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biscuitgale's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Xie Lian is questioned about his red-clothed companion from the events of the last volume. Later he is sent off on a mission to investigate a distress call near Ghost City, Hua Cheng's territory. There is adventure, tenderness and some of Xie Lian's past surfacing. Many questions are still left unanswered and there are now even more questions.
I've been enjoying the build up on the relationship between the two leads, but want to mention that there are dark themes and situations in this story. There is more world building with the ghost realm revealed to us in this volume. This time Xie Lian has different companions. It was exciting to see his dynamic with new people. We also get to witness Hua Cheng being himself. I'm looking forward to more developments in their relationship.
The pacing was exciting at the beginning, started to trail off as we approached the end and immediately picked up at the last second. But then the story pivoted to a flashback arc suddenly. Some of the language and dialogue choices in this translation feel unexpected and there is noticeably more cursing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Cursing, Child abuse, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Physical abuse, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment
moodreaderhan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 ‘Rolling Dice With Heated Stares And Soft Touches’ Stars! *fans myself again*
My Brief Summary:
Off to the Ghost City we go! Xie Lian is given a task by the heavenly officials, which he is more than happy to go on if it means the chance to possibly see his new/old friend San Lang aka Hua Cheng, who rules over the city and is one of the four calamities and a supreme ghost. The Ghost City (as its name suggests) holds all kinds of ghosts with trouble that may come in between him completing his mission.
Xie Lian has been warned of Hua Cheng, but when the two are together, no one can deny how different Crimson Rain Sought Flower is to our prince than to anyone else. Will Xie Lian be able to complete his mission? What happens when a familiar boy with bandages appears again? What other difficulties will arise? What lies between Hua Cheng’s and Xie Lian’s chemistry and connection?
Thoughts:
Oh my! Our slow burn continues on, and I am obsessed with HuaLian! Just when I thought Hua Cheng would take awhile to come back, he didn’t leave us or Xie Lian waiting for long! Can’t keep these two apart, and I am grateful for it.
Let’s dive into the good stuff.
What we get:
-GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS ART!
-Wacky ghosts
-Sensual gambling (with adorable half eaten buns as a prize for one fine gentleman in particular)
-Oblivious companions
-Interior design conversations (iykyk - just live together!!)
-The reverse Ariana Grande ‘You want it, you got it!’ from Hua Cheng to Xie Lian
-The introduction to a scimitar named Eming
-Low-key High-key innuendos everywhere
-Side character shenanigans
-Fighting scenes
-Shoulder touches/massage
-A heartbreaking and lovely bandaged boy that is basically adopted by Xie Lian and us (readers)
-Moments where those who have a degradation kink might really enjoy :):)
-Tomfoolery everywhere
-Painful scenes
-HuaLian moments too pure for words that are just enough, but never enough!
Characters
>Xie Lian: An angel and a badass rolled into one being! He either doesn’t give an f*ck what others think, will fight his beliefs, is self-sacrificing, or just shooting (unknown to himself) heart-eyes at Hua Cheng. There is no in betweens for me when it comes to him.
>Hua Cheng: The ‘I hate everyone but you’ energy is so strong with him, and I eat up every moment of it. HC is a simp in the purest sense, and I hope you never change! Also I am, respectfully, in love with you.
This story is primarily adventure based, but gets really emotional, funny, dark, mysterious and inspiring! I can’t wait to see what lies in store for our main characters, and for the readers!
P.s. If you can’t find me, it’s because I’m still rolling around laughing on the ground after Xie Lian said he can’t get erect to a random stranger. BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Would I recommend this and to who:
Yes!! For those who loveeee a good slow burn!
And you better love it or fear the wrath of us HuaLian simps (primarily maya and anmol will bring the hellfire)!
Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
Paperback
How did I discover this:
anmol!! maya, lila and I get to tagalong for the adventure and fall in love with the volumes more and more as we go!
Pace:
Medium
POV:
Xie Lian
Quotes:
”Hua Cheng chuckled lighting” … “Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat”
“Whether you’re here to see me or not, I’m happy either way.”
“A home has a family. A place where someone lives alone is not a home … if it’s home, then even a small place like Puqi Shrine is a million times better than my Paradise Manor.”
“If you ask, I’ll deliver”
“fight me and you will surely die.”
“Does that mean everytime I roll a two, I can see you?” … “If you want to see me, it won’t matter what you roll. I will appear.”
“The moment Hua Cheng left, Xie Lian immediately sense the void behind him and turned around in a rush, running a few steps after him.”
“Those who are destined to shine, I must let them shine.”
“If one day I ascend, I will surely do all that I said today and become a power to behold!”
Triggers:
Violence, Gore, Blood, Injury, Body Horror, Death, Abuse, Torture, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, Swearing, War/Battles, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Illness, Bullying, Toxic Relationships, etc.
_______________________________
Here for the “plot” and “story-building” 🤭 yup that's what I'm invested in!
BR with the babes - anmol, maya and lila
My Brief Summary:
Off to the Ghost City we go! Xie Lian is given a task by the heavenly officials, which he is more than happy to go on if it means the chance to possibly see his new/old friend San Lang aka Hua Cheng, who rules over the city and is one of the four calamities and a supreme ghost. The Ghost City (as its name suggests) holds all kinds of ghosts with trouble that may come in between him completing his mission.
Xie Lian has been warned of Hua Cheng, but when the two are together, no one can deny how different Crimson Rain Sought Flower is to our prince than to anyone else. Will Xie Lian be able to complete his mission? What happens when a familiar boy with bandages appears again? What other difficulties will arise? What lies between Hua Cheng’s and Xie Lian’s chemistry and connection?
Thoughts:
Oh my! Our slow burn continues on, and I am obsessed with HuaLian! Just when I thought Hua Cheng would take awhile to come back, he didn’t leave us or Xie Lian waiting for long! Can’t keep these two apart, and I am grateful for it.
Let’s dive into the good stuff.
What we get:
-GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS ART!
-Wacky ghosts
-Sensual gambling (with adorable half eaten buns as a prize for one fine gentleman in particular)
-Oblivious companions
-Interior design conversations (iykyk - just live together!!)
-The reverse Ariana Grande ‘You want it, you got it!’ from Hua Cheng to Xie Lian
-The introduction to a scimitar named Eming
-Low-key High-key innuendos everywhere
-Side character shenanigans
-Fighting scenes
-Shoulder touches/massage
-A heartbreaking and lovely bandaged boy that is basically adopted by Xie Lian and us (readers)
-Moments where those who have a degradation kink might really enjoy :):)
-Tomfoolery everywhere
-Painful scenes
-HuaLian moments too pure for words that are just enough, but never enough!
Characters
>Xie Lian: An angel and a badass rolled into one being! He either doesn’t give an f*ck what others think, will fight his beliefs, is self-sacrificing, or just shooting (unknown to himself) heart-eyes at Hua Cheng. There is no in betweens for me when it comes to him.
>Hua Cheng: The ‘I hate everyone but you’ energy is so strong with him, and I eat up every moment of it. HC is a simp in the purest sense, and I hope you never change! Also I am, respectfully, in love with you.
This story is primarily adventure based, but gets really emotional, funny, dark, mysterious and inspiring! I can’t wait to see what lies in store for our main characters, and for the readers!
P.s. If you can’t find me, it’s because I’m still rolling around laughing on the ground after Xie Lian said he can’t get erect to a random stranger. BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Would I recommend this and to who:
Yes!! For those who loveeee a good slow burn!
And you better love it or fear the wrath of us HuaLian simps (primarily maya and anmol will bring the hellfire)!
Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
Paperback
How did I discover this:
anmol!! maya, lila and I get to tagalong for the adventure and fall in love with the volumes more and more as we go!
Pace:
Medium
POV:
Xie Lian
Quotes:
”Hua Cheng chuckled lighting” … “Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat”
“Whether you’re here to see me or not, I’m happy either way.”
“A home has a family. A place where someone lives alone is not a home … if it’s home, then even a small place like Puqi Shrine is a million times better than my Paradise Manor.”
“If you ask, I’ll deliver”
“fight me and you will surely die.”
“Does that mean everytime I roll a two, I can see you?” … “If you want to see me, it won’t matter what you roll. I will appear.”
“The moment Hua Cheng left, Xie Lian immediately sense the void behind him and turned around in a rush, running a few steps after him.”
“Those who are destined to shine, I must let them shine.”
“If one day I ascend, I will surely do all that I said today and become a power to behold!”
Triggers:
Violence, Gore, Blood, Injury, Body Horror, Death, Abuse, Torture, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, Swearing, War/Battles, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Illness, Bullying, Toxic Relationships, etc.
_______________________________
Here for the “plot” and “story-building” 🤭 yup that's what I'm invested in!
BR with the babes - anmol, maya and lila
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Cannibalism, Death, Cursing, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gore, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Since the characters are for the majority hundreds of years old you can imagine that there is a lot of backstory. It seems that we got a nice chunk of a flashback of it in this volume.
In the previous volume this was handled more as telling history or sharing gossip which was amusing because of the lens it was told from. For the flashback it was more of a lived experience so not much humor.
I'm still enjoying the story and since it is predominantly character based with some "baddie-of-the-week" elements the previous experiences of a nigh immortal character are integral.
In the previous volume this was handled more as telling history or sharing gossip which was amusing because of the lens it was told from. For the flashback it was more of a lived experience so not much humor.
I'm still enjoying the story and since it is predominantly character based with some "baddie-of-the-week" elements the previous experiences of a nigh immortal character are integral.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Gore, Murder, Medical content, and Physical abuse
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Xiè Lián continues to be a wonderful main character, kind and thoughtful no matter what's happening around him. His unlucky nature leads to quite a bit of hilarity even in the midst of the very serious situations he finds himself in.
Huā Chéng is funny and entertaining in his own way as he casually meddles once again in the affairs of the heavenly realm.
Huā Chéng is funny and entertaining in his own way as he casually meddles once again in the affairs of the heavenly realm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Mental illness, Violence, Gore, Murder, Child death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Hate crime, Death, and Confinement
Minor: War, Abandonment, Transphobia, Self harm, Grief, and Kidnapping
atlanticgiantpumpkin'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Bullying, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Outing, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Dysphoria
cait's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
"Right or wrong is very important. If I must choose, then I choose the third path."
It's hard to discuss Volume 2 of Heaven Official's Blessing without spoiling Volume 1. We continue to follow Xie Lian immediately after the events of the first book - as expected, since this was a serialized web novel that has now been split into multiple books as opposed to an actual series written in parts and over an extended period of time. The Crown Prince is still dealing with the consequences of his actions at Banyue Pass when the Emperor asks him to complete a secretive mission to rescue a missing heavenly official who was least heard from outside of the ghost city run by Hua Cheng. Xie Lian is the only person the Emperor thinks can a) be trusted and b) survive a potential run-in with Hua Cheng during the course of the investigation.
I loved this book almost as much as the first one. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian have the best interactions - who knew rolling dice could be so hot?! - and the second half of the novel is finally diving into Xie Lian's backstory from before he ascended the first time, giving us our very first opportunity to really get to know Mu Qing and Feng Xin and the tumultuousness of their relationship from the start. That, along with the introduction of Rong Rong, has me excited to learn more about how we got to this point with Xie Lian's good luck turned bad (I have theories), Mu Qing's seeming hatred of Xie Lian, Feng Xin's seeming indifference towards Xie Lian, and what exactly drove Hua Cheng to be Hua Cheng.
As ever, the character interactions are second to none, the dialogue is hilarious, and the story-telling maintains all of Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù's signature wit and skill. My only complaint is that I really, really wanted more Hua Cheng, which leads to the fact that I am so excited for Volume 3!
It's hard to discuss Volume 2 of Heaven Official's Blessing without spoiling Volume 1. We continue to follow Xie Lian immediately after the events of the first book - as expected, since this was a serialized web novel that has now been split into multiple books as opposed to an actual series written in parts and over an extended period of time. The Crown Prince is still dealing with the consequences of his actions at Banyue Pass when the Emperor asks him to complete a secretive mission to rescue a missing heavenly official who was least heard from outside of the ghost city run by Hua Cheng. Xie Lian is the only person the Emperor thinks can a) be trusted and b) survive a potential run-in with Hua Cheng during the course of the investigation.
I loved this book almost as much as the first one. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian have the best interactions - who knew rolling dice could be so hot?! - and the second half of the novel is finally diving into Xie Lian's backstory from before he ascended the first time, giving us our very first opportunity to really get to know Mu Qing and Feng Xin and the tumultuousness of their relationship from the start. That, along with the introduction of Rong Rong, has me excited to learn more about how we got to this point with Xie Lian's good luck turned bad (I have theories), Mu Qing's seeming hatred of Xie Lian, Feng Xin's seeming indifference towards Xie Lian, and what exactly drove Hua Cheng to be Hua Cheng.
As ever, the character interactions are second to none, the dialogue is hilarious, and the story-telling maintains all of Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù's signature wit and skill. My only complaint is that I really, really wanted more Hua Cheng, which leads to the fact that I am so excited for Volume 3!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, War, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment
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