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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i loved the revenge aspect and it really gave historical c-drama vibes!
the middle and end fell a little flat for me, though.
idk why i thought this would be a standalone but the end is left pretty open and i just wanted to see it get wrapped up. the writing was good and easy to get lost in…so i hope there’ll be a sequel!
*highly recommend the audiobook*
the middle and end fell a little flat for me, though.
idk why i thought this would be a standalone but the end is left pretty open and i just wanted to see it get wrapped up. the writing was good and easy to get lost in…so i hope there’ll be a sequel!
*highly recommend the audiobook*
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The romance just wasn’t romancing. And I love a good tale of revenge but this just wasn’t it. The story fell flat about 75 percent of the way through. Bummer, bro. Felt a little too YA as well. The male lead was a little too cocky and self-interested to me.
With this debut Kate Chenli has truly established herself as a very talented fantasy writer. This is only slightly diminished by my personal, extra picky gripes with the narrator, Natalie Naudus. The voices she did were just a bit too silly at times.
Moving on to characters, Mingshin was a perfect main character. Not in the literal sense that she had no flaws. On the contrary, her flaws made her stronger in the end. Jieh was a pretty solid love interest and he had a likable personality.
The background characters were fun too, with those like Mingshin's bodyguard and the princess (adorable couple, btw) providing a lot more depth to the story. All of these different people Chenli wrote into the novel helped to enrich the environment.
I only have one big gripe, and that is: The stone should have been used more! Mingshin only really interacted with it like, what, three times? Come onnnnn.
Moving on to characters, Mingshin was a perfect main character. Not in the literal sense that she had no flaws. On the contrary, her flaws made her stronger in the end. Jieh was a pretty solid love interest and he had a likable personality.
The background characters were fun too, with those like Mingshin's bodyguard and the princess (adorable couple, btw) providing a lot more depth to the story. All of these different people Chenli wrote into the novel helped to enrich the environment.
I only have one big gripe, and that is: The stone should have been used more! Mingshin only really interacted with it like, what, three times? Come onnnnn.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love a good revenge plot!! tbh I’m confused about the ending, is there going to be another??? I’ve googled and can’t find anything 😭😭
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was....not good. to my eternal disappointment.
i was optimistic! i love the regressor/revenge premise! its just like the manhwa im obsessed with but maybe with more words! however, without pretty art to distract me (other than the cover, which is admittedly GORGEOUS. it's what caught my eye in the first place), i can't help but focus on how flat the characters and plot come off as. no intrigue is to be found in this court.
this has it all! main characters making nonstop bad decisions but still coming out on top (Mingshin IMMEDIATELY atagonizes the people she knows are evil from her past life. like girl, ik you just want revenge but maybe don't go out of your way to make enemies and give them more fodder to hate you?)! instalove masquerading as annoyance-to-lovers (but they fall and then shower each other in banal sweet nothings so quick it's laughable)! a red herring enemy! a last minute big bad reveal with no prior foreshadowing! shoehorned token lgbtq rep! one note villains that lack nuance so badly you can practically picture them all twirling an evil mustache and cackling maniacally!
i'd say that there should be more dialogue to develop the relationships, but what dialogue was actually present was shallow and bland, making everyone sound like a cardboard cutout parroting some words to seem romantic or like a good friend or mysterious benefactor and they move through the trope-dictacted scenes.
please, i just want a Chinese/asian-inspired fantasy setting that doesnt end up being boring. great cover art and vibes alone aren't enough
i was optimistic! i love the regressor/revenge premise! its just like the manhwa im obsessed with but maybe with more words! however, without pretty art to distract me (other than the cover, which is admittedly GORGEOUS. it's what caught my eye in the first place), i can't help but focus on how flat the characters and plot come off as. no intrigue is to be found in this court.
this has it all! main characters making nonstop bad decisions but still coming out on top (Mingshin IMMEDIATELY atagonizes the people she knows are evil from her past life. like girl, ik you just want revenge but maybe don't go out of your way to make enemies and give them more fodder to hate you?)! instalove masquerading as annoyance-to-lovers (but they fall and then shower each other in banal sweet nothings so quick it's laughable)! a red herring enemy! a last minute big bad reveal with no prior foreshadowing! shoehorned token lgbtq rep! one note villains that lack nuance so badly you can practically picture them all twirling an evil mustache and cackling maniacally!
i'd say that there should be more dialogue to develop the relationships, but what dialogue was actually present was shallow and bland, making everyone sound like a cardboard cutout parroting some words to seem romantic or like a good friend or mysterious benefactor and they move through the trope-dictacted scenes.
please, i just want a Chinese/asian-inspired fantasy setting that doesnt end up being boring. great cover art and vibes alone aren't enough