The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

Like a lot of people here, I was absolutely drawn in by the gorgeous cover. Let's just take a minute to admire it before I continue.

I'm not a stranger to the wuxia genre, and I was looking forward to more over-the-top wuxia fun based on the blurb. What I got instead was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Instead of kung fu moves and long, drawn out, bombastic fight dialog, we get a surprisingly quiet and thoughtful story about motives, relationships, theology, and what makes a family.

The plot brings the relevant characters together quickly. We meet a host of side characters that are never fully fleshed out but provide some amusing fireside moments and some conflict, and there's enough unexpected moments to keep my interest. The author even incorporates some LGBT themes in a thoughtful way, which is unexpected for the wuxia genre.

Other than the side characters not being fleshed out well, I also felt that the book was light on details in general. Descriptions are brief, jargon is used but requires context to understand, and some of the character developments take place more rapidly than maybe is believable. It is a novella, however, so I found it easy to overlook.

In short, this was a fun, quick read that I enjoyed for reasons I wasn't expecting when I started it. I won't spoil the ending, but I found it both touching and satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review.