On the day of her first betrothal meeting--and rejection--Ai Ling discovers a power welling deep within her. She can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.
Ai Ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor’s palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. She must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. And then she meets Chen Yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. Here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance--of anything with the making of legend.
I've wanted to read this since I saw the blurb ages ago. I finally snagged it from the library and read it this past weekend, and well, I'll be real honest here, I didn't enjoy it much. I mean, I was really looking forward to the Chinese culture and mythology, always a fav of mine, and the characters sounded interesting and very much like what I'd generally enjoy. But, the whole thing just fell flat for me after the first few chapters. This may have something to do with the fact that I do not like 3rd person, especially 3rd limited, as in this case it was just that--limited. I didn't get to really see into the character much, and the setting just didn't come alive. I couldn't see what everything really looked like, other than the food (seriously don't read this book hungry--you'll crave Chinese food like nobodies business!). So, yeah, I wasn't a fan. I kept reading, hoping that the ending would make up for things, but that just left me hanging, too. So, this one wasn't for me. Better writing might have made it more appealing, but it's garnered lots of attention elsewhere, so it could be just me. I do think that I'll be layering in a lot more detail in my own work though--if only because I want people to fly right along with my characters, not just follow along with the letters on the page.
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