Rating: 4.5/10
A renowned storyteller and lady-in-waiting to the Empress, the narrator is locked in a bitter rivalry with another woman for the love of a banished nobleman. Forced to observe the complex rules and social hierarchies of court life, she finds herself caught in a trap of her own making. Her machinations reach such a pitch that they threaten to undermine the rule of the Emperor himself.
Summary by Goodreads.com
I chose this book because I am a big fan of novels delineating asian and ancient japanese culture, however upon beginning this novel I was confronted with a vague and disarranged prologue, not the greatest start. The confusion is only cleared up after the first few chapters and only by the pretense that the prologue hadn't happened. Continuing on with the plot, of which the environment and description was praiseworthy, I found that the characters presented were unique in such a way that every flaw and malign thought were exposed, leaving a clear image of the protagonists personality. I found this refreshing, in contrast to the too often occurring mary-sue characters of more popular novels. Unsurprisingly the romance present in the book turned more tragic than winsome, the emotions of the characters were powerfully portrayed and the feeling of the protagonists continual loss, passion and jealousy were woven through the entire book. However, despite it's merits, the novel ends in an unsatisfactory and inconclusive manner, I found myself continually putting the book down for a few days even though I liked a large proportion of what I read, for that reason I can not give the book higher than a rating of 4.5/10.
Good Points:
- Beautifully descriptive
- Refreshing characters
- Exhibits emotion above expectation
Bad Points:
- Confusing start off-putting
- Inconclusive and vague ending.
Buy/Borrow/Avoid:
For most people I would not recommend the book, I found it tough to keep picking it up after putting it down so many times. Avoid.
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