★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
What an absolutely wonderful ride, seeing the plot unfold little by little. There is hardly anything I could see that is very wrong about it, other than one thing: the identity of the murderer is too obvious.
When Gerel Garnier, a French jewelry designer, is commissioned by William Blackwell IV to replicate the Empress Seal from 19th Century Qing Dynasty, she thought her dream is finally going to come true. Blackwell is a famous art patron after all, and surely having a client like him, she is going to become famous in the field of art design. However, everything doesn't come out as smooth-sailing as she would have thought, for she is thrust into a world of treachery, deceit and murder. Blackwell's death hangs as a backdrop as she proceeds to find out more about her family roots, having stumbled upon its secrets when on a trip to the Forbidden City. Gerel slowly begins to find out more, and the ultimate revelation is a surprise that no one could have foreseen.
I've already read quite a number of books on murder, and by the end of all of them, there is always a big wow when the murderer is revealed. When I was reading this, I already had my own suspicions, but I didn't have high hopes that I would be right, because then, wouldn't it be too obvious? Apparently, it was that obvious, so I was pretty let down by it. But I've got to say that the plot makes up for this flaw. I'm a lover of history, so having all the little stories of the past, and the process of how Gerel learns of the full story, makes it a fun read.
The characters found in this book are few, but all of them interesting in their own right. All important characters have their own chapter that describes their life, both the past and present. While some authors may write it in a way that makes it seem a little choppy, everything flows really well in this one. I felt it contributes well to character development. How I felt about everyone was concrete, enough for me to know whether I liked them or not. Gerel's thorough thoughts on god, in particular, mirror my own very clearly, so it was fairly easy to relate to her on that part. There are not enough books with characters that details their opinions as properly as her.
I wouldn't recommend this to readers who are in search of a book on crime, but I would definitely urge readers in search of a book that unveils the mystery of a family's past to give this a shot. For a debut, this is fantastically written, with a complex plot that leaves readers eager for more. I only hope that more proper edits will be done in her next book. There is plenty in this one, and I cannot forgive how Meigui's name is constantly misspelled.
May I also add: kudos to the designer of that book cover! It looks utterly amazing!