The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)

I LOVED THIS BOOK. SO FREAKIN' MUCH. The Grace of Kings is, without a doubt, one of the most well-crafted books that I've ever read.

First of all, I really liked the mood and tone of the book! Reading it felt like watching an old wuxia historical drama. I could actually see the influence of ancient Chinese practices and historical values reflected in the beliefs and actions of the characters. This helped me appreciate the reading experience so much more; I loved how I was able to draw parallels between the events in the book and what I was taught in class. I also liked how it was slow-paced (very much an epic fantasy) but still managed to pack in all these fun & interesting twists!

Another thing I loved was the juxtaposition of Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu. The author characterized them really well. Kevin Liu managed to strike the perfect balance between them being friends and them being rivals, which really intrigued me. The book also discussed the ways in which war and power affect / change our relationships with people in a very meaningful way. A lot of the interactions between Kuni and Mata (both past and future) were defined by choices they made in order to 1) survive, because that was the only thing they could do in the war, which then morphed into 2) what was the best way for them to pursue their own personal agenda, establish the mandate of power and ensure peace (or what they thought would bring peace). This really meshed well with the overall theme and I loved how they were both such morally grey characters. Even though Kuni is set-up to be the “better” half of this “duo”, you definitely end up sympathizing with Mata and his values by the end of the book!

However, I did feel as if the women could've been fleshed out more. While I loved the overarching use of women in the story (as fighter pilots, auxiliaries & power players), I felt as of there was something lacking in the individual characterization of the main female characters! While they were all fantastic and kick-ass (in theory), their appearances were few and far between + most of their scenes were based on their interactions with the male characters.

*AND ONE LAST NOTE ON THE ENDING: It was PERFECTION. I love how the author set everything up perfectly for a very politically charged & very interesting second book. It was brilliant and chilling and I can't wait to see how the author's going to develop the characters and the foundation of the world that he's built.