Warning this is probably an unpopular opinion.
This is a Mulan meets The Song of Achilles story. Also, it’s queer. This takes place during the Ming Dynasty and is an reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor. Zhu and her family are in poverty and her brother has a great destiny and is to become a monk. After her brother and father die, she takes the place of her brother as a monk and pretends to be a boy. From there on she must survive and after the monastery burns down, she becomes a commander.
I liked that this was a reimagining and queer. I like the friendship between Zhu and Xa Da. However, I really struggled reading this book. There was times I would zone out and one time it was putting me to sleep because I was so bored. Books don’t tend to do that to me. I felt like the relationships-especially the romantic one was forced and that there was a lack of chemistry. I felt like the characters were one dimensional too. I wanted more out of the war scenes too. I doubt I’ll read the sequel.