River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

In "Under Heaven," Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China's Tang Dynasty. Now, the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits, and soldiers.

Good, but not as good as Under Heaven. I didn't feel as connected with the characters as I did with Under Heaven.

Rating, much less reviewing, this book is hard for me. It's beautifully written, yet I was angry while reading it. I am angry at the end, even while appreciating how things played out and being satisfied with how it was handled. It's not through any fault in the writing; as always, Guy Gavriel Kay's writing is beautiful. The things that happen in the book are SUPPOSED to make the reader angry, at least if the reader has a hard time accepting an unfair status quo, and it's disconcerting because it's all told in such a beautiful way.