I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho Published by Tor.com on June 23 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 176
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A lighthearted, humorous “found family” story with plenty of laughs and even a few sweet moments.
I enjoyed this unexpectedly humorous and touching novella, even though it didn’t really rock my world. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is Zen Cho’s ode to the Chinese wuxia genre of martial arts fiction, which I’m not familiar with and therefore can’t offer much commentary about. But I have read other reviews that say the story captures the wuxia sensibility very well, so if you’re a fan then you might enjoy this story.
The story centers around a group of bandits who unexpectedly find themselves involved with a nun named Guet Imm, a devotee of the Order of the Pure Moon. After meeting under dubious circumstances in a coffee shop, Guet Imm decides to join bandits Fung Cheung and Tet Sang—against their wishes. But when she interrupts Tet Sang trying to sell off valuable relics stolen from a tokong, Guet Imm is furious and blows the whole deal.
This is a lighthearted story without any heavy themes or dire consequences, so if you’re in the mood for something more upbeat and funny, you really can’t go wrong with this novella. But because it lacks bite, it didn’t completely satisfy me, unfortunately. But what I did love was Cho’s subtle humor and funny dialog. She sets up an interesting situation: a group of male bandits find themselves saddled with a female nun, but the bandits want nothing to do with her. Little by little, Guet Imm breaks them down and earns their trust, and it was fun watching the dynamics of this found family change over the course of the story.
Cho focuses mainly on Guet Imm and Tet Sang, who form a sweet—though reluctant—friendship. Both characters are hiding truths from each other but grow closer and begin to trust each other after sharing their secrets. The other characters are not as fleshed out, and so they weren’t nearly as memorable. But I did love Guet Imm’s hidden depths, a nun who doesn’t behave like a nun at all, although she’s fiercely devoted to her deity.
I also enjoyed the way the author added some interesting gender identity elements to her story—one of the characters is a trans man—and this adds a bit of drama and emotion to the tale. I loved that Guet Imm, the only woman of the bunch, is also the smartest, and later in the story she figures out a clever way of getting back the money they lost during the botched delivery of the relics.
Ultimately it was the humor and heart of this story that drew me in and made me smile. This won’t end up being a favorite read of the year, but it was nice to spend a few hours with these characters.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
I really hope to read it, sooner or later, because it seems just so good! Sometimes we need perfect, but sometimes we need something fun and enjoyable, and this book seems a nice example of it!
And I have a feeling for those with more knowledge of wuxia, there are probably themes and such that went completely over my head:-)
“Two bandits walk into a coffee shop and meet a nun…”
Poor joke aside, this sounds like the kind of light read that we all need from time to time to take our minds off from more serious issues, either real or fictional…
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE BLACK ECHO (Harry Bosch #1), by Michael Connelly
Yes indeed, it’s nice to find a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
I like the sound of this one, Tammy, thanks to your excellent review. I haven’t read anything by this author yet. Though, right now I’m trying to be sensible, given that recently I’ve been requesting books left, right and centre! Glad you enjoyed it and it provided an entertaining read:))
Me too, way too much requesting and not fast enough reading;-)
Great review, Tammy. 🙂 A nun who doesn’t behave like a nun along with a group of male bandits – this sure seems like a good story. Thanks for sharing.
Debjani recently posted…Climbing The Walls by Sacha T. Y. Fortuné – Review
It’s a great set up, right?
I really do like the sound of this one. I’m not a wuxia fantatic by any stretch, but I used to love watching many of the movies. Only recently have I begun reading some of it (the recent Condor Heroes books). So I like the sound of a lighthearted and fairly short tale, and the group of characters seems to perfectly fit the genre. I appreciate the review, Tammy!
You know way more about wuxia than I do!
This sounds really good!~ I love that there’s trans rep in it!
I love that too!
I enjoyed her other series I’ve been reading but I didn’t try this one. Fantastic review!
I need to read more of her work now:-)
Humorous and touching? I’m all for it!
A nice change of pace, right?
I thought it would be more serious and stylised! I preordered this so thanks for the review 🙂
I hope you enjoy! It sure is a gorgeous book:-)
Yeah, this sounds like the perfect introduction to her writing!
I agree, it makes me want to read more of her older work:-)
I do enjoy Wuxia so I’m excited to check this one out. I got it in my TBR so I’m hoping to get to it soon-ish…lol. Sorry it wasn’t the best for you, I’ve been hearing a lot of mixed and average reviews for it, but maybe I’ll love it. 😀
You’ll probably enjoy this and you may see more of the wuxia elements than I did!
I recall seining this one – especially because of the cover which is very eye catching, but I was on a sensible streak and I still have some catching up to do. Poop. I hate behaving.
Lynn 😀
Lynn recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Ikessar Falcon (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #2) by K.S. Villoso
Glad you liked this one! I definitely have it on my list!
My husband absolutely loves wuxia and light novels, so I’ve read a few, and it’s sort of hit or miss for me. The humorous aspect catches my attention, though! It’s interesting that there’s a trans character!