It just has a naturally inviting rhythm, and many small poetic observations. This might be the fantasy book I laughed at most since Pratchett. She has the gift of picking inherently funny scenarios and the gift of writing funny lines in equal measure. The prose and Zen Cho’s sense of comedy are the undoubted stars here. Those issues – while frustrating – do not change how much I enjoyed OotPM. I found the ending abrupt and a little disruptive to the found family vibes. I wish the book had more of the big fight-scenes I associate with my limited exposure to wuxia that was an unfulfilled expectation, which may or may not have been fair. Since I’ve made it clear I’m a fan, let me talk about the things I wish had been done different. Together they try to pick their way through a tangled web of mixed loyalties, misunderstandings, and mild disasters, all while trying to survive a war. OotPM is a wuxia novella about a nun named Guet Imm who finds herself running with a group of bandits, led by the dashing and impossibly handsome Fung Cheung and his irascibly competent 2iC Tet Sang, after those two tear up the tea shop she was taking refuge in. It’s engaging, fun and, well, delightful. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water (OotPM) is the sort of fantasy adventure that simply bounces along like a great pop melody, with a line worth smiling at every few pages.
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