from the beginning but the romance part of it progresses to quickly after a point in my opinion. It’s not just fast but the relationship gets much more attention than I expected. I don’t read a lot of LGBT but I don’t have a problem with them because love and romance are the same no matter the gender of the participants. It’s more like that the focus on their relationship is so strong that the whole heroic part gets kinda lost along the way, at least for me.
This story was just an okay read for me and I expected more but I think it will benefit more if I buy a physical copy for myself after its published because for some reason I struggled to read it in an e-copy. Its long and the format is a bit dense. A more careful reading might change my mind.

Unfortunately this novel did not resonate with me and I did not even come close to finishing it. I did not connect with the Empress as she seemed spoiled and selfish. Even though I usually love epistolary novels, the format in this book seemed forced and unnatural. This seems to be a case of a novel with an excellent premise that is just not to my taste.

Set in a speculative, alternate-history Asia, this book follows the adventures of two girls who are heroes to their people, as they battle against demon hordes. There was a lot to love; bad-ass women (their mothers in particular), a poetic lesbian romance, a really interesting enemy (the demons), some really excellent fight scenes and some truly lovely writing... but, also, a weird format that started to grate after awhile (most of the book is written as a love letter from one character to another, which is intriguing at first but the second person viewpoint gets old quickly), an under-developed threat (presumably being saved for later books - I wish authors wouldn't do that), and a stereotypically evil main villain (the Emporer) plus a lot of other stereotypes that made me cringe. I won't go into too much detail about the latter, because I'm not sure how to do it in a way that won't also make me uncomfortable, but for a review that addresses it and is written by an Asian person, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2032356303.

In the end, I think I loved the premise, liked the characters and the story, can't quite forgive the execution. So, three stars (upped from an initial two).

Very boring and slow. I don't understand why this is marked as young-adult, it is clearly an adult novel. There was a never ending letter, the romance took over too much of the story and I honestly did not care about the characters at all.

WOW! This novel is dazzling and rich in its imagery and characters. The unique narrative of the story creates a unique experience for the reader. I was captivated by the story and the imagery. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

This is really a solid historical fantasy read but I think it isn’t for me! This is a serious case of it’s not you, it’s me. To be honest, I really liked the story but sadly, I had lots of issues with it. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and I struggled reading this from a second person perspective which I’m not familiar with and also it’s my least favorite POV. This book mostly seemed like a prequel because the entire story is a letter written by Shefali to Shizuka about how they first met and also their adventures when they were young. There is also lots of info dump in the book that has made it difficult for me to grasp everything. However, despite my issues with this book, I really think it was a great debut and I’m certain many people would love it. This is a mature fantasy novel definitely not suitable for young adults.

The Tiger’s Daughter is a forbidden love story and adventures of O-Shizuka, princess of Hokkaro and Barsalayaa Shefali warrior of Qorin. Because of a prophecy, both Shizuka and Shefali have been raised together. They’re both childhood best friends since both of their mothers are also friends. Their relationship never wavered despite their opposite backgrounds instead it grew into something more. The Hokkaran’s has conquered every land they could reach and they doesn’t mingle with outcast tribe Qorin because they see them as nothing but dark skinned barbarians. The emperor of Hokkaro is a prideful, coward, and cunning man who failed to produce an heir which makes Shizuka, his niece the last heir to the Hokkaran empire. When blackbloods start lurking around the villages creating havoc everywhere threatening their very existence, Shizuka and Shefali team up together to kill them.

The main characters Shefali and O-Shizuka are pretty good characters but sadly, I can’t seem to connect with either of them. Shizuka is a stubborn and spoiled princess who is a skilled fighter that loves adventure. Shefali is a brave, shy and fierce warrior and complete opposite to Shizuka. Honestly, I liked Shefali more than Shizuka. She’s not reckless like Shizuka but I admired their friendship and how deeply they care for each other. The lesbian/gay relationship in Hokkaran is forbidden but O-shizuka doesn’t give a shit about them because she’s not a rule follower. I wish I could say that I enjoyed the forbidden romance between Shizuka and Shefali but I didn’t because Insta-love isn’t my thing. They both have so much love for each other but I didn’t feel any sparks or tension between them which is a bummer. There is also other lesbian relationships in this book but I don’t want to spoil the story for you. I also liked secondary characters like Shefali’s cousin Otgar, and her mother Burqila.

The plot is good but it’s too slow for my taste and there isn’t much badass action as I thought there would be. It would’ve been great if there was more demon killing. The story mainly focuses on familial relationships, lesbian relationship, different cultures and some royal politics. My major reason for not loving this book is that the whole book is a long letter from Shefali to Shizuka and I was quite annoyed reading the story from second person POV. More than half of the book is slow paced and it’s also a pretty long book which made things even worse for me. The only part that I loved in this book is the last 20 percent of it where we finally get the real action. The writing is quite beautiful and lyrical. I liked the world the author created which is the best aspect of this book but it took some time for me to understand everything because there is lots of info dumping at the beginning and my mind wasn’t able to handle all of them at once. It was pretty easy to guess that Hokkaran, Qorin and Xianese are based on Japanese, Mangolian and Chinese culture. Some people found this book racist especially some Asian readers. Personally, I don’t have great knowledge on all of these cultures but there are a few words that did seemed a bit racist to me such as words like rice tongue and flat faced. This book mostly felt like historical read but there are some fantasy elements in it that I really liked such as creepy demons, flesh eating blackbloods and some unknown magic that runs inside the main characters.

Overall, it was an okay read for me and also pretty good for a debut novel! The book finally concludes with an interesting cliffhanger and I’m not sure whether I would read the next book or not but I hope it’s even better than this one.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017 but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The plot had potential but I felt that it was overshadowed a bit by the romance. I think it is great that the romance in this is a lesbian romance, but I just got bored of one of the characters constantly going on about their love. I just felt that this was too romance heavy and I didn't care about it. Another small issue I has was the writing - there wasn't anything wrong with it but there was something about it that didn't work for me and I wasn't a fan of the narration style. A lot of this is told through letters, which I didn't really like.This meant that I had to push myself to finish this book. My final issue with this is the appropriation of Japanese, Chinese and Mongolian cultures. I am by no means an expert on this but there is a review on Goodreads written by a Japanese woman which highlights the harmful nature of it. Overall I was disappointed in this. but do feel that it had potential.

Okay, so. This book. I have such mixed feelings.

On the one hand, this was a really lovely f/f fantasy read. Told in second person epistolary form, it was a tiny bit difficult to get into at first, but once you get used to the format (which didn't take me very long at all) it's super engrossing. Although hesitant at first, I ended up really loving the way it was told - it made the reading experience feel all the more intimate, which is one of the best words I would use to describe this book. This also really feels more like an origin story - you don't get the full picture yet and I feel like there's so much more to explore with these two characters. This is just the beginning of their journey and I'm looking forward to future books where that can be further explored, particularly as their destiny pertains to the Traitor. I also really loved the relationship between the two main characters and how it blossomed over time (yeah, that's totally a little bit of a pun, whatever). So, yeah, this has a lot of really lovely aspects and I did enjoy reading it.

On the other hand, I can't ignore the potential hurt this might cause with its depiction of Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian cultures. Here (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2032356303) and here (http://vir-ghilani.tumblr.com/post/161871565208/the-tigers-daughter) are reviews/commentary on the book and its treatment of these cultures. So although I did find some personal enjoyment from this book, I can't wholeheartedly recommend it.

This is a hard book to review. It was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year, but it left me feeling mostly disappointed.

The good:
- A fantasy setting that isn't European-inspired.
- The main characters are both lesbians, as are some secondary characters.
- It's sex positive.
- The fiercest warriors in the book are all women!
- I was invested in the story and characters.

The bad:
- This is a personal preference, but the story is told mostly through a letter, and second person narration is my least favorite.
- Personal preference again, but chapters that take 1.5 hours are tedious to read.
- Even though I liked the romance, I wish it hadn't started with instalove.
- The book starts in the present and then goes back to the beginning of the story, but it leaves a huge gap, and I'm not exactly sure what the point of the entire thing was. I thought it was working up to a certain event, but it skipped right over that. Maybe it's planned for the next book, but I'm not sure I want to read on. Either way, it was underwhelming and unsatisfying.
- It's great to have same-sex romances in fantasy, but I'd really love to see same-sex romances set in worlds where they're actually accepted! Isn't that the point of fantasy, to create worlds different than our own? We see enough homophobia in the news, and there are plenty of contemporaries that deal with the topic, so I wish fantasy authors would create worlds where a same-sex relationship isn't cause for shame, punishment, or death. The world in this book actually does have an accepting society, but it's unfortunately not the one in which the main characters live.
- Lastly, but most importantly, there's the issue of the book's being an offensive appropriation of Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian cultures. One thing that stood out even to me, as someone not familiar with these cultures, was a character repeatedly referring to herself as "flat faced." However, there are many more examples that I read about in a review by a woman who is herself Japanese and therefore in the best position to speak about it.

The Good
I really liked this one. It’s fantasy set in Asia with lesbian protagonists and lots of women characters. Yes, yes, yes. I’m in.

The story was well-plotted, evolving slowly over the course of one very long letter that Shefali sends to Shizuka. But it worked. In the beginning, I had no idea what was going on, but as the story continued I got more involved and things started to make more sense. I became engrossed in the world.

The romance was also very good. Shefali and Shizuka face some major obstacles, but I constantly found myself rooting for them. I believed in their story and I was really invested. I thought things progressed at a believable pace, and the characters were developed enough to be interesting and different from one another–even the secondary characters.

I was just so engrossed while reading this.

The Bad
Hokkaran is an analogue of Japan and the Qorin are an analogue for the Mongols. An analogue for China also shows up. I was confused throughout the book as to why the Qorin were portrayed as fair-haired. Possibly to differentiate them from the Hokkaran? I also found the portrayal of the China analogue rather simplistic (though we do spend less time in that region). Other than that, I enjoyed being in the Asian setting.

You should, however, read this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2032356303?book_show_action=true. I don’t have much experience with Japan, but the language issues brought up in this review do seem problematic. Regarding the flat-face descriptions and comments about dark skin, I did not read these as racist on the part of the author, but instead as internalized racism on the part of Shefali. Could the author have created a world without this sort of inter-Asia racism? Yes, of course. But to me it read as realistic.

You should know, though, that the portrayal of Japan is apparently not great. I did find the portrayal of China a little confusing and hard to recognize, so I believe it. Which is annoying and does take this book down a star in my opinion.

The Verdict
Despite the issues regarding the portrayal of Asian cultures, story-wise I really enjoyed this. Educate yourself and then decide whether or not you want to read it.

Note: This book contains mature content (sexy times) and graphic violence. Please be aware!

I admit, this book was not on my radar at first. I requested it solely because of the lesbian romance and the aspect of fighting demons. I would soon find out that not only does this book feature those things, but also an expansive Mongolian-inspired world with so many facets to it (as well as an issue that I discuss below), and a slowly burgeoning romance that would make my heart burst with both love and satisfaction. THE TIGER'S DAUGHTER is a beautiful tale that will burrow its way into your heart, as you traverse through the land with Shizuka, Shefali, and their grand love story.

THE TIGER'S DAUGHTER starts out slow – almost exceptionally slow. It took me a bit as a reader to really get into the story. But once 20% or so in, I was ready to keep reading until the end. Arsenault really feeds information to the readers in increments, slowly building up to the climax. She does this really well, in the form of letters. Each chapter begins with the third person musings of Shizuka, the Empress of Hokkaro, as she reads a letter from her best friend and lover, Shefali, who for some reason isn’t there with her. The letter takes the narrative into a second person POV, as Shefali is writing her feelings and recollections of past events to Shefali, with the readers experiencing it as well. The super long letter takes readers on an emotional journey from the time when the women were first born to the present time, explaining bit by bit the revelations and discoveries made throughout their toddler-age, adolescence, and young adulthood.

“You and I were going to do great deeds, were going to be the brightest stars in the sky.”

It wasn’t exactly “love at first sight” for Shefali and Shizuka. Given that Shizuka tried to attack Shefali the first time she saw her, that’s no surprise! But what begins as a tentative friendship – mostly because their mothers battled and killed a demon together – develops into something infinitely more. Many things stood in the way of their love, not including the fact that they are two women, but also the class and racial distinctions between the two. While Shizuka is born as the niece of the Emperor of Hokkaro and direct heir, Shefali is just the daughter of the leader of the Qorin people. Qorin are discriminated against by the Hokkarans and even when Shefali is at Shizuka’s side, she still gets treated as lesser. It really made my heart ache to see Shefali treated that way, but her stubborn character made her resilient against it.

I liked seeing the dynamics of the relationship as both women worked out the parts of them that made them so different from the other. Shizuka sees past the prejudice and appreciates Shefali for her character, even as Shefali sees past Shizuka’s shiny and spoiled veil into the caring person that she is. These two extremely capable and extremely fierce women complemented each other just fantastically. While Shefali says very few words and instead uses her mind to think before acting, Shizuka is very impetuous and loves to talk (and all the attention!). Shefali is a natural on the horse and unparalleled with an arrow. It’s the same for Shizuka but with her sword skills. Both of these women were just so multifaceted and really leapt off the pages while I was reading. Separately, they were strong in mind and spirit. Together, they were unstoppable.

“I wanted you. Only you. From the day we met, I’ve known this as my heart has known to beat.”

From a very young age, Shizuka knew that they were special (and not just because of their unbreakable bond). As young children, they were extremely powerful. Shefali could speak to her horse, while flowers followed the path of Shizuka. Both women have mysterious powers that lead them towards battling the demons that plague the nation. It isn’t when a battle goes wrong that they start worrying, however.

There’s honestly so much that happens in this book as readers go from the birth of Shizuka and Shefali to the current time, when they are in their mid-20’s (if my calculations are correct). The two women are so fierce, cunning, brilliant, and magnificent. I loved reading about their growth into who they become, as well as their sweet, wholesome, developing relationship. The romance itself was also a large part of the book, as each woman can’t help but gravitate towards the other. There is a forbidden love aspect added as tradition doesn’t allow Shizuka, as Empress, to be in a relationship with a woman. But through their wit and support of trusted allies, no obstacle could bar the power of their love.

“I hold you dear as air, dear as light, dear as flame and earth.”

One thing that made me pause while reading (and even ruminate about after reading) is the direction the author took with Hokkaran, Qorin, and Xian culture. Hokkaran is based on Japanese culture, Qorin on Mongolian, and Xian on Chinese. The author uses the elements of these cultures very loosely in the story – especially Hokkaran and Xian – which in turn gives readers a very vague notion of how the world came to be. In the storyline, the Hokkaran conquered much of the land, including Xian land. Arsenault takes bits and pieces of each culture and instills them in the traditions of Hokkaro and its citizens. This mix-and-match of Chinese and Japanese-inspired countries may be an issue with readers, especially given the historical and modern animosities between them. I don’t think the world was written with the research and preparation to account for these sentiments, and this kind of integration may promote the misconception that the two cultures are interchangeable. At the same time, as a Chinese reader I wasn’t put out by this part of the world while reading, in favor of the storyline and romance, and believe that this aspect will be up to each individual reader’s discretion. I just want to highlight this point and have readers be aware of it before they start the book.

This book came as a surprise as to how much I ended up enjoying it. The ferocious action and devastating (in a way that made my heart ache AND beat faster) romance made THE TIGER'S DAUGHTER a thrill of a read. I really recommend this to fantasy lovers, as this f/f romance is set within an exciting backdrop of court intrigue, deception, and demons. I do acknowledge the problems with the world-building, although readers will find that the setting is rather light in contrast to the focus on romance and characterization. I honestly can’t gush enough about this book, and just really recommend readers to pick it up and really discover the endearing and powerful love story that develops between the pages.

This book was unlike anything I've read this year. It was magical and drew you right into the story. I read this book slowly because I never wanted to finish it. It was a fantasy novel I had been dying to read for ages. It had women in loved in a healthy way, women that were powerful and weren't afraid of it. It wasn't small things that all fantasy novels normally have the same themes, follow a familiar pattern. This didn't. That on its own I'd happily give money to to be able to read again and again. The writing was magical and elegant. The author could have easily have wrote it in the language we've become used to, but instead she wrote in a way that made it felt like it was an old text, something you expect to see in an old story of folktales.

There were only a few things I would change - Maybe make it a bit clearer the names for people and maybe give us a chart of the names who they belong to. More than once I was lost and confused by it, but it did get a little easier. Another thing I recommend is have a list of words that were made up for this story with what they mean. Because I felt like I was lost to most of these words and could only guess most of the meanings used. An index could be a huge help. There were plots that were introduced in this book and pieces of stories that were never finished that I wish had been or at least been left for the next book before it was brought out. An example being how Shizura had to kill her mother who was becoming a blackblood. We were never told how or why and this is one of the things that still bothers me a lot.

As someone who is gay and has been craving a good female love story, this book delivered on that. While most books and TV shows kill off female gay characters right now, this book didn't. Other books released this year have been clearly racist or had other issues where this book touched on some of those issues, but wasn't done right conveying such issues in a way to show that it's okay. There was the issue of some East Asian readers finding this book offending, I myself can't step behind that claim until I better understand where those readers are coming from before I can side either way. So I don't think I can say that it falls into that category or have the right to say so.

I really loved the magic of this book and desperately can't wait for more.

I fell in love with The Tiger’s Daughter from its first pages. It was as easy as breathing. What initially charmed me was the narrative voice, but what threw me head over heels was the cast of heroines, mother and daughter alike, who form the very spine of these pages. And that was just the first taste.

Barsalai Shefali and O-Shizuka were destined to be friends from the moment they were born: two girls graced by pine needles. Only then did their mothers begin to realize the momentous occasion, the beginning of a friendship that would change the very fabric of this world. The universe merely smiled. Divided by cultures and separated by prejudice, these two women are joined by more than friendship. Instead connected by power, legacy, and most importantly love. Even more powerful than believed, they are a force to be reckoned with. A force that will cross countries steeped with fear, slay tigers in a land without any, and fight the demons of the night.

Before I talk about how deep my love for the women in this book goes, I would like to focus on a few other aspects. Once I begin professing my adoration for not only the main characters, but basically every woman in this book, I would not be able to stop and the world building and plot deserve some attention. Walking through these pages is like taking your first steps in a greenhouse. The atmosphere changes, a mist settles into your bones, and your eyes see colors it has only dreamed of. Every step further takes you deeper into its clutches, enfolding you in its richness before it will deposit you on the other side, its halls a mere memory. It is never heavy handed. Instead slow paced, light as a breeze, and making the most of each page. (To phrase it as atmospheric and detailed seemed like a vast understatement).

The plot is something else entirely. Unfolding over decades, this book spares no expense to document the friendship of Shefali and Shizuka. The results are rich beyond measure. By witnessing their very first meeting, the histories of their parents, we are enriched by their legacy. Their friendship is written in the fabric of destiny and Rivera’s extensive story, as told by Shefali’s letter (frame narratives are my favorite type), is the only way we can fathom the foundations of their relationship.

Now let me commence the words that will attempt to convey my utter love for these characters. Given the history within the story, we glimpse our heroines at each stage of their lives – from childhood challenges to fierce warriors. Shizuka is courageous, daring, and tender. Being raised in the court leaves no room for weakness and her fearlessness presents itself in battle and finery. Shefali is a woman of little words, but she is equally compassionate, loyal, and brave. We witness their mistakes, the ones we make as children in a rush to be adults with responsibility without knowing its immense weight. At the same time, we see through Shefali’s eyes the fears we have, especially of our own making, and the experiences that force us to grow. Apart these two are comets shooting across the sky, but together they are firecrackers.

The love they have for each other and the depth of their friendship is moving. It is equally fragile and strong, defying the challenges of society while maintaining its innocence and susceptibility to the movements of those beyond our control. Rivera paints some of the most beautiful explanations of love I have ever read. The additional LGBTQIA aspect makes it even more important. It becomes not only poignant, but also necessary. It is a love that, even today, defies and inspires legends.

This does not merely present itself in one way, but manifests in many other small touches. Which brings me to my love of the ‘side’ characters, for with the amount of detail and care put into them seems an ill-fitting description. I could not begin to pick a favorite. An obvious choice would be the two mothers of these great heroines, who are infamous in and of themselves. Their relationship is complex, and one I hope to read about in another of Rivera’s books. The relationship each has to her daughter is precious beyond words. I have a sweet spot for mother/daughter relationships and in this aspect Rivera does not disappoint. Another choice would be Shefali’s cousin, who is a force in and of herself, both formidable and caring. But these strong women, and there are many, are interspersed through the text in a variety of roles, until the very end, who confront the status quo of the world and dare to carve a different path.

As I turned each page, I fell more and more in love with this story, its characters, and the promise of its future. The ending does not disappoint as it is both satisfying and still inspires a sense of eager anticipation within you. This is an epic story of friendship: how it thrives through distance and time, stretched, but never broken. This is an epic story of love – the love we have for our mothers and daughters, the love we have for those we cannot bear to live without, and the love we struggle to find for ourselves.

I wouldn't normally describe a book as beautiful, but this one was. It is a rollercoaster of emotion. I laughed and I cried as I read this. Overall, it's a story of love and friendship and two women bound together. I want more and didn't want it to end.

I feel so lucky I got to read this early (and thank you both to Tor and NetGalley for sending). It took me a while to get into it. Epic fantasy is hard for me when it's dense because I get confused and the story isn't moving fast enough. In the Tiger's Daughter, which is based on Japanese and Mongolian cultures, it seemed like every character had six names and I couldn't keep track of them all. BUT STICK WITH IT, which I did, because the writing was so beautiful. The beating heart of the book is the relationship between Shefali and Shizuka. It felt similar to books like THE SONG OF ACHILLES in that way; yes there's war and problems and politics but it all seems slightly peripheral to the relationship at the center. It's not what I'd call a page-turner: suspenseful, fast-paced, etc. It's just beautiful. Take your time with it. (As for recent criticisms... I'm not part of the cultures represented in the book, so I can't speak to that definitively, but to me, the representations never felt disrespectful or ignorant.)

<i>The Tiger's Daughter</i> is a fascinating work of Asian-inspired fantasy, following the adventures of two impetuous young women with divine abilities: Shefali, a woman of horse-bonded people of the steppes, and O-Shizuka, a spoiled royal. The world-building intrigued me with its thorough immersion in these different cultures. As the two women grow up, they become far more than friends--a major taboo--and then disaster befalls them. Their relationship is passionate and genuine (though as a reader, I really wanted to shake sense into Shizuka sometimes). Normally, I can predict how a plot develops, but this novel is full of genuine surprises right up to the very end.

That said, it was not an all together smooth read for me. Much of the book is told in the form of a letter written from Shefali to Shizuka, which means it's extensively in second person. At times, the narrative returns to Shizuka in the present. I found this back and forth to be confusing at times, especially through the first half of the book.

I was also puzzled by the use of familiar Asian place names and some items in this world. The names are slightly twisted but still recognizable. Since the world is otherwise so fresh and unique, I wasn't sure why the names were used in this way. It made me wonder if this is a far-future Earth or space colony; total guesses on my part. A map might have clarified this issue for me. My galley didn't include one, but perhaps the final published version will.

In all, a good read that brings a unique setting and strong passionate partnership to the epic fantasy genre. I am curious as to where the series will go from here.

This read made me uncomfortable. It was violent. This was not for me.