this story and book had a lot of potential, but the execution was terribly underwhelming. a lot of the dialogue was corny, and a lot of the scenes felt like they were placed for continued convenience. there was no proper character development. even with wei, her character development throughout her stay as an empress-in-waiting just felt nonsensical.

the magic used in the story was cool and unique, but the simplistic writing, especially for the actual poems, held back the impact the magic was supposed to have for the readers.

i also found it funny how the author had to explicitly state that political dynasties are fiction and don't exist when the very problem of the story was because of a political dynasty. i'm not sure what the approach is actually for, but it also just felt insulting when this happens in so many countries in reality.

overall, the book fell short, and it felt like reading a quarrel between two immature men where a woman has to step in to save the day when it could have included more on the intricacies of the palace system, war strategies, political dynasties, and nation building.

this was a brutal, thought-provoking, and devastating story that highlights the need to reform the justice and prison system. the footnotes throughout the story were also so good, giving readers real facts and events that happened in real life, as reminders that this fictional, dystopian book is a reflection of our reality.

the book also makes readers question morality and ethics as it gives multiple POVs from the different characters.