'A Bright Heart' by Kate Chenli starts out with a bang, mid-betrayal. The reader, much like the MC.. Mingshin, gets a couple of minutes to get their bearings, and then the real story begins. Personally, I'm a fan of these types of whirlwind openings, but it's a little on the brief side.
Things I loved:
Prince Jieh -- While at first he's painted as a bit of a snob and he seems dismissive of the trivialities of other people's lives, his character opens up over time through exposure to Mingshin. What we are shown, I felt was always there as with his best friend, Yao.. and they both turn out to be favorites for me.
Yao -- The prince's best friend is warm, loyal, and light-hearted. I felt like the pair kept each other grounded despite social statuses and their comraderie was a lot of fun. He's probably the most relatable character in the book for me.
The magic system -- Nine types of magic, mirroring the use of this number in other areas of Chinese legends/mythology. I won't be too specific, as I don't want to ruin anything and it isn't overly developed, but it is handled in an interesting way. The imagery of the magic through artwork was one of the highlights though.
Things that could have been better:
Mingshin -- Our main character is likeable enough and has good intentions. She's one of those types who is instantly one of the best at everything though and that always feels a bit silly to me. She's perfectly smart and skilled, but "so plain and looked down upon." Not my trope.
Prose -- From both a descriptive and narrative standpoint, the story felt a bit out of sync. And I don't blame the author here, it's something I'm seeing more and more in current releases.. but it feels incomplete? Lackadaisical? Unfulfilling. Whether the author is describing a setting or having a character convey information, it ends up coming across like a checklist.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I was rooting for Mingshin and rooting specifically against a couple of other characters, which I'll leave you to discover. Though the topics seem heavy in spots, it's actually a pretty light read, in my opinion and it's well-paced.
If you enjoy Asian fantasy, enemies who might become something more, and stories featuring underdogs.. this is one for you.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)