Well. That was really something to read. I don't think the plot was really all that atypical for a historical novel, but in terms of character complexity this was a fascinating read. It's hard to call anyone in this book a good person aside from, perhaps, one or two people, but you still can't help but want the main characters to get what they want. I think character complexity is probably one of Priest's strongest writing traits and it shows here. I also find it somewhat fascinating to see what people are willing to do to put someone in power who is, essentially, the lesser of three evils. Like sure, Helian Yi is going to be good for the country as a whole and he's certainly a better option than his two brothers, but he does some incredibly vile things to aid in his ascension and I continually couldn't help but think that there was probably a better way to accomplish what he was trying to do. Part of this could be that villain complexity is lacking. We're told rather than having it demonstrated that the second prince is incredibly cunning and the greatest opponent to Helian Yi being able to take the throne. Mostly, it just seems to be that the Emperor is exactly as foolish as everyone thinks he is. This means that the two worst acts perpetuated in the novel don't seem as necessary as the story would have you believe.
That being said, Jing Beiyuan is an interesting character and I enjoyed following him on his journey. I found the romance a little subpar, but that's mostly because I didn't care for Wu Xi's particular brand of overbearing. Still, to give him credit where credit is due, when Jing Beiyuan put his foot down, Wu Xi conceded and I did feel like the development of their emotions was genuine. I could see why they liked each other and how it all came to be.
Overall it was a very satisfying read. I can't say that I came out of it liking Helian Yi or Zhou Zishu but my feelings on them, overall, are very mixed. I understand their reasons behind what they did even if I could not possibly agree with their actions. Cool motive still murder and all of that.