Reviews with content warning for Torture - Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1

The fact that Wei Wuxian keeps joking around about liking men early in the volume and then later ends up with a man is just so much fun lol. He was so funny throughout most of the volume.

If you don't want a slow burn with a LOT of plot, this isn't the series for you! I love what's going on though. There's so much.

I only had a couple of issues with this first volume:
- Wei Wuxian drinks Emperor's Smile and says he never got to have it when he was younger but in the flashback, he did? Not a big deal, but it irked me a bit.
- Lan Wangji tells this long ass story explaining a lot about a specific incident. I would have much rather gotten that information spread out.

Content Warnings

softiejace's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

emergencily's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5

1500 page slow burn Chinese martial arts fantasy gay romance novel? It's like they set up a mouse trap and this bait was personalized just for me.

A lot of fantasy romance novels fall into the trap of either focusing too much on crafting their worlds, leaving the development of the characters and romance to the wayside, or the reverse situation. Thankfully, MXTX manages to balance all of these reasonably well.

The plot is genuinely interesting and well-crafted. The author's somewhat excessive use of time skips can sometimes stall the pacing and confuse you when reading. And for readers unfamiliar with the tropes & terms of xianxia, combined with a large cast (each of whom has about 5 different names and titles) it means it takes some perseverance to get through the first volume and make sense of it all. But once the story hits its stride, it's a page turner of a murderous action, thriller and mystery rolled into one.

The MC, Wei Wuxian, is the star that holds it all together. You can't help but fall in love with his mischief, lackadaisal arrogance, and enduring kindness. Seeing his character grow over the course of the novel is a treat. The highs he hits only makes the lows he falls to from his own hubris even more painful (and trust me. He falls low, and takes everyone around him down with him). He's also strongly situated as a character within a larger cast full of characters who are all interesting, loveable and frustrating in turns in their own rights. All the recurring characters are connected by a web of complex and unique relationships - emnity, sworn brotherhood, rivalry, servitude - that the story takes its time nurturing. And of course the relationship btwn Wei Wuxian and his love interest Lan Zhan as it grows over the decades, withstanding death, war, and time, is the one you root for the most.

Content Warnings

asukaya's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So far it's an intriguing story filled with mysteries and unknowns. The main characters Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are on opposite ends of the character trait spectrum, which makes their interactions quite fun.

The cultivation is something new for me but the execution of it and worldbuilding in the story are compelling. What is difficult to follow at times is the usage of multiple names for the same character, so it can be hard to keep up with who is who and who is related to who. This is generally not too big of an issue since the book contains a glossary with characters and unacquainted vocabulary and concepts.

The text itself, especially the spoken conversations, feel a bit stiff and unnatural for an English reader. I presume this to be a peculiarity of the Chinese language and how it gets translated. While it can be a bit jarring at times you get used to it fast that it doesn't take you out of the reading experience.

Content Warnings

usjdjfnnffm2737's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

Content Warnings

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Pretty solid start for a series. There's a huge cast of characters who have various forms of address so it can be difficult to keep track of everything in the beginning.

The dynamic between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji is hard to describe of only because you don't know the whole history they have yet, nor where it will go in the future. So far, one is basically a class clown/jock type while the other is a stoic nerd type and I'm having a great time with it.

Content Warnings

graceskate's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

More...