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which is a good thing. somewhat.

the book itself was a decently light read with an interesting story to tell. characters seemed pretty lively. especially barrington, though i don't mean "lively" in a positive way here. he has something to say about everything, and most of it is at least some degree of problematic. which isn't surprising coming from an old man, but even the love of his life morris calls him out on the regular for being just a smidge too cynical.

in the end i don't find myself astonished by this book, but that's not the expectation i was going into it with. i wanted something a bit lighter after bawling my eyes out at the ending of the these violent delights duology and, comparatively, mr loverman delivered on that. i still wouldn't classify it as a light read, because all the characters have some pretty deep-seated struggles. but most of them have a pretty good ending at least. even barry, who, in accordance with him being an old cynical asshole, tries his best to sabotage it.

The first book in this duology, I thought, was a bit of a drag. It had an interesting premise, but it meandered for so long without actually doing anything decisive other than setting up the characters. The end felt like a big explosion scene in an action movie.

This book? I was this close to ugly crying in the subway when I finished the last chapter and turned to the epilogue. It improved so much from the first, and by the time the ending happened - which, by the way, puts a great twist on the whole Romeo and Juliet business that's also going on here - I was involved with all the characters. I cared about them. I dreaded what would happen to Roma and Juliette, but when it actually did happen, it felt right nonetheless.

Some minor qualms include the apparent "mentions of the blood feud" quota that this book had to hit for some reason? Like, take a shot of water every time someone says the word and you're gonna be hydrated like no one else. But other than that, this shit is just great romance. It felt entirely natural, and all the cute little things they did for each other even though they're kind of busy with fighting for their lives in a city that's on the verge of being turned upside down? That is some emotional damage I endured right there.

this book is short and sweet. it tells the story of julienne, the niece of two immortals, finding cautious love to a serpent within a short adventure to heaven. and while the premise is intriguing, the book falters due to its length: many scenes could have, should have, been given a bit more time to breathe. introductions of characters feel rushed and by the end we are left with what is a story arc about finding courage in love, but just barely. especially disappointing since the wlw dynamic (pretty much everyone in this book is lesbian) is lovely and could've benefitted from some more depth.

the appendices, which consist of three short story that serve as a kind of prequel to the main story, provide context and a lot of verbose language, perhaps due to its rooting in chinese folklore. especially the second one, woman of the sun, woman of the moon was rather confusing to read. still, even if just for some queer love, i'd say this is worth a read if you like fantasy in an asian setting.

now does that sound enticing to you? because it sure did to me. i found this book via youtuber xiran jay zhao who recommended it to fans of the industrialized asian aesthetic of republic city in legend of korra. and it does deliver on that in spades. the book really gives a glimpse into the inner workings of a city ravaged by gang violence and further torn apart by european colonialism. there could not be a better setting for a retelling of a shakespeare classic.

the fantasy subplot with the monster that has everyone tearing out their own throats honestly gets in the way of that more than it helps out though and while it does give the characters something to do throughout the sloggish middle of the book, it still feels like it wasn't needed after all. not to mention that it also creates a setup for a sequel that is heavily hinted at. and by "heavily hinted" i mean the book ends with the words "to be continued".

i'd still say this was a good read, if only for the breathtaking setting.