this book is short and sweet. it tells the story of julienne, the niece of two immortals, finding cautious love to a serpent within a short adventure to heaven. and while the premise is intriguing, the book falters due to its length: many scenes could have, should have, been given a bit more time to breathe. introductions of characters feel rushed and by the end we are left with what is a story arc about finding courage in love, but just barely. especially disappointing since the wlw dynamic (pretty much everyone in this book is lesbian) is lovely and could've benefitted from some more depth.

the appendices, which consist of three short story that serve as a kind of prequel to the main story, provide context and a lot of verbose language, perhaps due to its rooting in chinese folklore. especially the second one, woman of the sun, woman of the moon was rather confusing to read. still, even if just for some queer love, i'd say this is worth a read if you like fantasy in an asian setting.