Currently reading
Roman Blood
Progress:
171/401 pages
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
Progress:
208/557 pages
Avant-gardes du XXe siècle: arts & littérature, 1905-1930
Caesar's Commentaries: On the Gallic War and On the Civil War
Les bûchers de Bocanegra
The Songs of the Kings
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories: Volumes I and II
The Hobbit
Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia
This novel has good things and not so good things. Quite a strong first novel but with the flaws that comes with it.One of the really, really good thing: the world building is wonderful. I loved Xia, I loved the Immortals lands, the landscapes. I especially loved that both Ai Ling and Chen Yong knew these mythological, magical and sometimes evils beings, places from books. I even thought for a while that they came to life from Ai Ling's mind. Which would have been a nice twist. Most of the characters are trying to find there footing but are likable even the really evil ones. One of the really no so good things is the way the danger for Ai Ling comes almost exclusively from men and is all but some form of sexual assault. I know the period the author set up the novel implies that women were propriety but it became even more a thing I have problems with when the origin of all the assault was found. A mix bag for me. Loved some parts a lot and I mean a lot. Others I just loathed. For a YA book, targeted for young women I do have problems with it has an adult. A teenager might not have those problems. YMMV
