Some reasonably good ideas with poor execution. Last four chapters make up 90% of the enjoyable parts of the book. Not worth the time investment way better hard sci-fi and general sci-fi out there.

The first quarter of this book is great. The overall concept is really very interesting and allowed my imagination to go wild. However, just before the halfway mark the book becomes odd. The motivations of some (most) of the characters are just unbelievable and unrelated, the story spends so long on a relationship that well isn’t really a relationship. Towards the end of the books things get kind of interesting again but then the ending just ….. I don’t even have the vocabulary to word my disappointment.

Disappointed. This book has too many plot points that are blatantly taken from ‘The Name of the Wind.’ If you haven’t read ‘The Name of the Wind,’ then this book might appeal to you. However, for me, it just feels like a subpar imitation. Which is a shame as I have been looking for a book loosely based on the China's history with opium for a long while, so had the plot points shared with 'The Name of the Wind' not been so blatant I may have enjoyed this.