Review: Female General and Eldest Princess

Overview

Review

Strengths

• A very fun pairing dynamic. Lin Wanyue pines beautifully, tragically and thirstily. Li Xian tries hard to pretend that she's cold and emotionless and definitely not falling for Lin Wanyue.
• Really satisfying character arcs for both Lin Wanyue and Li Xian in accomplishing their goals.

Flaws

• The resolution to all the politics felt a bit abrupt.

This book starts with the slaughter of Lin Wanyue's village, which leads her to take on her brother's identity in order to join the army and take revenge against the Huns. What follows is an amazing journey featuring war, political scheming, betrayal, and two unlikely people finding love and comfort with each other.

Lin Wanyue is an intelligent military strategist who gets pulled into Li Xian's schemes, and has to quickly learn to navigate the murky waters of politics. The secrets both people keep (Lin Wanyue's true identity as a woman vs the underhanded, immoral things Li Xian has done in order to gain power) were a very compelling source of conflict between two characters who fall in love in their own ways. Lin Wanyue, in her straight-forward, open way, wishing for nothing more than Li Xian's love and company. Li Xian, first in denial about seeing Lin Wanyue as anything more than a chess piece, then terrified that Lin Wanyue could not love the real her, who has done such terrible things.

This is a ridiculously fun and compelling book that I'd recommend to anyone who likes their romance with a side of political scheming and war.