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leligavi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
WHAT THE FREAKINF HECK. I THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A WIN. BUT WHY THE HECK MY MAN WENZHI HAS TO GO AND BETRAY OUR GIRL LIKE THAT? I was all for them from the very beginning. Liwei was done because he made his choice and hurt her. I thought that this would be Xingying's true, supportive match. A sweet love that conquered all. Where they would be all BA together. BUT THEN HE BETRAYED HER? At this point in my life, I am not in a state of mind where I find those kinds of plots enjoyable. The betrayal is not fun and games for me. It ends the game. Finito. I literally skimmed the last 15% of this book but I'm counting it as a book read if it's going to make me go through all of that. And I red spoilers that it was going to be about WENZHI and her in the next book but honestly I don't even think I can recover from that. I truly loved them. It feels unredeemable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and War
polaris1117's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and War
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
kenny_2288's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
Graphic: Classism
Minor: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
kelseyr713's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Excellent, creative fantasy romance. I felt a little distanced from the main character (I feel like we never really get to know her beyond the surface level, despite being in her head for the whole book) but I still liked her. Very much looking forward to the sequel, and I appreciate that the first book still ended in a satisfying way and not on a cliffhanger!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, War, Murder, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
The sexual assault is attempted, not completed, and alluded to vaguely.theespressoedition's review against another edition
3.5
Just some quotes I loved:
What use were adventures when there was no one to share them with?
Today, I had finally dared to gaze at the sun, allowing its radiance to blaze through me unhindered, spilling through my veins until I was aglow. Never did I imagine such luminous joy existed, and never again would I be content to remain in the shadows. and never again would I be content to remain in the shadows.
kings were not always as just as in the stories, and the mercy of gods was sometimes flawed.
Not everyone’s past was a path through sunlit fields. We each had our own corners that we preferred to leave in the shadows.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, Gore, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual harassment
clairew97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Medical content, Slavery, War, Alcohol, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Violence
solarel's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
At the end of part 2 I was ready to say this fell in a 2 star range. The main character reads like a YA heroine, quick to swoon and quicker to anger. Her perspective was repetitive, and this grew very little as the book went on. She stars out angry about her mother and her own honor disrespected, and she ends that way too.
I loved the world, though. It was fun and I found it immersive. It felt rich and saturated, though at times repetitive.
What bumped it up to 3 stars for me was a twist that I had misread the signs for as overused tropes. I was delighted about this turn in the plot and it was a lot of fun to see it play out.
Overall I think this book is very charming and worth a read. Parts of the plot felt like they floated by without enough weight, and others felt as if they were drawn out far too long. I’m looking forward to the second one.
I loved the world, though. It was fun and I found it immersive. It felt rich and saturated, though at times repetitive.
What bumped it up to 3 stars for me was a twist that I had misread the signs for as overused tropes. I was delighted about this turn in the plot and it was a lot of fun to see it play out.
Overall I think this book is very charming and worth a read. Parts of the plot felt like they floated by without enough weight, and others felt as if they were drawn out far too long. I’m looking forward to the second one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Buddy read with KatiEllen'sBookishAdventure & HillsOfBooks.
I was so behind on the buddy read, with no pressure other than my own, that I decided to download the ebook for my travels. I then found the audiobook on YouTube, from Harper Collins, with a narrator with a mesmerising voice, which really helped me properly ground myself back into the story from chapter 4 and was super helpful in the pronunciation of our character names.
I loved Xingyin and all that she stood for. She did come across as very stubborn and prideful, that some may not get on with, but for me, I interpreted her pride as a strong sense of self and resilience and I feel like her competitive nature and determination to prove herself, time and time again, came from her isolation in a very tight family home up until this point.
I felt like her abundance of pride was more to do with Xingyin never having to face such critique before and has had to face a sharp humbling by going into servitude to get established in the Imortal Realm.
I struggled with the time jumps. This is something I tend to struggle with most times. It just feels cloudy to me, and I lose sense of time and place. I couldn't comprehend how many achievements had been made in such quick succession because I couldn't grapple with how much time was supposed to have passed. I think the only solid acknowledgement of it was a passing "2 years" mentioned, but other than that, I found it hard to feel grounded, was disorientated in that earlier portion after the flee, and a lot felt told rather than shown during these speed through the years. I felt like I needed a more cultivated balance of not showing us everything, but showing us enough that it made sense that a substantial amount of time has past... but also... immortals... so time is a construct.
I had so many conflicting emotions when it came to Liwei and Wenzhi. I loved them. I hated them... I think I was just team Xingyin all the way because I just felt for her through everything, but the heartbreak I felt was probably more than she had!
I enjoyed that although this was fantasy, it had a lot of militant themes too. I don't typically read lots of military fantasy, or fantasy where it's a larger portion of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially seeing all the different parts of the Celestial Kingdoms, who sided with who, political intrigue, etc.
Overall, this was a fantastic start to the Celestial Kingdom duology and an even better debut.
I was so behind on the buddy read, with no pressure other than my own, that I decided to download the ebook for my travels. I then found the audiobook on YouTube, from Harper Collins, with a narrator with a mesmerising voice, which really helped me properly ground myself back into the story from chapter 4 and was super helpful in the pronunciation of our character names.
I loved Xingyin and all that she stood for. She did come across as very stubborn and prideful, that some may not get on with, but for me, I interpreted her pride as a strong sense of self and resilience and I feel like her competitive nature and determination to prove herself, time and time again, came from her isolation in a very tight family home up until this point.
I felt like her abundance of pride was more to do with Xingyin never having to face such critique before and has had to face a sharp humbling by going into servitude to get established in the Imortal Realm.
I struggled with the time jumps. This is something I tend to struggle with most times. It just feels cloudy to me, and I lose sense of time and place. I couldn't comprehend how many achievements had been made in such quick succession because I couldn't grapple with how much time was supposed to have passed. I think the only solid acknowledgement of it was a passing "2 years" mentioned, but other than that, I found it hard to feel grounded, was disorientated in that earlier portion after the flee, and a lot felt told rather than shown during these speed through the years. I felt like I needed a more cultivated balance of not showing us everything, but showing us enough that it made sense that a substantial amount of time has past... but also... immortals... so time is a construct.
I had so many conflicting emotions when it came to Liwei and Wenzhi. I loved them. I hated them... I think I was just team Xingyin all the way because I just felt for her through everything, but the heartbreak I felt was probably more than she had!
I enjoyed that although this was fantasy, it had a lot of militant themes too. I don't typically read lots of military fantasy, or fantasy where it's a larger portion of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially seeing all the different parts of the Celestial Kingdoms, who sided with who, political intrigue, etc.
Overall, this was a fantastic start to the Celestial Kingdom duology and an even better debut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Self harm, War, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Bullying
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
The worldbuilding unfolds slowly, with early mentions of the various kingdoms supplemented later on by more detailed descriptions once Xingyin actually travels there. The descriptions are evocative but not overwhelming, tending to focus more on her thoughts about what she observes. There’s a strong focus on Xingyin’s internal life, as her relationships get more complicated but she’s still keeping her parentage a secret. She’s the daughter of the moon goddess, having grown up in secret since her mother was exiled to the moon after claiming the immortality meant for her husband, Xingyin’s father.
I like the first third and I love the second half, in between those sections the pacing gets a little weird though it’s still pretty good. Mid-book events which in some other story might be a training montage instead are collapsed into a very brief mention as several years are skipped at once. Xingyin ends up in the Celestial palace, surrounded by people who despise her for her class and who would detest her if they knew who her mother really was. After spending several years as the prince’s companion, she tries to make her own way by excelling at arms, becoming a formidable archer. Her goal is to earn a favor from the emperor in order to request her mother’s freedom.
Once place where this excels is in relationships, specifically the way that Xingyin’s relationships with Prince Liwei and Captain Wenzhi change over time. It is a love triangle, but one which at each stage feels like there are good reasons for the choices Xingyin is making. She proceeds as well as she can while figuring out who she wants, if anyone. I love the ending, it pulls things together in a fantastic way and lays the ground for what the sequel might cover while still letting this first book feel complete.
I like the first third and I love the second half, in between those sections the pacing gets a little weird though it’s still pretty good. Mid-book events which in some other story might be a training montage instead are collapsed into a very brief mention as several years are skipped at once. Xingyin ends up in the Celestial palace, surrounded by people who despise her for her class and who would detest her if they knew who her mother really was. After spending several years as the prince’s companion, she tries to make her own way by excelling at arms, becoming a formidable archer. Her goal is to earn a favor from the emperor in order to request her mother’s freedom.
Once place where this excels is in relationships, specifically the way that Xingyin’s relationships with Prince Liwei and Captain Wenzhi change over time. It is a love triangle, but one which at each stage feels like there are good reasons for the choices Xingyin is making. She proceeds as well as she can while figuring out who she wants, if anyone. I love the ending, it pulls things together in a fantastic way and lays the ground for what the sequel might cover while still letting this first book feel complete.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Confinement, Blood, Animal death, Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Vomit, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Torture
Minor: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy
troldmand's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Torture, War, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault