Am I the only person who finished Laura Joh Rowland's book The Snow Empress and said WTF was that?
I think the series might be succumbing to the same thing that killed the Karp/Ciampi books for me - the series plot has just gotten a little too out there. Also, the whole bit with the spirit possession just... didn't work for me.
There were still moments I enjoyed, but overall my impression of the book wasn't positive. One, it's short but rambles. Two, the characters seem off in a way the plot doesn't justify. Three, Hirata needs to get his head out of his ass. Four, there's a couple of points where characters seem a little too modern.
Maybe it's just me...