The book is pretty well written regarding the words and storytelling. My problem with the story is that no one in the book is likable. Some blame for my dislike for the story should be allotted to the narrator as I was listening to the audiobook and they made everything the story did a little more extreme with their tone choices. For a while, I hoped that the Pied Piper would turn out interesting. But Kim failed me by making him more romantic than he would need to be to keep me interested. Lena (main character and narrator) is the worst, in my opinion. She is entitled, dramatic, self-centered, and always, always, always bitching about her woes. She just won't take a fucking break! To be fair, she is written to have had a traumatic life, I can understand that. However, not even people with all these struggles actually focus so intently on them all the time. We take breaks either because we get distracted by something else, like a book or project or just looking at our circumstances from a distance for sanity's sake. If we don't purposely look away from our problems we numb out or dissociate. Because pain, physical and emotional makes you literally stop functioning mentally in many capacities. But it is not as if the story needs to be realistic for it to be enjoyable. Lena's constant focus on her woes is exhausting. Again, it makes sense for her to be bitter and angry and vengeful, I love a violent, hurt femme character! But Lena doesn't let us get to know her beyond her rage.

Then there is the romance. I did not care for it. The only reason I shipped Lena and Rui at first was because I was interested in Rui's character. But then it makes no sense for him to like Lena at all, though the game they play is pretty cool. All of their interactions are exhausting, all of Rui's charm is ruined by Lena's obsession with her anger, and her attraction to him couldn't be less entertaining. But that could just be my own asexuality.

The world-building was pretty cool. I liked the words for the gods and realms and powers and the like. 

If you want to read an Asia-inspired book where a god falls in love with a mortal I'd recommend The Girl That Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. If you want to read a book with an angry girl I'd recommend The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kwang, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark- If you want to read a book about an angry girl/woman who falls in love I'd recommend The Wrath and the Dawn by Rennee Ahdiah, the Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novil, Book of Night by Holly Black, Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi, The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli, and if you'd like a book with just a badass girl/woman I'd recommend The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge, The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne, and Small Angels by Lauren Owen. And if you want a street child becoming important I'd recommend Master of One by Dani Bennett and Jaida Jones, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, Edinburgh Nights by T.L. Huchu, FingerSmith by Sarah Waters, and Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans.