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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Okay, maybe I should not make a hobby out of reviewing LONG books directly after finishing them because right now my opinion is a lot more favorable than it was 2 days ago.
This was.... not my cup of tea. I see what the author was going for - a deep hitting, serious story about the fates of two women. It just did not work for me.
I'm GAY. I LOVE women. I love women so much. But my experience just does not align with the one this author has - and that's okay. I hated, hated, hated the constant reminders of 'Lin Wanyue is a woman, so that's why her heart is so soft. DESPITE being a woman she can be cruel too, being a woman is like THIS'. In the author notes, she says that her personal experience of being a lesbian states that for any attraction to form the gender has to be clear first. Meanwhile, I am attracted to femininity, not the actual gender, so I think we just think of the concept of 'women' very differently and that's what bothered me all throughout the work.
It's a good book - the characters are round, there's hope and there's loss, grief, joy, it spans a whole lifetime. Lots of people will like this. But I'm just not into bittersweet stories like this. I still squealed when the two found each other finally. I was happy for them and I actually REALLY love LWY, I would marry her too. She's so smart but so dumb.
But death looms above everything, this is just a very serious story. It takes itself seriously and there's no comedy relief or a lot of sweetness inbetween to cushion it and that does not work for me very well. I'm spoiled and I want to be spoiled.
This was.... not my cup of tea. I see what the author was going for - a deep hitting, serious story about the fates of two women. It just did not work for me.
I'm GAY. I LOVE women. I love women so much. But my experience just does not align with the one this author has - and that's okay. I hated, hated, hated the constant reminders of 'Lin Wanyue is a woman, so that's why her heart is so soft. DESPITE being a woman she can be cruel too, being a woman is like THIS'. In the author notes, she says that her personal experience of being a lesbian states that for any attraction to form the gender has to be clear first. Meanwhile, I am attracted to femininity, not the actual gender, so I think we just think of the concept of 'women' very differently and that's what bothered me all throughout the work.
It's a good book - the characters are round, there's hope and there's loss, grief, joy, it spans a whole lifetime. Lots of people will like this. But I'm just not into bittersweet stories like this. I still squealed when the two found each other finally. I was happy for them and I actually REALLY love LWY, I would marry her too. She's so smart but so dumb.
But death looms above everything, this is just a very serious story. It takes itself seriously and there's no comedy relief or a lot of sweetness inbetween to cushion it and that does not work for me very well. I'm spoiled and I want to be spoiled.
Spoiler
And honestly, if you're gonna hit me WITH MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IN THE VERY LAST CHAPTER DON'T EXPECT ME TO SMILE UPON YOU. that goes SO FAR AGAINST MY NATURE. that's a big no from me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
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
(EDIT 20/1/22: edited for clarity)
Not sure how to review this novel honestly. I've been putting it off for days because I had a lot of mixed feelings. This is a really long and slowburn f/f romance. It is one of the few good Chinese f/f novels out there and I wish I loved it. I have to say that my taste is entirely subjective but I had such a hard time with this book.
The pace is really REALLY slow. The protagonist, Lin Wanyue's moment of change and growth only really happens right near the end. The two main leads barely interacted until about 3/4s into the book. And Li Xian does not know Lin Wanyue's identity until even later which is a personal pet peeve because I value authenticity and honesty in a romance very much. I also found it hard to connect to Li Xian. She doesn't seem to have her own motivations and instead lives to achieve goals for others. This book also has a lot of chapters about politics and the war which I struggled to get through.
The extras were really good though. I wish the author included them in the main story because there were some really interesting characters in the side stories, e.g. Luo Yi.
The best thing about this novel is really the representation of the two queer characters. Their feelings, thoughts and reactions when in love with a woman really reflect the lived experiences of queer women. They feel like real people when it comes to this, unlike many of the bl. Also, the portrayal of mental illness was really realistic (Lin Wanyue and PTSD/depression, Li Xian and anxiety). And the physical desire scenes were so well-written because they felt: a) realistic but sweet, b) consensual!!!! The way they desired/loved each other was so real and so wholesome. Finally, no more dub/non-con.
Overall, this was a pain to get through although I appreciate the representation of queer women very much. I really hope the next novel gets better.
Not sure how to review this novel honestly. I've been putting it off for days because I had a lot of mixed feelings. This is a really long and slowburn f/f romance. It is one of the few good Chinese f/f novels out there and I wish I loved it. I have to say that my taste is entirely subjective but I had such a hard time with this book.
The pace is really REALLY slow. The protagonist, Lin Wanyue's moment of change and growth only really happens right near the end. The two main leads barely interacted until about 3/4s into the book. And Li Xian does not know Lin Wanyue's identity until even later which is a personal pet peeve because I value authenticity and honesty in a romance very much. I also found it hard to connect to Li Xian. She doesn't seem to have her own motivations and instead lives to achieve goals for others. This book also has a lot of chapters about politics and the war which I struggled to get through.
The extras were really good though. I wish the author included them in the main story because there were some really interesting characters in the side stories, e.g. Luo Yi.
The best thing about this novel is really the representation of the two queer characters. Their feelings, thoughts and reactions when in love with a woman really reflect the lived experiences of queer women. They feel like real people when it comes to this, unlike many of the bl. Also, the portrayal of mental illness was really realistic (Lin Wanyue and PTSD/depression, Li Xian and anxiety). And the physical desire scenes were so well-written because they felt: a) realistic but sweet, b) consensual!!!! The way they desired/loved each other was so real and so wholesome. Finally, no more dub/non-con.
Overall, this was a pain to get through although I appreciate the representation of queer women very much. I really hope the next novel gets better.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
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
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
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
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is the first baihe novel I've read, and it was so good! I cried while reading it many times.