Author Ann Liang tackles the conflict between the Yue and Wu nations in A Song To Drown Rivers, a retelling of the legend of Xi Shi, who is one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. Like most legends, there are multiple iterations of the tale, with this book mostly sticking to the basic story…
The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a stunning achievement. If that’s not enough to get you to read this (I warn you – tragic, without a single happily ever after involved) romantic epic, then take this into account: it’s almost certainly going to be on my best of year for 2024. In 4 BCE,…
I found The Leftover Woman hard to grade. It kept me reading, but I can’t say I enjoyed it. If you are looking for an exploration of what it might be like to be a mother affected by China’s One Child policy, this could be the story for you. Maybe. Jasmine was never wanted. In…
Chloe Gong never fails to take her readers on a journey. Foul Lady Fortune opens a fresh series for her, but also serves as a continuation of the adventures of the Shakesperian characters in her These Violent Delights duology. This novel provides Rosalind’s story. I liked it only slightly less than the two TVD books,…
Jeannie Lin’s Lotus Palace Mysteries are back, and they continue to be satisfying, well-crafted reads. They’re best read in order, so I suggest not starting with this one; however, this review doesn’t have spoilers except for identifying previous couples. Song Yi is the lead courtesan at the House of Heavenly Peaches. She’s known as a…
Début novels can be a bit of a gamble, but I’m glad to report that Lily Chu’s The Stand-In is a risk worth taking. Gracie Reed is the biracial daughter of a white Canadian man and a Chinese mother now struggling with dementia. First, her boss sexually harasses and then fires her. Next, a paparazzo…
I have been blown away. Chloe Gong set a high bar with These Violent Delights, a 1920s fantasy version of Romeo and Juliet which transports the story’s action to Shanghai. Our Violent Ends is the first book’s equal. Gong’s talent remains unstinting. You need to read this book. It’s now 1927, and Juliette Cai is…
The Devil Comes Courting is the third full-length novel book in the Worth Saga, and it follows a new heroine as well as the continuing adventures of the Worth siblings and the Hunter family. Captain Grayson Hunter is looking for a genius, specifically, someone to code Chinese characters for his telegraph line. His longtime dream…
Stunning prose, a pulse-pounding romance, and unexpected twists upon Shakespeare’s familiar tale of youthful but doomed love make These Violent Delights a high-quality read for anyone who likes a good gangster tale with a heavy skosh of romance thrown in. It’s Shanghai in 1926, and a war between two families – alike in dignity, but…
Jeannie Lin’s Lotus Palace Mysteries hit a trifecta of unusual setting, richly drawn characters, and engaging plots. The Hidden Moon, book four in this series, continues this record, and I’m happy to be able to recommend it. Who would dare assassinate a chancellor on the very steps of the Chinese capital? Bai Wei-ling (Wei-wei to her…
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