Finished it on the plane. I regret not bringing the second book, I have nothing to read on the flight home now lol.
Absolutely loved it. I too first developed a passion for the Three Kingdoms from a childhood spent playing Dynasty Warriors. And like the author, my interest swiftly developed into an interest in the historical records.
I feel in this novel the reverence and passion in both the known fact and venerated mythology of this era of Chinese history. It appealed to me strongly because of that pre-established interest, and I delighted in the way the book both embraces but also plays with the expectations of the famous stories. The way the book involved Guan Yu in particular I found very charming for how unique they are compared to the typical way the character is portrayed.
Beyond how this book delights my Three Kingdoms bias, it's also just a very well written coming of age story. The plot follows a young boy as he loses his innocence to war and slowly matures over the course of the narrative. Even if you don't know or care about the history, I think even a casual reader will find the tale compelling and entertaining.
It's also a breezy read. Very digestible, at least by my standards. I was expecting a denser text, which is why I brought it for this flight lol. I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially anyone who has any affection for the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.