In Song of the Crimson Flower, Lan, the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, cruelly rejects Bao, a poor physician's assistant, when he declares his love for her. But when a curse traps Bao's soul inside his flute, Lan wants to make amends for her terrible words and goes along with Bao on a quest to break the curse.
The story reads like a fairy tale, full of heroic moments and strong characters. Dao is masterful at building beautiful landscapes and backdrops without overdoing it, and reading her books always feels like gazing upon a lush, vibrant painting. The characters are all so kind and selfless that you can't help but cheer for them. It's a sweet and heartwarming story that leaves me feeling happy and fuzzy.
If there's any downside, it may be that everything is a little too sweet, with all the characters being so thoroughly pure and good. Even the villain is fairly toothless, and so the plot proceeds without the usual amount of tension that would drive a story forward. The reading experience is pleasant, but never charged up or at the edge of your seat as you would normally expect in a good versus evil story.
And yet, there is something compelling about it even though it is predictable. It starts out a little slow, but soon enough, I was wrapped up in the story and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Obviously as an adult, I know this isn't what love really is like. But perhaps it's the nostalgia of getting in touch with a younger me, who believed in fairy tales and thought love was so simple. No matter the reason, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as I have enjoyed all of Dao's books, and I hope she continues to write more.
Readaroo Rating: 4 stars
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