Ahoy there me mateys! I was interested in this novella as soon as I heard about it. It was described as a martial arts story involving bandits and a young nun. I requested an eArc immediately but was denied ::sob::. Then Matey Tammy @ books,bones,andbuffy was nice enough to send me an extra copy ::cheer!::. It comes out tomorrow.
This wasn’t quite what I was expected based on the description but I did enjoy it nonetheless. I thought the martial arts aspects were going to be front and center. Instead it was more about the three main characters and their interpersonal relationships. This novella is classified as wuxia fantasy. I didn’t know what that meant. Turns out these fantasies are set in classical Chinese eras with martial arts traditions and a hint of magic. As I am not familiar with this genre, I can’t tell the crew how it compares to other works in this style.
I absolutely loved the young nun, Guet Imm, who is both naive and cunning. She is funny and it was lovely to watch her discomfit and change the group dynamics. The leader of the group, Lau Fung Cheung, is a bit mysterious and I enjoyed all the silliness around how good looking he is. But the best character for me was Tet Sang by far. I enjoyed learning about his background and he was always surprising me. I particularly adored the ending of this novella.
I liked this read well enough but I am not sure why I didn’t love it. The elements seem to be there but I wasn’t head over heels about the story. Maybe this is one of those times where I just needed more details. The world building is light. Besides the three main characters, all the others felt interchangeable. The blend of serious and silly was well done but I am not used to that kind of writing so maybe that was the disconnect? I am not sure.
I have no regrets and certainly enjoyed reading this. I just don’t think that the plot details will linger even if the characters certainly will. Arrrr!
Goodreads’ website has this to say about the novel:
Zen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.
A bandit walks into a coffeehouse, and it all goes downhill from there. Guet Imm, a young votary of the Order of the Pure Moon, joins up with an eclectic group of thieves (whether they like it or not) in order to protect a sacred object, and finds herself in a far more complicated situation than she could have ever imagined.
To visit the author’s website go to:
To buy the book go to:
the order of the pure moon reflected in water – Book
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Great review! My copy should arrive today, I’m excited for it. I love stories about interpersonal relationships so this bodes well for me!
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I do think ye will really like this one. The three main characters are fun. I hope we get a review so I can hear what ye think of it. Arrr!
x The Captain
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I preordered this one, and am looking forward to getting it tomorrow! 😀
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It has a beautiful cover and was a lot of fun. I hope ye enjoy it.
x The Captain
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I forgot this was coming out tomorrow! I’m so glad I read your post. I need to squeeze it in this week😁
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It is quick so ye can do it. Arrr!
x The Captain
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If you’re interested in more Wuxia novels, check out Jon Yong’s classic Wuxia series, The Legend of the Condor Heroes. It was first published in China starting in the 1950s, and was only recently translated into English. The first book is A Hero Born.
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That should be Jin Yong….
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I actually have a copy of that book and trying to read it but couldn’t get into the writing style. I remember reading yer review about how much ye liked it. I be a mood reader so I am not adverse to trying it again. I feel like if I could settle into the style I may enjoy it. I also somehow missed that it was a wuxia novel so with that in mind it may be a better fit.
x The Captain
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It took me a bit to get into it because the style was so different, but once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it.
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I’m excited to read this! The blend of serious and silly sounds very much like the other books by Zen Cho that I’ve read — it took a bit of adjusting to, because it wasn’t exactly what I expected, but now that I’m acclimated I tend to enjoy it a lot.
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This was me first book by the author but I have the terracotta bride on me list to read. I just have to track down a copy. Glad to know that her other books have a similar style. I wasn’t sure if the silly/serious blend was just the wuxia influence. I will keep it in mind so I have the correct expectations. Thanks matey.
x The Captain
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