Meet Yukiko a wonderful, powerful and loyal heroine who will introduce you to an Asian-layered-steampunk-Epic-like ride into the lotus fume lands trying to bring back to her Shogun a mythical being: a griffin who will change her life completely. Meet Buruu a beautiful mythical half tiger/eagle who is loyal and richly portrayed. 
 Travel into the lands of the Shima Imperium and the Clans of Fox, Tiger, Phoenix and Dragon. Visit mythical creatures and lands. Explore the machinery of the Lotus Guild and the Blood Lotus barren lands. Where the skies are red and the air is toxic. Imagine tattoos come come to life, and katana-like-chainsaws that need blood as fuel. Yeah, you'll have an unforgettable visit to a very strange place! 
 This book reads like puzzle pieces clicking together with snippets thrown here and there that wonderfully connect with each other. It felt like reading layers of a comic book, with more hidden meanings and thoughts. Nothing is simple. Things are left for the reader to digest and your imagination will slowly fill any wholes you think you're missing (which by the end you'll be happily surprised they weren't). 
 It's funny that when I first started this book, by chapter 2 I was telling my husband how much I wished there was a dictionary/glossary of sorts to help me out to keep up with all these names! They get very confusing! And so silly of me to belatedly find this Glossary was here ALL THE TIME, but only when I finished my book! Yeah, I'm one of those readers who try to avoid table of contents since they tend to become a spoiler feast. So this is a friendly reminder for all of you e-readers out there, when facing confusion, check the last pages before finishing, as you may be pleasantly surprised :) 
 It is understandable this book is not for everyone. So give it a test read. If by when you met Buruu you're not hooked. Just let it go. But try to at least stay for his introduction! I promise, you won't regret it.