The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

Reread Review

I don't think my thoughts about this novella have changed much since my first read except I'm upping my rating to a 4. But I do have some things I noticed this time which I seem to have missed before.

I really liked how feminist this book is without ever overtly spelling it out. Right from the first moment Guet Imm hexes a customer because he can't keep his hands to himself, she is a character who exercises her agency and never lets anyone reduce her to her gender. She is smart and resourceful and and when she has ideas, she is bold enough to bring them forth. The author also makes a point to mention how some religious orders are accepting of transgender people but it's all said in a very matter of fact way, which makes it an integral part of world building without putting emphasis on it. I also liked how when the group is in trouble, it's an independent wealthy woman whom they turn towards to for help and who is brave enough to help despite some dangerous times.

After having read more wuxia novels and watched quite a few cdramas, I think I appreciate this story now much more. I can very much see the Jin Yong Condor Heroes vibes this time and that made for a lovely read. While I also enjoyed the author's Black Water Sister, I hope she will also write more books like this.

First Read Review

It's more of a solid 3.5.

To tell the truth, I've not read any of the author's previous novels nor have I ever felt interested to. But this novella instantly captured my interest with that gorgeous cover, and maybe that's me being vain, but I was captivated and the premise also sounded quite promising. So I was very happy when I got the ARC and even more when I picked to read it on the first day of Asian Heritage month.

I have to admit I felt slightly misguided by the blurb. I'm a huge fan of martial arts movies, so I went into this book expecting a lot of fun action sequences but I was disappointed because it isn't that kind of a story. It was much more of a found family type situation, with lots of humorous banter and a perilous journey for survival. I won't say I got bored, but the plot did feel mundane at times; but I was much more fascinated when the discussions turned towards the effects of war and its collateral damage, the innocent lives lost, the loss of faith amounting from such experiences and how it changes a person. I also loved that despite the world building not being the strong suit here(probably because it's such a small book), it's very queernormative.

It's an eclectic group of characters but we only get to know two of them very well. I don't want to talk details and give away spoilers, but they were all on a spectrum from naïveté to shrewdness, patient to temperamental, and it was fun reading their conversations. But I also found it interesting that the author didn't shy away from showing us that survival came first to these characters, and even their bond might strain if circumstances go unfavorable.

In the end, I had fun reading this little novella and the ending in particular was a very nice emotional touch, leaving us with just enough speculation for a possible sequel. I only wish I had gone into it with the right expectations so that I could have appreciated it more.