This book was much different than what I expected. I expected a story about the Chinese tradition of marrying a living person to a deceased one - to appease a troubled spirit. What I found in the pages was so much more. The story begins with Li Lan's father discussing the possibility of her being a ghost bride to the son of the wealthy and influential Lim family.

This begins Li Lan's strange journey. When the ghost of Lim begins to haunt her she becomes ill and her spirit takes a journey through the Chinese spirit world. It was a fantastic way to learn more about the traditions and lore in the Chinese culture. Li Lim shows us everything from the rituals performed by the living to honor their dead, to the stages of afterlife the dead must go through before reincarnation in a beautiful flowing way.

I am assuming that most of the lore is accurate, but I am about as far from being an expert on Chinese culture as you can get. This is just a beautiful and moving story.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*