Book received from Netgalley and Endeavour Press in exchange for an honest review, thank you.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The subject is fascinating: Wu Chao was a commoner in 7th century China and became the only female emperor China has ever had. This time in history was bloody with not only countries, but families were fighting for power and positions. Within the families there were power plays and hostilities; some committing suicide while others were sent into exile. With all of this being such an important and tumultuous time in history, I was excited where the author would take this.
In truth, I had a difficult time getting through. There is a lack of organization throughout the book as it wanders from one topic to another, seemingly unaware of the main focus of the narrative for awhile before coming back to its senses and getting back on track. There are many tangents, and the author seems to have the need to follow every one of them. That being said however, it is quite obvious that the research for this book is extensive and includes a lot of outer history and is very detailed. The amount of outer history may be the reason the author became so sidetracked, and he could have very easily done without it. I feel as though the author relied too much on other people's sources (meaning I feel as that he took exactly what they said in a cut and paste fashion), so the story does not feel as though it is his own work.
For being such a captivating topic, I feel the author could have done much better. This biography does not do the historical figure justice. I would not recommend this book, unless you are a history student that is in need of sources for a paper about Wu Chao.
2/5 stars
Book received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you.
First and foremost: I love this author. I loved "The Girl From the Well" and devoured it in two days. It was so original that I could not tear myself away. "The Suffering", the sequel to "The Girl From the Well" was just as mesmerizing as its predecessor. Needless to say I was thrilled to have been chosen to review this book.
What I loved about "The Bone Witch" is the geisha element that was tied into it. I thought that was an interesting take and it worked in my opinion. It was creative and different enough to hold its own. I don't think there are any other books out there that have geishas (ashas in the book) that are amazing fighters with magical powers. If there are, I would like to know about them immediately.
The main character is Tea who does not realize her potential to be an asha. Tea discovers her powers after accidentally resurrecting her brother at his funeral. As luck would have it there is a powerful bone witch that is in Tea's community when Tea conducts this feat, and becomes a teacher and mother figure to Tea while teaching her about the duties of a bone witch. This puts Tea on the path for herself to become a powerful asha.
The bond between Tea and her brother is awesome to read. I hope in the next book the author expands on this and how they are both affected.
This book is so wonderfully creative you forget everything else around you for the moment. The settings are gorgeous and although there is A LOT of descriptive writing, I definitely enjoyed it. I think the reason for so much description in this book is because it is setting the reader up for the book to follow. I don't know if this will be only a sequel or a trilogy, but I will for sure read whatever ones that come after this.
This author has become one of my favorites. I love how she writes and how vivid she makes her settings and characters. I really enjoyed this book.
5/5 stars
