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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
This conclusion was everything I was hoping for and far beyond. My expectations were exceeded and I personally feel like this was beautiful. Everything this series did healed the disappointment that's lived in me since I read MXTX's Heaven Official's Blessing. This was what it needed to be, the writing was tight and precise, the story was beautiful, these characters are some of my favorites in danmei now, and the journey was fulfilling. I have only read the Sage 1 and 2 bonus chapters at this point, and I don't know when I'll want to read the other bonus chapters/stories, but I feel very satisfied overall with this book, and I'm genuinely happy I own this entire series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
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
I think the first book in this series is the strongest one, however it was a fun ride and I'm happy I read it. I found the side characters to be interesting and would honestly read a spin-off of some of the characters, like Guo and Chu. Also the covers are beautiful. Maybe I will reread the series at some point to see if I enjoy the second and third book more knowing the ending, or maybe I will have to know more about chinese mythology to truly enjoy the story.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No
Complete review of all volumes:
I wish I could say that I loved this, or even really liked it. After all, Priest wrote Faraway Wanderers, which contains one of my favorite pairings of all time. But this just didn’t work for me. I think I was enjoying it with ease for the first half of volume 1, when Zhao Yunlan was very much in the dark of Shen Wei’s identity, and the dramatic irony was super fun. But then, the relationship really just moved too fast for me from there. And then it just got super confusing to me. Maybe it’s my fault for having such a shaky understanding of Chinese mythology, but holy shit, Priest kinda dropped the ball here with regard to world-building, which in my opinion, makes the entire second half of the novel a confusing mess. And look, this isn’t my first danmei!! So I’m pretty used to the typical pacing and world-building of these. Furthermore, and likely because I had so much trouble following the plot, Shen Wei’s continued deceptions don’t come across to me as noble and understandable. It just makes him seem sketch ngl. There were enjoyable aspects of this novel for sure (I’ll get into in a sec), but at the end of the day, I was not invested in the main couple, which is the point of a danmei novel, so….
To make up for my interest in the main couple waning, I grew to love the cast of side characters by the second half of the novel, especially Zhu Hong, Guo Changcheng, and Chu Shuzhi. And of course, how could I forget the best part of this book, the guy that made it all worth reading?? That’s right. Daqing. The fat black cat yao. Any scene with this cat was made instantly better by miles. His relationship with Zhao Yunlan was so touching.
I will say I actually really enjoyed the extras here, ESPECIALLY the one following Shen San (I’m a sucker for anything jianghu-related). Their established relationship actually ended up feeling so natural. I could actually get a read on Shen Wei, which was just so difficult for me during the main story. The last extra was a bit much, though.
I don’t regret reading this, but I think there are others who would enjoy this way more than I did. There’s also just something about the modern setting mixed with the wuxia-type stakes that wasn’t super satisfying to me, I dunno. I might watch the cdrama.
I was considering giving this a 2.5 for a minute whenever it was chapter after chapter of confusion, but reading the extras really softened me and reminded me of the aspects I appreciated. So solid 3!
I wish I could say that I loved this, or even really liked it. After all, Priest wrote Faraway Wanderers, which contains one of my favorite pairings of all time. But this just didn’t work for me. I think I was enjoying it with ease for the first half of volume 1, when Zhao Yunlan was very much in the dark of Shen Wei’s identity, and the dramatic irony was super fun. But then, the relationship really just moved too fast for me from there. And then it just got super confusing to me. Maybe it’s my fault for having such a shaky understanding of Chinese mythology, but holy shit, Priest kinda dropped the ball here with regard to world-building, which in my opinion, makes the entire second half of the novel a confusing mess. And look, this isn’t my first danmei!! So I’m pretty used to the typical pacing and world-building of these. Furthermore, and likely because I had so much trouble following the plot, Shen Wei’s continued deceptions don’t come across to me as noble and understandable. It just makes him seem sketch ngl. There were enjoyable aspects of this novel for sure (I’ll get into in a sec), but at the end of the day, I was not invested in the main couple, which is the point of a danmei novel, so….
To make up for my interest in the main couple waning, I grew to love the cast of side characters by the second half of the novel, especially Zhu Hong, Guo Changcheng, and Chu Shuzhi. And of course, how could I forget the best part of this book, the guy that made it all worth reading?? That’s right. Daqing. The fat black cat yao. Any scene with this cat was made instantly better by miles. His relationship with Zhao Yunlan was so touching.
I will say I actually really enjoyed the extras here, ESPECIALLY the one following Shen San (I’m a sucker for anything jianghu-related). Their established relationship actually ended up feeling so natural. I could actually get a read on Shen Wei, which was just so difficult for me during the main story. The last extra was a bit much, though.
I don’t regret reading this, but I think there are others who would enjoy this way more than I did. There’s also just something about the modern setting mixed with the wuxia-type stakes that wasn’t super satisfying to me, I dunno. I might watch the cdrama.
I was considering giving this a 2.5 for a minute whenever it was chapter after chapter of confusion, but reading the extras really softened me and reminded me of the aspects I appreciated. So solid 3!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious