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parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Stalking, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War and Xenophobia
legs_n_chins's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
As always, Vo blows me away with her prose. One thing I love about these novellas is how we enter each story. It starts very much in the middle of Chih’s journey every time and while it’s somewhat jarring for a moment, it also adds a layer of immersiveness I think. As passive observers of events, more passive even than Chih themselves, it feels like we’re another traveler just over Chih’s shoulder who’s observing everything without prior knowledge. As if we’ve barely entered the tavern here a moment before Si-yu and we don’t know anything about what’s going on, but we’re along for the ride anyway. I think it’s also very effective as the setting itself and Chih’s journey is not as important as the actual story to be told, and by not lingering on that by spending time building that setting before the action begins, Vo directs our attention to the story more easily.
I loved the format of this one. Annotation and correction rather than a story being told in a singular line. It highlights the notion present in the other novellas, that stories are often told differently and that’s the point of them. “There are three versions to every story…” and all that. I like that this one presents two very different accounts of the same story, though it’s easy to see how the events line up and are interpreted differently based on culture. The distinct cultures of human versus tiger and the ways those differences influence how events occur. I especially liked the moment where the tigers pointed out that humans had ignored the way real tigers would’ve acted or behaved because they viewed everything through their own lens, leaving off the reality of the other’s existence. There’s something there to be said about biased reporting in our own world.
As usual, the world Vo has created is so lush and lovingly crafted. It’s clear she has created a full history of the world even if we only get bits and pieces each time. Mentions of old cities and dynasties and families are peppered throughout these novels, tied together but still not known to us. I wish I remembered enough of the other novellas I’ve read to try to fit together the pieces I know and paint a larger picture for myself. Regardless, it feels very much like a real, lived-in world, which is not easy to do in my opinion, especially in short novellas like these. I can’t expound enough on how immersive it is.
I also liked this story in itself a lot. I prefer the tigers’ version, especially the end, but the version Chih was told isn’t in any way bad. What I loved best, maybe, were those contrasts, in fact. But the ending of the tigers’ version appealed to me because it really followed through on the notion of desiring, owning, and consuming. This was introduced very subtly when we first see Sinh Loan knelt over Bao-so and reiterated with the book of poetry, so to end it in that way was such a beautiful conclusion to that through line. It also perfectly encapsulates that aspect of tiger culture and how distinct it is from human culture.
The only thing missing in this book was Almost Brilliant. Though Si-yu was a great addition for some levity.
Thus far, Vo’s novels all represent animals of the Chinese zodiac. I don’t know what’s next from her, and I’m very excited to find out, but I do hope she intends to write for each animal in the cycle.
I loved the format of this one. Annotation and correction rather than a story being told in a singular line. It highlights the notion present in the other novellas, that stories are often told differently and that’s the point of them. “There are three versions to every story…” and all that. I like that this one presents two very different accounts of the same story, though it’s easy to see how the events line up and are interpreted differently based on culture. The distinct cultures of human versus tiger and the ways those differences influence how events occur. I especially liked the moment where the tigers pointed out that humans had ignored the way real tigers would’ve acted or behaved because they viewed everything through their own lens, leaving off the reality of the other’s existence. There’s something there to be said about biased reporting in our own world.
As usual, the world Vo has created is so lush and lovingly crafted. It’s clear she has created a full history of the world even if we only get bits and pieces each time. Mentions of old cities and dynasties and families are peppered throughout these novels, tied together but still not known to us. I wish I remembered enough of the other novellas I’ve read to try to fit together the pieces I know and paint a larger picture for myself. Regardless, it feels very much like a real, lived-in world, which is not easy to do in my opinion, especially in short novellas like these. I can’t expound enough on how immersive it is.
I also liked this story in itself a lot. I prefer the tigers’ version, especially the end, but the version Chih was told isn’t in any way bad. What I loved best, maybe, were those contrasts, in fact. But the ending of the tigers’ version appealed to me because it really followed through on the notion of desiring, owning, and consuming. This was introduced very subtly when we first see Sinh Loan knelt over Bao-so and reiterated with the book of poetry, so to end it in that way was such a beautiful conclusion to that through line. It also perfectly encapsulates that aspect of tiger culture and how distinct it is from human culture.
The only thing missing in this book was Almost Brilliant. Though Si-yu was a great addition for some levity.
Thus far, Vo’s novels all represent animals of the Chinese zodiac. I don’t know what’s next from her, and I’m very excited to find out, but I do hope she intends to write for each animal in the cycle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
indeedithappens's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Grief, Self harm, Alcohol, Colonisation, Gore, Infidelity, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Abandonment, Body horror, Blood, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
o_romeo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Stalking, Self harm, Infidelity, and Gore
Minor: Sexual content and Drug abuse
devynreadsnovels's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Stalking
green_amaryllis's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Death, and Blood
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is the 3rd book I read from this series, and just like the others it focuses on stories and how a story changes depending on who tells it. It's really cool how all three books explore this theme in their own way and use different strategies / settings, it makes the books all feel fresh. And I just really love the "story within a story" elementin this series.
It's also really fun to explore a bit more about the world and the backstory of the monk with each book. With the monk travelling to different regions in each book, it feels a bit like a fun travel memoir.
Apart from the monk, the other characters were also really fun. I enjoyed the dynamics between the tiger sisters and how they argued among themselves
It's also really fun to explore a bit more about the world and the backstory of the monk with each book. With the monk travelling to different regions in each book, it feels a bit like a fun travel memoir.
Apart from the monk, the other characters were also really fun. I enjoyed the dynamics between the tiger sisters and how they argued among themselves
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I really liked it, though not as much as The Empress of Salt and Fortune. Probably because it's so short, and I really wanted more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
librarymouse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
God, this books is so good! The world building is vibrant without being overly didactic. The author let's readers learn as the narrator does, which makes the cleric the perfect conduit for the storytelling. The love in the story within a story was nuanced and beautiful. I want to read everything Nghi Vo has written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Blood