Really lovely book, it's the second I've read by Salmonson and it didn't disappoint. The Swordswoman is written a bit better in my opinion and has a better narrative, but this one makes me look forward to reading more from her. The books she writes are really different, I can't really say I've read anything quite like it. I love how with Ou Lu Ken and the Beautiful Madwoman she's written a quest for love without any romance, which works wonderfully for me because I can't really stand romance. It seems like the "madwoman" trope is a common thread in a lot of her novels and I dig it.