You’d think a book following a months long sea journey in the olden days would be boring but I really liked it. I enjoyed the way Laurence started to acknowledge the Chinese as individuals with their own personalities and agendas rather than as a monolithic whole. The kinda developments that only really make sense over an extended period of time.
I guess the least enjoyable part was the beginning where Laurence had to grapple against orders and Temeraire’s tendency to do as he thought right. It was realistically frustrating.
I also really enjoyed how Roland started learning Chinese and befriended the young Chinese prince. And the barricaded fight scene was so well written I could imagine it so clearly.
One thing I found interesting and a cool bit of world-building was how the Chinese army was predominantly female. Sure it was due to daughters being less valuable than sons, but it is consistent with traditional Chinese views. And still a step up from the British view in the book.
The whole partner issue wrapped up a lot quicker than I expected and in a surprising way. As in I’m surprised that the Emperor was satisfied with that proposal haha. Alls well that ends well I guess.
Categories: Book Reviews
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