Four Treasures of the Sky

I enjoyed reading this a lot. It's good historical fiction about a sad part of history that isn't well-known. The writing flows well, the characters have character, and I feel that the author cares a lot about the material. My only issue with the book is that the cultural references are at times a bit too on the nose and stereotypical, therefore felt like pandering to a western audience. But it's my culture so I'm obviously biased here.

This book is beautifully-written, and it’s an interesting story, but I can’t recommend a book that is essentially “torture porn.” It is stuffed with descriptions of physical and sexual violence, with no hope for any of the characters. A better ending may have redeemed it, but instead we see all of the main characters suffer until it ends with their brutal deaths. Reading the author’s note, I appreciate that the author was drawing from a specific historical event, but she still could have written the ending differently while preserving the historical accuracy. Just a huge downer that I would not recommend.