This was such a stunning debut by T. Wu! What I appreciated most about this book was how immersive it was. You know that feeling where you forget that you're reading because you're so absorbed into the moment? Yeah, that happened, and I was so excited to get back to different viewpoints because I wanted to see what happened next.
I love that this is a multi POV story. That, honestly, was probably what made this book such a success in my opinion. The story revolves around Prince Takahashi (emperor in theory but prince in name. Yes, there's a reason, and yes, it is covered :)), his dear friends, Akalin and Albert, and a couple other extras every now and again. Despite having so many characters, however, T. Wu is able to flawlessly transition between them, and I never felt particularly lost or confused. And the characters are extremely real, and very likable. I adored Akalin! From the moment of his first appearance I knew that this was a character that I could get behind, and he didn't disappoint. I'm extremely excited to see where his story leads!
The only issue I found with the characters was that some of the mundane talk from passersby felt a bit out of place, or unnecessary to disclose. At times that would catch me off-guard and feel rather unrealistic, but this was minimal in the long-run.
The plot was interesting and continued to progress throughout the story without feeling sluggish. However, there were times where I felt the pacing was actually too fast, especially in the beginning. I felt we were quickly given the scenario without having a real reason to care for the characters that were struggling. After about the 25% marker this evens out, I feel. The plot itself, however, felt original and interesting, and it kept me turning pages and eager to see what would happen.
The story ends on a cliffhanger, and oh, what a cliffhanger! I adored it, and it makes me immediately want to read the second book. Super exciting, and one which, I daresay, I didn't see coming at all.
The story has an anime vibe, or at least to me. I felt I could easily see everything through an anime lens and it flowed beautifully. The rich, lush descriptions of East Asian culture felt authentic and believable, which also lent into the immersion that I felt into the story.
Overall, a beautiful debut, and one which I highly, highly recommend. I'm very eager to read more of her work in the future!