"I've heard my face described as flawed, ruined, unfortunate. A bad omen. People avert their gazes and move away from me as if it's a disease they might catch. But after being separated for so many years, my sister was only able to find me because my face was so recognizable. The red-faced whore." A tear slid down her cheek, but she ignored it. "I don't wish to be owned ever again." 
 I just have a lot of feelings right now. Tears may have been shed during the reading of this book. 
 Jeannie Lin is one of the best HR authors today. She is not only a compelling, wonderful writer, but she delves into an era that has long been neglected in Western Fiction. Her historical Chinese romances have become among my favorites of any I've read in the past few years. I loved her older HR series, and this newer series just shows how much she has grown as a writer. 
 I have to admit, I abandoned this book at first. It didn't catch me upon the first glimpse. But all books take a certain time, a certain mood, and the past week, sick of abandoning books, I returned to this one. I resumed. I couldn't stop. 
 The setting is beautiful, mysterious...dare I say it? Exotic. It takes place within the Pingkang Li, a district of courtesans. These are not merely prostitutes. There is a difference between a prostitute and a courtesan. It has to do with intelligence, allure. The ability to hold a man's attraction long after he's had his screw. 
 Our heroine is not one of those courtesans. She is scarred, physically and mentally. Yue-Ying is ugly. At least, that's how she views herself. She was born with a disfiguring red mark that renders her unloveable, unwanted. She and her sister, the spectacularly beautiful Ming-Yu were sold as children to slave traders. 
 Ming-Yu became a courtesan. Yue-Ying was forced into prostitution. They somehow found each other again, and you can scarcely find a more complex sisterly relationship than the one within this book. 
 The Pingkang Li is filled with men of all sorts from high-ranking politicians to wastrels. Bai Huang is somewhere between the two. In Japanese language, one would call him a ronin, as in, one who has failed his exams and is completely fucked. Bai Huang is from a wealthy, noble family. He has to pass his exams in order to become a public official. So far, he is shit out of luck. He is a handsome, wealthy playboy. A fop, if you will. Of course, he's not what he appears. Do we ever read books for one-dimensional heroes? 
 What transpires in this book? A mystery. A murder. The rediscovering of one's self. 
 Yue-Ying, a lowly servant. A former prostitute. Will she and the nobleman Bai Huang be able to find love, despite their differences? 
 Love for another is one thing; self-love, self-realization, is harder to achieve by far. The thing I loved most about this book is the fact that Yue-Ying grows into herself. She does not allow herself to be defined by her lover and his status. She can say no, even when it hurts. 
 I feel like the overwhelming lesson of this book is: above all, do not settle for anything less than what you deserve. 
 She leaned toward him and only then would he face her. She had never seen him look the way he did at that moment. Drained of life. He had no more fight in him. 
 "One last kiss," he said quietly. 
 "And then I'll go. No farewells. Let this be our last memory of each other." 
 "Am I the illusion now, Yue-ying?" 
 She didn't answer. Instead she kissed him, softly, as she had the first time. He accepted it without moving, as he had the first time. And then she stood to go, just as she had promised.