The Balance of Heaven and Earth is definitely something new for me – a historical fiction set in ancient China. I was intrigued by both the premise and the fact that I had never read anything set in this time period before even though my cultural background is Chinese.
Title: The Balance of Heaven and Earth
Author: Laurence Westwood
Series: Magistrate Zhu Mysteries #1
First Published: September 30, 2018
Publisher: Shikra Press
Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Acquired: from the author
*** Thank you to the author, Laurence Westwood, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Much of Chinese philosophy, medicine and traditions are based on the idea of ‘balance’ – the yin and yang, earth and heaven, etc. Even the idea of justice is based on balance – that of good and evil. The Balance of Heaven and Earth introduces us to Magistrate Zhu. Zhu is newly arrived at a remote border town named Tranquil Mountain to take over from the previous Magistrate.
As soon as Zhu arrives, he barely has time to adjust to his new surrounding when there is a mysterious murder, bandits, a kidnapping and even rumours of ghostly hauntings. On top of all that, he has to deal with Jade Moon, the local heroine.
One thing that really caught my attention as I started to get into this story is the incredibly detailed environment that Westwood has created. The atmosphere, locations and characters are very-well fleshed out and the author makes ancient China come alive. It’s not just about good research, you can really tell that the Westwood loves this history and his passion is obvious in his writing.
I was a bit intimidated when the first thing I saw upon opening the book was a cast of characters – nearly two pages worth! I was worried that I would never be able to keep track of them all. But honestly, once I started reading, I didn’t even notice that there were that many characters – they all fit seamlessly into the story and I was never at a loss to who was who.
The Balance of Heaven and Earth isn’t an epic historical fiction with well-known historical figures – it’s quite the opposite – it deals with a small town that is quite isolated and a place full of superstition and long-held traditional beliefs. But instead of being boring, this setting is charming and shows how every place, even a small village like this, needs justice.
Magistrate Zhu is an interesting and complex character. Seeing him adapt to this small town after life in the big city with all its luxuries made him very human and I felt myself warming to him as you see him grow into his position and life in Tranquil Mountain.
I also found myself cheering for Jade Moon, the strong and capable heroine of the story. It was fun to see how Zhu and Jade Moon’s stories were intertwined with each other. I’m looking forward to future stories about Magistrate Zhu’s adventures in Tranquil Mountain.
NOT A HARD-BOILED MYSTERY, YET NOT A COZY
While this historical fiction has a lot of mystery elements to it, it wasn’t serious enough to be a typical ‘dark mystery’ and while it was heavy on the charm, it wasn’t a ‘cozy mystery’ either. I settled on ‘historical mystery’, a sub-genre I quite enjoy. And when I say charming, I mean it. Alongside the beautiful storyworld that Westwood has created, the characters themselves are a joy to read and get to know. You can see their growth and development throughout the story.
I must admit that I first agreed to read this book because it was set in ancient China and I thought it was about time I read a historical fiction set in my parents’ homeland. I wasn’t sure what to expect but ended up loving Westwood’s writing style, the setting and the characters. If you’re a fan of historical fiction that is a little more than curious about trying a story set in ancient China, I definitely recommend that you give this one a try!
READ IT FOR YOURSELF
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