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An apothecary solves crime in Imperial China
I enjoyed this book! Granted, I came in after having read the volume equivalent in the English manga edition, so I had a head start in knowing what was going to happen. That likely helped with my first foray into a harder book; the difficulty mostly came from the setting and time period: China in an ambiguous older time period (no running water or electricity, paper is precious, etc.). Lots and lots of setting-specific, archaic vocabulary, some tougher grammar sprinkled around (sorry I don't have specific examples).
Our protagonist Maomao is essentially a detective, using her knowledge of medicine and herbs to solve mini-mysteries around the Inner Palace (where concubines of the Emperor live; she works there as a maid). There are a few other recurring characters, but Maomao is always front and center. The story in the first book does not have a single overarching plot, instead just following Maomao in her day-to-day and jumping from mystery to mystery. Though topics like concubines and prostitutes are brought up and are the main focus in different chapters, there is no explicit content present.