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faerie123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Body shaming
ieatbooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Body horror, Gore, and Violence
Minor: War, Genocide, and Cursing
biscuitgale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I truly enjoyed the slow-burn romance moments in this book, but want to caveat that this story includes dark themes and gore. Like many xianxia stories, there are characters with multiple names and titles. If you’re finding it tough to keep track of the names, I highly recommend keeping track of them and other confusing elements on the side on paper.
This volume does a lot of legwork to set up the world, but it can be a bit confusing if you haven’t read other stories of this genre. It introduces us to heaven, some cultivation and ghosts. The different realms mentioned are truly intriguing. The characters in this story are so fun and chaotic. Not all are fully developed, but they are definitely written with unique personalities and motivations. The pacing of this book can be challenging at times as there are scenes that go on for a bit longer than anticipated. But then there are moments where it picks up and it’s hard to put the book down because I just had to know what happens next. The story leaves us with a ton of loose threads going into the rest of the series!
Here are a few of the darker topics that came up in the story (behind a spoiler tag):
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia, Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, and Genocide
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- 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
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
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The biggest difficulty a reader might have with this book is how many names some of the characters have, as many of them are immortal gods who have gained names over time. Keeping a paper nearby to make a character log or keeping the Heaven Official's Blessing wiki pulled up (but beware spoilers) as you read may be helpful.
Another thing to note is this is a translation from Chinese. In order to more closely capture the meanings of the original text, this version is not quite written in the 'literary English prose' style that English readers may be used to, but it is grammatically correct and overall quite understandable.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Body horror, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, Cannibalism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Mental illness, Self harm, and Confinement
Minor: Sexism, Grief, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Body shaming, and Misogyny
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really like fantasy and wuxia, so I found the reading fascinating, enjoyable and even educational at times with the glossary, as I was able to learn more about Chinese culture, philosophy and traditions.
There are many beautiful and emotional scenes full of detail and metaphors, mixed with funny moments that create a very good balance. It's the first of the 5 books that make up the story but I feel like it gives you a great understanding of the characters and the plot. I liked the rhythm and the narrative style, so I can't wait to read the next books and get to know the past and complexities of these characters.
Graphic: Sexism and Racism
aardwyrm's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Death, Confinement, Bullying, and Cursing
yuuzel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Child death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Murder
Minor: Abortion, Xenophobia, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Confinement, Cannibalism, and Alcohol