Reviews

University of the Underworld by Ziloi, Jan Mitsuko Cash

aromarrie's review

adventurous funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

i can excuse incest, but i absolutely draw the line at throwing away the chance of my favorite character returning, playing out the lovers to enemies to lovers arc of my dreams with another character 😓

in all seriousness, though, this was such a bizarre & funny murder mystery, i absolutely loved it.  amazing characters with interesting backstories galore and the best setting for ghosts everywhere, it felt like something i don’t read often enough.

some parts of it did feel convoluted but at that certain point, i already got attached to four characters in particular—cui yue, bai shaonan, qin feng, and cao zhongnan— and it was still compelling as hell so i was in it for the long haul.

and it was a really really long haul for sure—very slow pacing—but i wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 

this author has my full respects and im very curious to check out what more genius & chaos they can brew. i had a lot of fun!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Incest and Sexual content

melmothwanders's review

2.0

This reads like a first draft - the characters lack nuance, the mystery plot is somewhat convoluted, and the ending feels rushed.

With some extra polish this could be an enjoyable little novel, but as it stands its potential remains unrealised.

nihilli's review

3.0

3,5⭐

I enjoyed this story, maybe not as much as I thought I would but it was sweet.
The beginning was really funny but I find it a little too long by the end.
I would love to read a story with Qin Feng as the main character.

florienna's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book felt like the first draft of a story. It was a vague presentation of ideas with a lack of complex world building, fleshed out characters (pun intended) or well delivered plot. 

The beginning chapters did have me laughing out loud with the hilarious misunderstandings between the characters and the dramatic writing style, so it does have untapped potential. I think that if this novel went through a couple of redrafts and revisions, it could have been a much more solid read (pun also intended

haunted_glasses's review

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

peoplearescary's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Incest

interlunar's review

funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

scarabsi's review

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The pacing was very uneven, I had a hard time staying invested for the beginning half and then the last 15% of the story wrapped up a little too quickly for me. However, the puzzle of the plot unfolded clearly and the foreshadowing was nicely laid. It may have been a little too obvious in places but it helped get me more invested. The characters were alright but the mystery ultimately got me more interested than everything else. A surprising amount of emotional or legal incest for an otherwise pretty light read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Violence and Incest

A note about the incest tag:

This isn't genetic or blood relation incest, or even familial incest. It's more like characters interpret their relationships in conflicting ways. Bai Shaonan sees Bai Qinghe as his father while it is heavily implied that Bai Qinghe is romantically fixated on Bai Shaonan. The climax involves a romantic tragedy between two lovers who legally declared each other father and son, and refer to each other as such. Other characters describe their relationship as father and son in close proximity to depictions of them having sex. It is a minor tag because the incest aspect of it isn't even brought up and the fact that it's incestuous is not a relevant part of the story, it's just the contradictive nature of how the characters' relationships have been built.

mandieguy's review

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0