So this was another "bad book" a friend told me to read. Apparently it was riddled with cliches and horrible description. Sometimes I wonder if that friend is prone to being blinded by flaws or if she is secretly some conceited book snob. I'm really hoping for the former since she was grossly exaggerating yet again. 
 The story, at its most basic level, is about a strong-headed girl who possesses abilities she's just finding out about while going out to fulfill her destiny--mysterious, dark forces on her heels the entire journey, of course. Oh, and she meets a guy she sort of likes and there's sort of a little love triangle for a moment. And that's about as cliche the plot gets--but, really, try to point me to a recently written supernatural/magic/fantasy novel with a female protagonist that doesn't fit that simple formula. You've probably got a little bit of looking to do. 
 Past its most basic elements, the book was pretty unique. It was set in the Xian Kingdom, sort of like a fantasy pseudo-China back in the day (don't quote me on that), and featured many different creatures and monsters and legends my little green Western eyes hadn't set sight on before, not to mention countless creations of the author, I'm sure. The constant attacks might have been a little predictable, yeah. But I was always surprised and slightly horrified in the manner each new one took place. The book was sort of hard to predict sometimes, overall, though traps were often obvious. But that was fine. The creative creatures and circumstances were enough to redeem that and then some. 
 The characters, though, I must admit, were only okay. Ai Ling, the main character, was headstrong and smart, sure. But that's it. She was a bit of a Mary-Sue. Her dialogue and thinking were pretty general. Her new friend Chen Yong was just as plain. His past was pretty interesting, but that was the only thing that really gave him life. He pretty much was there just to protect Ai Ling and be there for her, and because of course there had to be a male character/love interest by default present. His brother Li Rong, while cliche with his complete obsession with girls and flirting with them, was the most interesting character. His personality added much to the dialogue, and I was sad that he couldn't be on every single page. 
 And now for the narration. Apart from the generalness of Ai Ling and a few awkward phrasings--"elliptical pebbles," huh? All right--there was nothing glaringly wrong with the prose. My friend is full of--something. 
 But truly, I did enjoy it. It was one of those epic fantasy adventures that I can't help but love, plus the Eastern spin on it was really cool. Really, in all honesty, I'd recommend it to people as a good book, because it was pretty enjoyable. I really should give that friend of mine a talking or two on what makes a book "bad," but then I might miss out on other gems in the rough. I can't wait to read whatever "awful" story she recommends next. . . .