Picture, if you will, the concept of a Geisha who could raise people, and dragons, from the dead. A surprisingly hardcore image, ain't it? In this book's universe, a young woman who is gifted with magical powers can become an asha, a performer and conversationalist as well as a warrior who can use magic. Now, if that's not a great concept when I see one, I don't know what is. How'd it pan out? Let's take a look.
Tea was very young when her power manifested itself and she summoned her older brother back from the dead. To her horror, as well as everyone else's, she's a bone witch; an asha whose power comes from the dark. She is then whisked away from her home by another bone witch, Lady Mykaela, and taken to the Valerian where she's trained to become an asha. But the world frowns deeply upon dark asha and Tea has a long and difficult road ahead of her.
The culture and style of this world is very well put together. As I said before, the training and careers of asha are very similar to those of a Geisha and the world does have a very feudal Japan feel to it. Several times I was deeply reminded of Memoirs of a Geisha (from which I'd be very surprised if the author didn't draw some inspiration) except with the inclusion of magic and combat training. Yet it doesn't feel like a rip off. This world is similar, yes, but also manages to be its own thing. The set up of the Eight Kingdoms and the politics that take place within it are well thought out. The magic within the story is pretty basic, manipulating elements and whatnot, but also has original ideas such as heartglasses (glass necklaces that reflect your inner thoughts).
But, as good as the world is, the plot can tend to crawl at times. It goes into great detail about descriptions of buildings and what daily life is like for an asha, which is good, but it tends to run away with itself. There are long bouts of nothing happening through this book. Once the action does start, however, it is pretty interesting. There's some really good action and drama in this book, including attacks from dark creatures called daeva, political intrigue, potential love interests, complicated plots from mysterious warriors called the Faceless...it just takes a long time reading through dancing lessons and chores before we get there. Still, the training and lessons can be interesting in their own right, but it isn't always enough to keep one's attention like it should.
The characters in this story are...okay, for the most part. Tea, as far as protagonists go, does tend to be a bit of a whiner. You can understand where she's coming from, for the most part, but it can get on one's nerves after awhile. Fox, the resurrected older brother, is an interesting character but his efforts to protect Tea tend to get in the way of things. He knows she has powers, he knows she can help, but he runs in and goes on about it being "too dangerous". Dude, people are getting killed. Let the woman work! Lady Mykaela is a pretty interesting character, the leader of the Valerian is delightfully disgusting, and the dress maker is fun, but everyone else tends to be either cliche or forgettable. A lot of the asha kind of blend into one another, making it a bit hard sometimes to keep track of who is who.
The story is told from Tea's perspective several years in the future. A future, in fact, where she's an outcast and is raising daeva and keeping them as pets. Now, this insight into what Tea's future holds actually does provide some atmosphere and an odd feeling of dread. We don't know how Tea ended up in such a place and it makes us truly interested as to where the author is going with the story. Couple that with a pretty ominous ending and it will make readers eager to know what happens next. Those bits were the best part of the book for me and it got me genuinely interested in Tea's future and how she comes to be in such a place.
Final Verdict
While the plot can drag and the characters fall flat, the world building and atmosphere still make up for an interesting story and a compelling read. If it sounds like something you'd like, check it out but maybe wait for it on paperback.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Next Time: For this girl it is either redemption or death....
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