Oh my gosh, I’ve been dreaming about a book, story, magic system, characters, romance, that utterly entangles me, and I’ve found that wi4.5 s t a r s
Oh my gosh, I’ve been dreaming about a book, story, magic system, characters, romance, that utterly entangles me, and I’ve found that with One Dark Window. *twirls and swoons* I can’t remember the last time I devoured a book as quickly as I devoured this one. I was completely consumed for the length of a day, and it was exciliterating.
This is a haunting tale of a Kingdom that was once beloved by the Spirit of the Wood. A kingdom so greedy for magic that they turned their back on their beloved deity and in turn was cursed to be entrapped by never-ending mist. A mist so thick and deep, if wandered into without one’s charm, ensnares the minds and devours one’s soul.
A tale of a woman with mist in her soul and a monster, a Nightmare, in her mind. An infection that seeps & rots, that grants immeasurable power along with heartbreaking pain. For nothing comes for free, especially magic. This is a tale of a traitor and a prince, and the secrets they keep. A magic system wielded by the luck one might draw and a deck of cards. A romance that had me giggling into my hand, swimming my feet and rolling around in my duvet, major swoon.
I originally just bought the first book for my trip, and about 100 pages in I went out and bought the second. I knew I could not even wait a week to start the next. One Dark Window was everything I could have asked for in a gothic fantasy. I’m so excited to see where this story takes me!...more
When I started this series I thought it was going to be a new fave. I was hooked from the START! I loved the world, the magic system, the cha3.5 stars
When I started this series I thought it was going to be a new fave. I was hooked from the START! I loved the world, the magic system, the characters. Now, I don't know if it was life or the book but.. it took my nearly two months to finish this, and I feel like if it were absolutely excellent it wouldn't have sat gathering dust in between reads.
That being said, I did really enjoy this one and I'm excited to see what the next books holds.
“In calligraphy, as in life, we do not retouch strokes, Master Wang often said. We must accept that what is done is done.”
I am deeply moved and sadden“In calligraphy, as in life, we do not retouch strokes, Master Wang often said. We must accept that what is done is done.”
I am deeply moved and sadden by the story, and history, that is beautifully woven through the pages of this book.
Four Treasures of the Sky tells the story of Daiyu, a girl who believes she is fated to a tragic life due to the tragic heroine she has been named after. We follow her from her childhood by the sea in China, where she lives a happy life with her family, to the night when it all changes, when her grandmother cuts her hair, dresses her in boys clothing and smuggles her to the big city, where her grandmother believes she will live a safe and prosperous life. We follow Daiyu through adolescents as a street child who cleans the grounds of a calligraphy school by day and is taught calligraphy by Master Wong at night. To the moment when her life forever changes, again, when she is kidnapped and smuggled to America to work in a brothel. We are swept up in the vivid journey of Daiyu's life as she fights to etch out a fate of her own against anti-Chinese sentiment in America.
This is not only a story of Daiyu’s life, but a story of the life of a many Chinese-Americas. Like many atrocities perpetrated against its people by the United States, the history of anti-Chinese sentiments is overlooked. The expulsion act, the railroads that were built through the blood, sweat and tears of Chinese-Americas is never talked about and to be quite honest, barely taught about. Four Treasures of the Sky shines light on a often overlooked part of American history, that in all honesty is sadly not just part of our history but also happening today.
I will not lie to you all, this is a not a happy story per say. Yes, there are moments of happiness, but it is a story about life and life well, she isn’t what we dream her to be. It's a story about the betrayals between humans, about violence against women and peoples we deem as “other”. But it is also a beautiful story about resilience, having the strength to etch out a life deserved, of moments of happiness and kindness, of found family.
I was absolutely captivated by Daiyu's life. Everything about this book I loved. The writing style was so beautiful, the way pieces of China's history and American history were woven together into one person. I really learned a lot from this book, and I think it's important that everyone read this story. ...more
Hayley ☾ (TheVillainousReader)
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