Review: Great, Quick Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2012
Capturing the Silken Thief is a historical romance novella that takes place in 823 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty in China. I wasn't sure how I would like the novella format. I like historical romance but I was sort of unsure whether or not you could tell a good story, let alone a good romance (love takes time usually!), in such a short amount of space. But I really like Jeannie Lin's writing and thoroughly enjoyed The Dragon and The Pearl so I tried to have faith. And you know what, it all turned out just fine!I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick read with it being a novella and all. I was impressed with how much detail Lin was able to get in with so little space to work with. Jia is a great character. She's trying to buy her freedom, which was a great cost for a woman at that time. She's brave and cunning. She goes to steal a book of poems of an infamous courtesan from Luo Cheng, a gentleman studying to take a test to become a government official (a process that I found sort of fascinating). Things don't turn out the way Jia plans and she and Luo Cheng end up falling for each other hard and quickly. Hotness and passion ensues!One reason that I love historical fiction of all stripes is that the books have the ability to take you to someplace that you've never been before. Lin gives the reader a great sense of what life was like during the Tang Dynasty. You can definitely imagine that you're there.Bottom line: this is a perfect book for those wanting to break their fear of novellas. Great stories really can be told in fewer words.