The characters and events have an inertia and intention to them that grows a particular aesthetic, as though this is how things had to happen. It's an epic poem, almost. The book was betrayed a little by a secondary plot that kept less of my interest than the primary one. I think it makes up for that with fascinating exploration of pre-Ming China's traditions of gender roles and destiny, in a way I encountered as alien yet relevant. I recommend this as a beautiful artwork, a rumination on identity and empire.