Reading joy, some fun, Chinese theology, poignancy and sadness, love and courage - all packed into less than 50 pages. Zen Cho, you made my Saturday morning, thank you. ( )

I was really enjoying this until there was a reveal that didn't make much sense to me. I didn't notice any hints about it. I wish the story had been longer so that the world could have been explored more and that I could have seen more character interactions.
This was a really quick read with a nice writing style and I enjoyed it, even if I didn't understand one of the decisions. ( )

I loved this one, the writing and the world-building were amazing and very different from what I am used to. It had this sad, nostalgic feel that really fit the story being told. ( )

Overall
Genre: Supernatural/Fantasy

Need a Buddhist take on the afterlife? Look no farther.

The story is very tight; the POV is from one character. Characterization is quite good although more of Siew Tsin's inner thoughts and reaction to an intimate moment would've added clarity and emotional power. On the other hand, Siew Tsin comes across as a little detached, shell-shocked, or in survival mode.

The style of the dialogue reminds me of the celestial beings in [b:Monkey: The Journey to the West|100237|Monkey The Journey to the West|Wu Cheng'en|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347431752s/100237.jpg|96649].

Personal Notes
I've been studying Buddhism and have puzzled over the idea of rebirth. Cho's story improved my understanding of that concept. ( )

This is a sweet novelette that dives into the Asian (and I believe specifically Chinese) afterlife myth. It's really short, so I'm not going to go into depth here, but this is well worth the read. I really appreciated the level of character depth and worldbuilding in such a short piece. It's really well crafted. ( )