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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
So, I read this book while in the middle of changing jobs and moving from one city to another. I enjoyed it a lot, but I remember the vibes of the book more than anything else. While Cheng Geng is the focal character for the story, Gu Yun, his godfather is as much of a main character in the story. The characters and their relationships were really the strongest part for me, though the worldbuilding was fantastic. There are fantastic machines that run on violet-gold which give it a very Steampunk feel, but their existence never really pulls you out of the historical setting The only drawback was I felt like I was missing a fair amount of detail and nuance because I’m not very familiar with Chinese history which was a huge element of the worldbuilding. There are hints at a romance, but this is definitely a slow burn. This is part one of the story, and I’m definitely going to have to reread it before I read part two when it comes out. Four out of five stars.
slow-paced
Very slow paced to start. Took me way longer than expected to finish simply because the middle really dragged on and I didn't find myself wanting to jump back in. Pace got back to a better spot by the end, but unsure if I'm going to continue with this series.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
tense
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Graphic: Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
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
Probably the last book that I'll read in 2024 and I'm so glad that I'm ending the year with this banger of a book!! I've never read a Priest novel in full (although I did start the fan translation of Faraway Wanderers at one point), but I have heard incredible things about her novels...and this was one of her works that I've been wanted to read for quite a while now.
I would still consider myself somewhat of a novice in the danmei world. I've read all of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's works and one of Meatbun's (2HA), but you can't know about danmei without hearing about Priest, so I was super excited to pick this one up once I learnt of the official translation happening.
I'm only one volume in so far, but I can tell that this is much more plot heavy than a lot of the other danmei novels I've read. I actually really loved that because it set itself apart from more of the more romance heavy danmei novels I've been reading recently. I was immediately immersed in the story from the very start. There's this mysteriousness to the writing that kept making me want to read more to figure out what was going on...to uncover what would happen next. The steampunk setting is so interesting and unique to me. I also love both Gu Yun and Chang Geng too. Their dynamic is intriguing to me, and all it does is make me want to read on to find out how things evolve between them once Chang Geng gets older.
I'm typically more of a character driven reader than a plot one, but I still find the worldbuilding in this fascinating. I think at times it can be difficult for me to picture all the descriptions in my head, but that doesn't change how fascinated I am by everything that's happening (and how the characters, particularly Gu Yun, is able to get in and out of situations despite his disabilities).
I do think I lost a little bit of interest towards the end (maybe because I was a little confused with what was happening since I'm not typically into heavy description in writing), but I'm also not too bothered about it because I definitely think that the story will pick up more in the next volume based on the direction of the plot so far. I'm really keen for the release of volume 2 so I can continue on uncovering what will happen next for each of the characters...and how Gu Yun and Chang Geng's relationship will change over time, of course. I'm really excited!!
4/5
I would still consider myself somewhat of a novice in the danmei world. I've read all of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's works and one of Meatbun's (2HA), but you can't know about danmei without hearing about Priest, so I was super excited to pick this one up once I learnt of the official translation happening.
I'm only one volume in so far, but I can tell that this is much more plot heavy than a lot of the other danmei novels I've read. I actually really loved that because it set itself apart from more of the more romance heavy danmei novels I've been reading recently. I was immediately immersed in the story from the very start. There's this mysteriousness to the writing that kept making me want to read more to figure out what was going on...to uncover what would happen next. The steampunk setting is so interesting and unique to me. I also love both Gu Yun and Chang Geng too. Their dynamic is intriguing to me, and all it does is make me want to read on to find out how things evolve between them once Chang Geng gets older.
I'm typically more of a character driven reader than a plot one, but I still find the worldbuilding in this fascinating. I think at times it can be difficult for me to picture all the descriptions in my head, but that doesn't change how fascinated I am by everything that's happening (and how the characters, particularly Gu Yun, is able to get in and out of situations despite his disabilities).
I do think I lost a little bit of interest towards the end (maybe because I was a little confused with what was happening since I'm not typically into heavy description in writing), but I'm also not too bothered about it because I definitely think that the story will pick up more in the next volume based on the direction of the plot so far. I'm really keen for the release of volume 2 so I can continue on uncovering what will happen next for each of the characters...and how Gu Yun and Chang Geng's relationship will change over time, of course. I'm really excited!!
4/5
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another damnei series started, and oh boi, is this story very promising.
This could've been a 4 stars or higher, but the last 25% dragged a bit and the weird godson/son yifu dynamic at times, especially from Chang Geng's perspective was a tad TOO MUCH, especially when he was 12/13 years old, LIKE .
I haven't read many steampunk inspired stories before, so it was refreshing to read one in a setting like this.
The plot is interesting and I wonder where this will go. Hoping that the next volume will actually not give me as much "hibby jibbies" from Chang Geng and Gu Yun's relationship. Also, thank the lord they kept the term"Yifu" because if I would see him being called as a "Dad" or "Godfather", I don't know what I would do.
This could've been a 4 stars or higher, but the last 25% dragged a bit and the weird
I haven't read many steampunk inspired stories before, so it was refreshing to read one in a setting like this.
The plot is interesting and I wonder where this will go. Hoping that the next volume will actually not give me as much "hibby jibbies" from Chang Geng and Gu Yun's relationship. Also, thank the lord they kept the term"Yifu" because if I would see him being called as a "Dad" or "Godfather", I don't know what I would do.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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