I wasn't sure whether this would be super interesting, but I was pretty much hooked from the start and the only reason it took more than a couple days for me to read was a bunch of library books coming off hold.

Maomao is a fun protagonist, using investigative abilities on par with Sherlock to figure out the mysteries of the rear palace and her skills as a pharmacist to help resolve them. Plenty of interesting mysteries in here, all layered together so that nothing feels unnecessary by the end of the book. The romance is pretty minimal, which I would consider a bonus since it was the weakest part.

Very solid book, and I'll be happy to grab more of them as they come out.