** spoiler alert ** 
 One of the things about this books premise that really made me want to read it was the fact it was "filled with Chinese folklore" and "fantasy elements." To be honest, the only distinctly Chinese thing about this book was the characters names and that disappointed me so much. I was really excited to read about the culture, the clothing, and just see elements of folklore showing through the story, but it felt like I was reading an average dystopian novel (up until that last scene) where the female chosen one saves her people and gets a hot guy all in one. 
 The same goes for the fantasy elements! Standalone fantasy novels are not that common, and that was another thing that really intrigued me about this book. However the world-building was basically non-existent, and I feel that if the book was a bit longer things could have been explained in better detail, as I am still really confused even after finishing (was the avalanche a planned event? how did an avalanche even fall on them if they're on the very top of the mountain? what is up with these fenced off cities? why did they even stay on the mountain in the end? why did they only have three jobs in the village - wouldn't they need doctors and stuff?) Along with the weak world-building was the lack of character development - I didn't really feel for these characters at all, and so many background characters could have been expanded on in such great ways - Zhang Jing, Sheng, the Elders, the King etc. If these things were improved the book would have definitely lived up to it's potential IMO. 
 For the first half of the book I didn't feel that Fei and Li Wei had any connection whatsoever. They "split up" because Fei accepted the job as an artists apprentice, and I feel like if Li Wei really loved her, he would've been happy she had the opportunity to do something she enjoys, even if it means he can't marry her (not be cold and distant). Then they embark on the journey down the cliff together, because Fei is able to hear, and Li Wei says "nervous about being so close to me?" - what the heck! That line was so cringey and awkward, they've literally been so distant and now they're casually flirting? Also I noticed that Li Wei would criticise Fei about something, but then on the next page say how strong she was, and it just got really confusing. 
 The first time I really noticed anything between them was the scene on the plateau when they're reaching up for the fruit. Then, that night Fei has to ruin everything by saying "what's between us is in the past." She literally mentions how hot he is and how he makes her feel every chapter, I just don't understand why she would change her mind constantly about being with him. 
 Things finally got a bit better when they reached the township, when Li Wei admitted Fei made the right choice about pursuing art and she tries on the silk dress. (also, why did they think the best time to make out for the first time and admit their really well hidden feelings was when they were being pursued by the kings army??) And then from there we have the dramatic ending and the epilogue, where it's implied they will be getting married soon. This was all great and happy, by this point I was actually enjoying their scenes together, I just feel it would've been more believable for me if they were more open with each other right from the beginning. 
 I feel like this whole corrupt-government-slavery thing was extremely rushed, and I never fully grasped what was going on. There was so much promise for the story line, but I feel like it just needed to be a bit longer to fully explain everything. We find out that the village used to be humans living among Pixius, until the king did something that forced them all to mine for dangerous, sense-killing metals. Their incentive for this brute labor is the hope of more food - the more metals they send down the zip line, the more food they receive. This was never really expanded on, and I still have so many questions! How did the king force this village to go along with slavery? Was it the avalanche? How come the original village never passed down the message that there was more food and people out there? I was confused for majority of this book, ahh I wanted to like it so much more than I do, but the confusion and bland world/characters make it really difficult.