I live in China right now and it's fine. It's not AMAZING. It's not TERRIBLE. It's just fine, thank you. It wasn't an interest in China itself that got me here, only an interest in travelling. And it's very, very hard to read something about China when you live there and are constantly beset by the challenges being a foreigner in China entails, and are not passionate about learning about a country that honestly makes a lot of things very, very hard for westerners. I sometimes just want a day off, you know? 
 So it was surprising when I started reading a story about a Chinese girl and her father, set in Chinatown, San Fran, which revolved closely around ancient Chinese customs and culture, and I didn't immediately heave a great sigh. There were moments that reminded me of why I have such trouble here, but there were also many instances in which I was reminded how bloody lucky I am to be in such an interesting country. 
 The story follows Li-lin, the daughter of an exceedingly powerful Daoshi exorcist. She has followed his teachings and is an exorcist herself, using a peachwood sword, paper talismans, and deadly martial arts training to help rid Chinatown of unwanted spirits. Plus, she has yin eyes - a gift/curse which allows her to see all of the spirits, ghosts and ghouls most people are blind to. She's a grieving widow at 23, a mostly unloved and unappreciated daughter, utterly loyal and very, very proud of her position, her family, and her culture. 
 Li-lin's father is badly wounded in the early stages of the novel as a result of helping her out of a sticky situation. Like any good kung fu expert heroine, she sets out for revenge. What follows is a story that gallops along at breakneck speed, darting from fight to chase to challenge to failure to fight again as fast as Li-lin's flying fists. There's gangsters, tigers, demon dogs, a talking eyeball that likes to bathe in tea, betrayal, monks, corpses, seagulls... this is a novel in which there's an exciting incident on every. damn. page. It's well told, exciting, and full of jeopardy, set in a world that is bizarre and unnerving and absolutely absorbing. 
 The novel's strength is its setting - 19th century San Fran Chinatown - and the culture, myths and legends of China it explores. Boroson mentions a God, or a demon, or a Daoshi practice, and I was straight onto wikipedia to learn more about it, since much of what Boroson writes does stem from real practices and beliefs of ancient China. It was engrossing and strange to me and I loved every second of both the magical and the realistic representations. Burning paper talismans for the dead, being an immigrant in SF, the triads, the tiger spirit with 3 tails....did I mention there's a hell of a lot going on with this story? It's a challenge to keep up, truly. 
 So that's all the good - it's fast paced, it's exciting, it's chock full of lore, history, and culture, all handled beautifully and with respect. 
 Here's what I didn't like. The writing, while mostly very good, was sometimes a little choppy for my tastes. The short sentences Borosun uses are great to hurry the pace along but there was not enough variety in the style for me. There was also a lot of repetition with Li-lin's thoughts - she thinks the same things over and over, usually revolving around saving or losing face, and her loyalty to her father and why she must above all things honour him. 
 This brings me to my second dislike, which for me, was the most grating aspect of the novel. HOW WOMEN ARE TREATED IN THIS BOOK. I understand things were different then. I understand that things are still different in China than from other countries. I understand that the author does not necessarily agree with the things said. I u n d e r s t a n d. I still didn't like it, since Li-Lin herself understands that men treat women like shit and the women can't do much about it, and she doesn't seem too mad. She herself adores her father and behaves very inferior to him, despite his disapproval, his mockery, and his disrespect. Once again - I UNDERSTAND. I know this was (is) how it was (is) in China. It's just something I found hard to stomach, and hard to wrap my head around, at times. Times like this: 
 He backhanded him, knocking the leer of his face. "Never," he said to the other man, "never talk to her like that." 
 The other man wiped blood from his lips. "I don't understand," he said. 
 His voice was as hard as iron. "You can fight her, you can even kill her if you have to," he said. "But never forget that she's his wife. You will show him respect. Do nothing, say nothing, that would cause Rocket to lose face." 
 There's a lot of stuff like this. Women treated as nothing more than whores, constantly underestimated or undervalued, and the women of the stories showing men respect in return. Li-lin visits a powerful gangster and is grateful to him, referring to him as a great man despite the terrible things he says and does, which I found odd. 
 Also odd is the climax, which is a fun, exciting battle between all the heavyweights of the novel, and yet by the end of it there's very little destruction, no questions asked, and exactly ONE constable on the scene. Kind of weird. 
 But overall the strengths of the novel far outweigh its weaknesses. It's a fast paced, fun and interesting story with a badass (if a little 2d) lady at the helm, flanked by outrageous friends and enemies. Read it for the mythos and history if nothing else.