I am obsessed. Obviously I thought I would like this but I didn’t expect to fall in love. There are some glossed-over things and I can see why people might have an issue, but this sucked me and didn’t let go.
This is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway and it delivers on the premise. Maia pretends to be her brother to compete in a competition to be a Master Tailor for the emperor. That competition is definitely like Project Runway. There’s odd tools and materials and dramatic tasks. It’s an interesting plot point, but it does end about ⅓ of the way through. I think some readers wanted it to last longer.
Considering how much visual clothing design is, Lim executes this concept well. She thoroughly describes the clothes made by Maia. I also liked how she described the process and how Maia felt working on her craft.
The romance is very prominent. As a romance reader this doesn’t bother me at all, but I can see people wanting less romance. It did occasionally feel like it was rushed. Maia does make some extreme choices for “love”. That half bothered me but also half felt like something an 18 year old would do. I do care about this romance and am on the edge of my seat about where it’ll go.
Something that surprised me was Maia’s family. I did not expect to care about them so quickly. Lim obviously has some magic.
Speaking of the magic-what is it? This may be the weakest part of the story. I don’t understand the magic at all. There appears to be rules, but we don’t get to know any of them. I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be a soft magic system or if Lim;’s just poorly explaining things. Maybe I’ll decide after teh second book.
While I’m invested in teh romance, the other plot is compelling, too. I’m not sure who we’re supposed to like or trust. That adds to the tension. It also means I have no idea what’s going to happen in the next book. Honestly, I don’t know what our endgame is.
They don’t have a lot in common, but this made me feel a lot like I felt when I read Poison Study. After I finish the second book it may be time for a Poison Study re-read. I’m definitely glad I gave Elizabeth Lim a chance.
Thanks for reading!
Holly