kˈɜːkəs ɹᵻvjˈuːz kˈɔːld ɪt "ɐnˈʌðɚɹ ˈɛlɪɡənt sˈiːnoʊspɛktˈækjʊlɚ" ɪnwˌɪtʃ "ɐɡˈɛnst ɐ vˈæst, tʃˈɪɹfəli ˌoʊvɚsˈɪmplᵻfˌaɪd wˈɑːʃ ʌv mˈɪd nˈaɪntiːnθsˈɛntʃɚɹi tʃaɪnˈiːz hˈɪstɚɹi, fˈɪkʃənəl fˈæmɪliz plˈʌs ɐ fjˈuː ɹˈiːəllˈaɪf mˈuːvɚz ænd ʃˈeɪkɚz lˈɑːntʃ ɔːɹ mˈʌdəl θɹuː ɡɹˈeɪt ᵻvˈɛnts."
Kirkus Reviews called it "Another Elegant Sino-spectacular" in which "against a vast, cheerfully over-simplified wash of mid-19th-century Chinese history, fictional families (plus a few real-life movers and shakers) launch or muddle through Great Events."