Did Not Finish @ 23%

Wow, it's my first time DNFing a book! So, the reason I didn't finish is the writing. Sorry to Zhang Ling and her translator, Shelly Bryant, but I just absolutely hate the writing. It came off to me as wanting to be vivid and flowery, but the reality of it was stilted and flat. I don't know if this is due to translation (as it's very difficult to translate sentences that flow well) or if it's how the book was originally written in Chinese. I didn't care for any of the characters, I felt like there was an arm's length put between me and the characters and none of them resonated with me at all. I could put up with distant characters if I appreciated other aspects of the book, but I just... didn't. The only thing I did appreciate about the book was the historical Chinese setting.

I looked at other reviews of the book to find out if I should continue or not, and seeing how the plot develops later on in the story... yeah, I'll just pass. Thanks.