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tiredtori's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Minor: Classism, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Torture, Hate crime, and Murder
moodreaderhan's review against another edition
- 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
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
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Cannibalism, Death, Cursing, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gore, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
zia_c's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
“If that should happen, then the heavens are wrong. I am right. I will stand against the heavens and defy them until the end.” — Xie Lian
Even the devil wouldn't know how happy it makes me when the MC defies the god himself with every step he takes. 🤌🏼❤️✨
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
- 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
Huā Chéng is funny and entertaining in his own way as he casually meddles once again in the affairs of the heavenly realm.
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
vigil's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
it (mostly) moves past the arduous set up of volume one, while still introducing new plot threads and character information in an organic matter. this one had an actual plot within it that felt like a main story, even when it traveled in different directions. we begin to fill in the outline of xie lian, though much of hua cheng is still left a mystery. i will say it was nice to see him in his element in
the misogynistic undertones that are present in the first book are largely absent from this one thankfully, but that's only really because there's no women here.
the reason for it getting a 4.0 is the fact that for the last hundred pages of this book (and the next TWO hundred pages of volume three) we're relegated to a clumsily introduced flashback arc. my issue with mo xiang tong xiu's writing is that she will introduce concepts very early on, and when she suddenly decides its relevant to the plot, she shoves you backwards into at least around a hundred pages of flashback exposition, and then immediately tries to pick backup where she left off. this doesn't mean i don't enjoy the flashbacks themselves per se, just i don't enjoy their ham-fisted inclusion, and often unnecessary and odd length. too detailed on things that don't matter, and a paragraph of exposition on things that do.
the nature of most web novels is that when they move to trad publishing they could use professional editors. mxtx is absolutely no exception to that, and i'm really beginning to understand why this is eight books long.
as a final, seemingly everpresent disclaimer, translation and related issues abound. please stop saying xie lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, i got it the first six times.
Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Torture, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
vael's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent and Torture
ye_li's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: War
atlanticgiantpumpkin's review against another edition
- 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
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
ankita1996's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, and War
cait's review against another edition
- 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
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!
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