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bellebookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this book…
I like some parts of the book, but there are some parts that prevent me to fully enjoy this book.
The world building is fascinating and also vast, it can be quite complicated at first but it was explained slowly as the story progressed.
I also love the writing style which describes and fully captured the beauty of the music, the poetry and the scenic in this story.
The romance is not the main focus, it’s barely there. I wish there’s more interaction between Xue and Jinglang as their romance developed over time.
The pacing of this story is uneven, at the beginning it was quite slow which is understandable with a huge world building and the author wants to explained it easily and slowly. Unfortunately, it makes the ending feels too rushed with the big reveal that has to be explained in the remaining 20% of the story.
Overall, it’s a pretty good standalone with captivating world building and beautiful writing style, some of the twists also caught me by surprise.
I’ll keep an eye out for the next book by this author in the future!
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Confinement
pm_me_book_recs's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
I watch a lot of Wuxia and C-Drama, so the mythology and pantheon were very familiar and was easy for me to recognize and follow. Love Between Fairy and Devil felt like it was represented as part of the lore in this story, but also same vibes overall.
I'm a total sucker for gothics, this checked all my boxes. Tragedy, heartbreak, hope, reclamation, empowerment, and a soft close with loose ends tied to hope.
Xue is believably capable and heartening, Jinglang is not the typical brooding gothic interest (refreshing!), side characters are wonderfully complex albeit a little transparent at times, queerness is normalized and not shunned or forbidden, the magic is ethereal, the mystery and intrigue are multifaceted.
I was so excited to read this, and was not disappointed!
Thank you Netgalley for approving me for an ARC in return for an honest review!
I'm a total sucker for gothics, this checked all my boxes. Tragedy, heartbreak, hope, reclamation, empowerment, and a soft close with loose ends tied to hope.
Xue is believably capable and heartening, Jinglang is not the typical brooding gothic interest (refreshing!), side characters are wonderfully complex albeit a little transparent at times, queerness is normalized and not shunned or forbidden, the magic is ethereal, the mystery and intrigue are multifaceted.
I was so excited to read this, and was not disappointed!
Thank you Netgalley for approving me for an ARC in return for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Abandonment, Classism, Grief, and Death of parent
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