Beautifully written story of a sisterhood composed of women of different stations, ambitions, and needs. I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters, and the beautiful descriptions of the land, and the characters especially at the beginning. The earthquake scene is heartrending. There is fantastical spiritual element to the story too, but that is not really introduced to the story until about a third of the way in. The back of my copy says that the book is set in medieval China, and that is not quite the case, as it is fantasy realm called Syia, and the time period is not stated. ( )

I have to say up front that I read this hard on the heels of 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' so maybe this is why the book didn't cut it for me - It just didn't measure up to the high expectations I had.

For me there were too many main characters to try and remember - each of the women could have had their own story told in another book. I felt that the author just spread herself too thin trying to give depth to all the characters - and in the end did each of them less justice than they deserved.

The book is set in a mythical Chinese empire and follows the friendships and loyalty between eight young women--sisters of the heart. Sisters of the heart, or jin-ashu, is where young women swear undying loyalty to each other. No matter what their station is in life, laundrymaid or the Imperial heir, the oath of sisterhood more binding than even an order from the emperor. the eight women reshape the empire. One of the women becomes the ruler of the empire - and she starts to lust after the secret of immortality - her quest tests the loyalties of the remaining seven women - they should as sworn sisters support her - but what will they gain in their support - and what will they lose if they don't?

There are eight different ending in a sense - as each woman has to make her own path in life, their choices as they face the various challenges mean that some choose paths that bring them to a predictable end. There is only one ending for the empire, one resolution for the book as a whole.

I really wish the book had been about 200 pages shorter - and maybe split up into a series of books - so each of the wonderful women could have had more of their story told. ( )

This is a wonderful novel about ten girls growing up in an alternate China. They are from different stations in life, from lowly orphan to Imperial heir, but each one is connected through the bond of Jin-Shei, an oath of sisterhood more binding than anything. Even an order from the emperor can be refused, but a request made in the name of Jin-Shei can not. Over the course of their lives, these ten girls and their Jin-Shei bonds will reshape the empire.

At its heart, The Secrets of Jin-Shei is about the relationships between these Jin-Shei sisters. The conflicts and fears, the betrayals and redemptions. While the plot is engaging, it's not an action-oriented novel. The beginning chapters felt almost leisurely as we were introduced to Tai and her companions. The magical element doesn't appear until about halfway through the book. If you're looking for explosions by page three, this may not be the book for you.

For myself, I was hooked. There's an epic feel to the story, which spans an entire generation. (Or more, if you include the final chapter.) I cared about the characters, who were all too human. While some of the women choose darker paths, Alexander keeps them believable. Even as you grieve for the inevitable consequences, you understand why they made their choices. The resolution isn't entirely happy, but it feels true, which is far more important.

While The Secrets of Jin-Shei may not appeal to everyone, it's a magical, masterful novel, one of the few I'll probably come back and re-read. ( )

I really wanted to like this book, and it started out really good, with lots of things for me to like. As it goes on, however, it falls deeper and deeper into senseless meanness and destruction. I ended up disliking this book, and liking the author less instead of more.

On the plus side, it is well written and original, and the setting/worldbuilding is very well realized. But this wasn't enough for me to counterbalance the nastiness. Sorry... ( )

I loved this story of several girls and later women who are involved in the complicated world of a slightly alternative medieval imperial China. ( )