In this queer Asian science fantasy, Neon Yang invites us to meet Mokoya and Akeha, twins who grow up and apart in a world where magic and science meet.

There is a lot to love in this book. First of all, it's a novella, meaning that it falls on the "short" end of the book spectrum, but it doesn't make up for its small count of pages by piling action scene on action scene. The focus is put on characters and dramatic scenes have more to do with feelings and self-discovery.

Then, there is a fantastic representation of gender identities and sexual orientations which I found really refreshing and welcome.

Last but not least, the world-building was both detailed and not overwhelming at all, which is probably the feature that impressed me the most with this book. Neon Yang created an original blend of real-world-inspired elements (one location feels inspired by the Forbidden City, the magic system draws from the 5 elements) and completely original creations. Everything was woven seamlessly into the narrative.

The Black Tides of Heaven is the first volume in The Tensorate Series, the second tome of which is The Red Threads of Fortune. By the end of the first one, it was quite obvious that not everything would be wrapped up. I guess the only thing left for me to do is put Volume 2 on my TBR.