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

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

51 reviews

vigil's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

translation issues aside (odd wording, awkward sentences, phonetic laughter rather than simply saying a person is laughing, and the constant and jarring pov changes that switch from 3 person limited, to third person omniscient, or to third person limited again, but this time for another character) i enjoyed myself.

it doesn’t take very long to get going, but i did meander a bit with it until the middle portion. i appreciated the way that the flashbacks are done in the the novel rather than the other adaptations, as it gives a better look into wwx’s headspace and his thought process. and it doesn’t shove you into a completely story after setting up the first one. we are nearly as knowledgeable and as confused as he is at any given time, and it make the book more immersive. though wwx is the definition of an “unreliable narrator” so take it with a grain of salt.

the characters are different from the adaptations but far from as unrecognizable as i think is played up. generally if you liked them in the adaptations you’d probably like them in the novel, or at least give them some leeway.

i should reiterate, the translation is very very questionable. it doesn’t sacrifice overall clarity per se, but it certainly makes some choices for the narrative.

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illiteratenerd's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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taroroot's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

i love this series so much! loved reading it in a novel format <3

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atlanticgiantpumpkin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

I read this book in four days cause my crush really wanted me to read this, and even though my crush is in vain I persevered, though this book made it so enjoyable. I haven’t read a book that fast since high school (Divergent of all things). This was very enjoyable, and while slow burn really gets to me because for the love of god y’all need to kiss already, I sqeed like a fan girl when the little tidbits of romance DID pop up. I’m still mixing up characters because so many people have the same surname, but I’m getting there.

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negs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

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rensreading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

oh i loved everything about mdzs and i was over the moon about finally having a physical copy in my hands.

wwx is the same lovable, oblivious idiot who keeps sticking his foot in it whenever possible. lwj is the same unmovable, tender man who feels too much and hides those feelings to keep himself safe. together, they are so wonderful.

the amount of times i called wwx a clown while i was reading is uncountable. don’t ask me how often it happened, just know that it did lmao

this new translation though… i had to keep checking the OG translation because this new translation had so many differences (i am wary of claiming these as errors since i am not chinese, do not understand mandarin or cantonese, and i do not have the right amount of knowledge nor right to have a say in that particular argument either way). this new translation added many details that were either kept vague in the OG translation or were not mentioned. this new translation also changed many of the terms that older mdzs fans were more familiar with when it come to the text. this new translation also removed many lines that were probably not important plot-wise but were fundamental when it came to the relationship development between wangxian.

i will keep my pre-order of vol 2 intact, but i do hope the translation is cared more about in the future.

simply because of the translation differences, i will be rating this 4 stars instead of 5 😌

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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

4.0

After seeing this all over bookstagram, I had to try it! Plus, look at that gorgeous cover <3 There are also several black-and-white illustrations throughout.

I enjoyed this! Wei Wuxian was not what I expected at all, which was a vengeful (if hot), evil sorcerer, basically. He's the sunshine one in the trope. XD I'm looking forward to reading more of MXTX's work!

There is also a convenient glossary/name guide at the back.

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