Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

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

51 reviews

tiredtori's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-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? No

4.0

If you're after a book about complex characters with a rich magic system and an interesting plot with LGBT rep then this is the book for you. It is so easy to lose yourself in the pages of this book that the time flies by without you realising. I think this is fast becoming a comfort read for me. 

I've read a fan translation of this online before it was released in English so this is technically a re-read for me but it was so nice to get back into this world again. I understand why they have had to break the story up into separate books but when you reach the end you can tell that this is not where it was meant to be stopped. 

I've already pre-ordered the next two books in the series and can't wait to read them again, for the time being, though I'll just rewatch The Untamed on Netflix.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, and Homophobia

Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Murder, Genocide, Hate crime, Medical content, Self harm, and Sexual harassment

leedolee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

This was a very interesting read. It was my first time reading a book in this genre so it took some time getting used to the different names and various places found throughout the book. The whole concept is entertaining and I love reading books about various different clans, who are each proficient in their own different ways.

I am familiar with the characters and the world as I watched a few episodes of The Untamed. Obviously, this is the written work that drama is based off so it was cool finally being able to read about some of the events I've already seen. 

I excitedly look forward to the next part!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Torture, Violence, War, and Homophobia

calyxworld's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a witty, light-hearted, romantic romp, with decidedly dark undertones. The determinedly upbeat main character, Wei Wuxian, means that you rarely focus in depth on the heavier subject materials, and as a result the implications are often more chilling. The somewhat non-chronological story-telling allows the world-building to be filled in as the plot rattles along, and both the world and the characters feel extremely realised. Waiting excitedly for volume two!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol and Homophobia

There are some heavy topics, but generally glossed over to a degree, as the main character does not want to dwell on them. I will be adding the appropriate content warnings for each volume, as opposed to for the book in full - as a result there are some that are not present now, but will be in the reviews for each individual volume.

fran_buesa's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gore

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Gaslighting

sydneymunkey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide

Minor: Body horror and Pedophilia

annir's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Gore, Murder, War, and Violence

mustnotblink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I am a western reader with no language knowledge beyond English so I can not attest to the quality of the translation. However, as someone new to this genre, I did read some cultural guides (provided by the non-western portion of fandom) and some general xianxia background and tropes so that I would have a better understanding of the novel. I'm a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi so I am used to being thrown into the deep end of new worlds, but I firmly believe that having this background knowledge made my reading experience 100% better.

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is very talented at crafting characters that people love. I can attest to that; it was very easy to start loving Wei Wuxian. His narrative is very much unreliable but there is a careful balance between his humorous antics, telling bouts of intelligent problem solving, and the extremely insightful moments of darkness that makes him a joy to read. Lan Wangji holds his cards much closer to his chest, yet allows enough glimpses over time that soon he too became a treasured addition to the shelf of characters I would fight a bitch for.

Do l desperately wish that this book was not split into three volumes so I could read the rest? Absolutely! However, I do think volume 1 did a good job balancing world/character introduction with the mystery plot progression AND flashbacks.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Self harm, Mental illness, Body horror, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Torture, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Gore, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: War and Child abuse

racheloddment's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Homophobia, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Murder and Alcohol

Minor: War and Torture

mathsaerie's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, War, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death, and Death of parent

unforth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I've already read a fantranslation of this entire book but I'm absolutely delighted by the official English translation, it reads so smoothly, and I'm absolutely ready to fall in love with Wangxian all over again.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and War

Internalized homophobia, mild dubious consent