Reviews

Czyste serce by Kate Chenli

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lizzienorthcutt's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

alicemirage's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

rknitss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

I really really wanted to like this book more. The idea of a romantasy where the main character goes back in time to take revenge on the people who destroyed her in her first life sounds great to me, but a couple of things (mostly nitpicking) stopped me from really getting into this.

1) I really don't like the current trend of ya novels being told from the first person perspective. I like it even less when there's no indication in the summary or marketing so you don't know until the book is in your hands.

2) the main character, Mingshin, is a girl with too many gifts. I expect her to use future knowledge to her advantage, to be exceptionally clever and maybe one or two other things. Instead she's good at everything. She's clever, a master at strategy games, can remember almost everything she's read in a time of crisis, she's a brilliant musician, she's physically superior to other girls ... Her only flaw is being, apparently, plain in appearance compared to her cousin.

3) the romance felt like it starts out of nowhere. Prince Jieh goes from "who is this upstart?" To "I gotta kiss her!" In what feels like a single chapter. And with his interest comes Mingshin shoving him away and being upset when his hurt feelings mean he doesn't give her attention. Repeat that one for 331 pages.

Ultimately, this is a YA novel. Despite my complaints I feel like someone in the appropriate age range could get caught up in the adventure and fantasy of it all. The problem here is probably me.

moonlit_dewdrops's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was so so good!!

I love a good revenge plot book and strong female characters who refuse to get pushed around and are able to stand up on their own!

Mingshen is intelligent and awesome, using what she went through in her past life to help herself weave through the court politics and to outsmart her enemies. Though honestly I feel like it might have been a little too easy for her to have predicted her enemies’ moves. There should always be consequences when messing with time travel

Her friendship with the princess Yunle was so wholesome and sweet. Ngl, I was skeptical of her at first because I was wary of characters who might act super nice but were evil in disguise but I’m so happy that wasn’t the case. She turned out to be a true friend and ally. I loved how the book showed platonic relationships/soulmates as well as the romance stuff.

The romance between Jieh and Mingshen got me kicking my feet at times. The slow buildup of trust and love was so so good. Ofc it was understandable that Mingshen was wary and suspicious of Jieh at first considering what she went through in her last life but she was able to see how sincere he was and how far he was willing to go to protect her, even doing stuff behind his father’s back.

I also really like Yunle X Fei, even if it was just in the background! Representation is so important!!

The book ends on a foreboding note despite the happy ending. Eagerly waiting the sequel and I can't wait to see more of Jieah and Mingshen and hopefully will also see more of Yunle and Fei

norgey's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

This book took me by surprise. It was like a villainess reincarnation manwha but as a Chinese drama novel. The tropes weren’t groundbreaking, but it was an entertaining and fast read for me. Very typical Chinese period drama politics combined with a second chance reincarnation.
There is going to be a sequel and I can see what they were building up to, but it felt rushed at the end. Like in the last 5 pages suddenly there was enough to spur a sequel?
I’ll still read it, it sounds like it will be mostly action, but the romance between the two MCs feel fully developed and official. Idk how much more the second book will include that isn’t just action.