I've been meaning to read this since it came out, and finally had an opportunity. So glad I took it off my to-read shelf!

While marketed as YA it easily appeals to adults as well. It's science fiction (think Pacific Rim jaegers) with a massive infusion of traditional Chinese culture and mythology, shades of the Hunger Games (without really being like the Hunger Games), and a romance that does not fit into the hetero-normative monogamous box. Another bonus is that it includes a variety of disabilities (physical, chemical abuse, and PTSD) without being ableist or unrealistic. As a disabled person, this brings me joy.

There are a number of reviews that grump about a lack of world building, and they would be grossly mistaken. However, if you are accustomed to only Western world-building shorthand, you may miss the significant East-Asian world building that is very much present. This is a world as diverse as China (which currently recognizes 56 distinct ethnic groups), with the same kinds of inter-clan bias and strife that you will find in China's history.

This is brilliantly written, and I'm very much looking forward to Zhao's future books.