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Jeannie Lin’s Butterfly Swords was a DIK read for me. I loved its rich, exotic setting, charming characters, and sense of pageantry. While this novel did not quite equal the first it is still a wonderful love story set in a lush, exciting land.
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Ling Suyin, the Emperor’s beloved Guifei, is a precious consort no more. She is happy now in her retirement, grateful for her quiet home away from court intrigues. Then Li Tao comes, marching her to his fortress under armed escort, assuring her that he is doing this for her own safety. It appears a rival warlord/governor wants to murder Suyin for the secrets she holds and Tao is just as determined to wrest those secrets from her before she meets an untimely demise. Thus begins a game of wills, for the secrets Tao wants are as dangerous to Suyin as they are to Tao’s rival.
Tang Dynasty politics comes to life in this romance that is part Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and part Original Sin. Both Tao and Suyin have risen from nothing to very high positions, but each had help along the way and it is that “help” that has caught up to them now. Suyin is clever, secretive, and manipulative. These are the skills of a concubine who wants to survive being an emperor’s favorite, and she knows just how to use her pretty face to get what she wants. But she is also the girl who existed before the emperor ever saw her, and that girl had a dream to find a protector such as Tao. Someone young, handsome, and strong. Someone who wanted her just for her. While she finds Tao a frustrating, unbending captor she gets glimpses of the man she wants – someone loyal, brave, and caring. Even as she wanders the halls of his home as his prisoner, even as she plots, she wants.
Tao is a man burdened with his secrets. He spends every day preparing for the inevitable attacks that will come from either Emperor Shen, the rebel Gao, or his unseen enemy. But more and more of his thought process is being eaten up by Ling Suyin. Her every gesture is grace itself, her face one worthy of all the poems written about it. She is a distraction as he faces what he is certain are his final days. Should he give in to the passion eating at him with her every breath? Are stolen moments sweeter for being all he will have?
I feel obligated to tell you that I know nothing of Chinese History. Everything I’ve ever learned comes from movies, most of them starring Jack Black as a cuddly, feisty panda. I can’t attest to the accuracy of the facts or characterizations, but I can say I felt the ambiance was perfectly done. The superficial aspects of the culture from the music and gowns to the bamboo gardens are lovingly recreated on the page for our enjoyment. I got a nice sense of time and place, but didn’t feel that the setting overwhelmed the story.
The writing is lovely. Lin has a slow, clear, lyrical voice and uses it well to tell her tale. There is also a sense of calm and reserve to her voice which I think matches the culture she depicts in her story.
The novel’s flaw lay in the fact that almost all of it takes place in the lull before the storm. That makes things feel both a bit morose and a bit lethargic. When the storms do come, some of the resolutions seem unbelievable, some of the secrets revealed truly annoying. These little drops in quality kept the novel from reaching the DIK status I had initially hoped for.
This is still an excellent novel, well above much of what is available on the market today. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a lush, romantic read.
Grade: B
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 28/09/11
Publication Date: 2011/10
I've been an avid reader since 2nd grade and discovered romance when my cousin lent me Lord of La Pampa by Kay Thorpe in 7th grade. I currently read approximately 150 books a year, comprised of a mix of Young Adult, romance, mystery, women's fiction, and science fiction/fantasy.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.