Super fun, and more denise (especially politically) followup to The Iron Widow. The author has grown . Some really interesting Chinese culture and history wrapped up in this, some of which I understood, some would make more sense to people more familiar with Chinese history.  The overall story is interesting, the characters are complex. There are a few clunker moments, but at least two HOLY CRAP moments. 

For some reason I thought this concluded the series. It wasn't until 6 or 8 chapters left when I realized there's more story to come. That's great news.