Scan barcode
graceskate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Torture, Racism, Grief, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Infidelity
blacksphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I am really conflicted about this book (hence the middle rating). On one hand, I really like our protagonist and his love interest. Hua Cheng is charming, and I have plenty of theories about his backstory I want to see play out. The arc format of the story is appealing, with each arc having a ton of many wild plot twists, and I'm going to continue on with the series. But there were also grating things I just can't ignore.
The only way I know how to describe the prose is to say that it's like a fanfic. It is quite jarring to see such things in an original story I paid money to read - for example, characters' dialog consisting only of "..." or "???????". If you had never read fanfic before, I cannot imagine how this would come across!
The other is something the many fans encouraging me to read it or the discussions I've seen about the book never mention - the transphobic and Islamophobic elements in the plot. It was extremely uncomfortable to hear characters say things like "if I kidnapped someone I thought was a woman and they turned out to be a man in a dress, I'd kill them!" or"the warmongering, brutish, Middle Eastern coded country was going to send civilians wearing bombs into public places to blow them up in acts of terror" as justification for genocide. It makes me wonder what other harmful stereotypes of minority groups I'm going to have to grit my teeth through in the future.
Overall, my feelings are really mixed...
The only way I know how to describe the prose is to say that it's like a fanfic. It is quite jarring to see such things in an original story I paid money to read - for example, characters' dialog consisting only of "..." or "???????". If you had never read fanfic before, I cannot imagine how this would come across!
The other is something the many fans encouraging me to read it or the discussions I've seen about the book never mention - the transphobic and Islamophobic elements in the plot. It was extremely uncomfortable to hear characters say things like "if I kidnapped someone I thought was a woman and they turned out to be a man in a dress, I'd kill them!" or
Overall, my feelings are really mixed...
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Transphobia, Blood, War, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Genocide, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Gore, and Bullying
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
dottiewankenobi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I was intrigued from the very first page. Going in, all I really knew was that this was about gods, so the characters themselves (their personalities, their humor, San Lang's... everything) were super super fun to explore. The dynamics between Xie Lian and all of the other characters are diverse and lend to a lot of funny or interesting moments (for instance, I love thinking about what Fu Yao thinks of him and why he reacts the way he does sometimes). I also really appreciate the way MXTX tied So Many Pieces together from all the different characters/backstories/etc. The only thing that tripped me up was how some moments felt like they were in fast forward mode, sometimes skipping a few hours and at one point skipping over months.
Really strong start to the series, and I am very excited to keep reading and learn more.
Really strong start to the series, and I am very excited to keep reading and learn more.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Ableism, Cursing, and War
More...