I am not a huge historical fiction fan, Let alone YA historical fiction. However, something about the cover and description drew me in. Great characters and well written, just not my kind of book and was hard for me to get into.

This book is a prequel to My Beautiful Enemy and a story that needs to be read before that book is picked up.  The back story to the lives of Leighton and Ying-Ying are so very important to the core of the story.  It’s also an incredibly wonderful book!

I loved reading about Ying-Ying’s life and how it differed from that of Leighton.  The rules of the Chinese culture were something I found fascinating.  Her training as a martial artist was intriguing, especially as she started it at such a young age – I believe she was somewhere between 6-8 if I remember correctly.

Leighton’s story was heart breaking.  I loved reading about the bond he had with his father, and his father’s friend, Herb, as well as the close relationship he had with his little brother.  The author could have so easily left the mother and younger brother on the sidelines of the story but she made them a big part of it and I loved that.

This is a book filled with love, though it’s not a romance.  It’s a wonderful novel of family, and also what it’s like to grow up without one.  I’ve loved Thomas’s writing before, but this was something different – and worth reading.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

In the waning days of the last dynasty, in a quiet, beautiful corner of imperial Peking, a young girl's blissful ignorance is shattered when she learns that she is the illegitimate daughter of an English adventurer and a Chinese courtesan. What future is there for such a girl? But a mysterious figure steps forward and offers to instruct her in the highest forms of martial arts--a path to a life of strength and independence.
Half a world away in England, a young boy's idyllic summer on the Sussex downs implodes with the firing of a single bullet. Torn from his family, he becomes the hostage of a urbanely sadistic uncle. He dreams of escaping to find his beloved friend--but the friend is in China, ten thousand miles away.
The girl trains to be deadly. The boy flees across continents. They do not know it yet, but their lives are already inextricably bound together, and will collide one fateful night when they least expect it.

*3.5 stars*

Man, this could have been far better for me...but let's look at the positives first:

* Let's begin with praising Thomas' prose/style. The writing is beautiful and I really liked the switching between Ying-ying and Leighton's stories. That kept the interest in the characters fresh. I don't usually like split POV's but, in this case, it worked pretty well.
* In a historical novel such as this, it is important to be on-point when it comes to the historical details...and I think Thomas nailed them perfectly. Everything fit well together and the timeline was spot-on. Also, the inclusion of the culture - oh, so much culture - was fascinating. I was intrigued and pulled along in the story based on these two things.

Now, the not-so-positives:

* This "prequel" was far too long. The opening 1/3 of the book was pretty barren of action or plot. Sure, the author needs to lay the groundwork for the characters, but she could have done it within the context of the story.
* Following that, the second half of the book was filled with martial arts scenes that just seemed to drag on and on and on...not sure how that added to the plot or characters. But that is just me.

Look, don't get me wrong - this is still worth reading, if for no other reason as an introduction to an author who will impress you with her writing and knowledge of culture and history. Give it a try!


Paul
ARH