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4.7 AVERAGE
4.7 AVERAGE
this book was just PHENOMENAL. (also it's 750k words apparently?)
you can't help but to sit back and admire the worldbuilding that was put into this book. In the author's note, MXTX talks about how they intended for this novel to be a light-hearted, feel-good novel that has bits of adventure in it. Sort of like a series. But they kind of got carried away and it led to this 750k bad boy.
One of the many qualities I like about MXTX's writing is that every character has their own story, their own motivations and their own drives. They exist separately from the protagonist, and it's these clashing motivations and drives that really propel the novel's storyline. Everything that happens in MXTX books is of the characters' doings. There's a layer of politics too, as the ones involved are typically in the higher ranks. So the protagonists have to do a fair amount of detective work and fighting to really get down on the gritty details (plus the hardcore pining! we can't forget about the pining! the yearning!!!!!!!)
The overall theme of this novel was on acceptance. There were a lot of other themes, because this is an MXTX work, so there's going to be a lot going on. But the one I wanna focus on is the theme of acceptance. Xie Lian, who's a martial arts god, isn't exactly your typical protagonist. Who can actually get into the head of a god and be able to relate????
Turns out even the highest of beings, the gods themselves, have their fair share of faults. They're not perfect. They're not invincible. In fact, their strength and power depends on the devotion of their followers. They were previously mortals who were able to ascend into heaven because they went through a divine trial thrown their way. They're humans who were able to become Heavenly Officials because of their extraordinary merits, but they're human too. Their divine status erases the faults their human lives have had, and elevates their merits until they become separated from the mortal realm. Even in this bit, we see instances of them hiding their true selves, unwilling to let their less-than-godly traits shine through, for fear that this might result in the wavering devotion of their followers. They operate on their followers' expectations of them, and this limits them.
Xie Lian, a god who has ascended three times, is different. Being demoted twice, with his reputation being a god of misfortune (people do tend to stay away from worshipping gods of misfortune because... bad luck will come to you), he doesn't have any obligation to act on his followers' expectations of him (because he doesn't any... OR DOES HE). His dream is to save the common people, regardless of the consequences and he has gone through hell for it.
Saving the common people is Xie Lian's primary drive, and people hated him for it. He constantly broke rules that were set in stone for centuries. He disobeys everyone's orders. He went against even the ceremonial tribute to the Heavens. He noses in just about everyone's private affairs. He was able to get away with this because he was a Crown Prince in the flourishing kingdom of Xianle, though not without warning that someday, he would poke his nose in a business far greater than he was, and there would be a retribution. Xian Le dismisses this as he might dismiss just about any kind of teachings.
As it is with dreams, sometimes it wavers. Sometimes you get caught up in conflicts that make you wonder: "maybe it's not worth it anymore. It's already cost me too much. Is it time to give up on this dream?" Xian Le is no exception. He is forced to watch his kingdom die out before his eyes, because of a drought that culminated in a war between another territory. He tries to subvert fate by descending into the mortal realm and partaking in the war, but ends up making the situation worse because the war already devastated the resources of their land, leaving the citizens to the plague and the drought. His followers destroy his temples and his shrines. His own parents get exiled along with him and two of his most trusted servants. They live in poverty and his father catches a sickness. His servants leave, pragmatic Mu Qing first. He pawns off his beloved weapon collections. Then becomes a street performer when he runs out of weapons to sell, using his martial arts skill to do tricks and thereby attract passersby. He tries to rob rich people (he fails and gets caught by everyone). Loyal Feng Xin leaves. His father dies, and his mother commits suicide because of the shame.
(I had to break the paragraph off because it was getting too long. HE GOES THROUGH A LOT.)
Anyway, that was just the first part. He questions himself, and at one point he even tries to enact vengeance on the very people he wanted to save: the common people. One act of kindness was enough to snap him back to his original self, because that's just not what he really wanted. He just wanted someone to prove to him that the common people are worth saving, and he gives them a lot of chances to do so. I would argue that he would postpone his revenge as long as possible, until at least one kind person comes along. The statistics of that happening were in his favor, since he was lying smack-dab in the middle of a plaza where a lot of people will undoubtedly pass by.
He goes through the lowest of the lows, and he learns that that's part of him. It's a part of him that he refuses to acknowledge, because of the utter shame and revolt he feels at his past self. It takes 800 years and a (sexy) Demon King to make him realize that he's just as worthy of praise and admiration as he gives to everyone.
Hua Cheng: Your Highness, don't be afraid. Remember? The one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is 'you', and not the state of you. No matter what's happened in the past, I will never leave you. You can tell me anything."
To end, he added gently, "You told me this yourself."
ok now i have to cry
you can't help but to sit back and admire the worldbuilding that was put into this book. In the author's note, MXTX talks about how they intended for this novel to be a light-hearted, feel-good novel that has bits of adventure in it. Sort of like a series. But they kind of got carried away and it led to this 750k bad boy.
One of the many qualities I like about MXTX's writing is that every character has their own story, their own motivations and their own drives. They exist separately from the protagonist, and it's these clashing motivations and drives that really propel the novel's storyline. Everything that happens in MXTX books is of the characters' doings. There's a layer of politics too, as the ones involved are typically in the higher ranks. So the protagonists have to do a fair amount of detective work and fighting to really get down on the gritty details (plus the hardcore pining! we can't forget about the pining! the yearning!!!!!!!)
The overall theme of this novel was on acceptance. There were a lot of other themes, because this is an MXTX work, so there's going to be a lot going on. But the one I wanna focus on is the theme of acceptance. Xie Lian, who's a martial arts god, isn't exactly your typical protagonist. Who can actually get into the head of a god and be able to relate????
Turns out even the highest of beings, the gods themselves, have their fair share of faults. They're not perfect. They're not invincible. In fact, their strength and power depends on the devotion of their followers. They were previously mortals who were able to ascend into heaven because they went through a divine trial thrown their way. They're humans who were able to become Heavenly Officials because of their extraordinary merits, but they're human too. Their divine status erases the faults their human lives have had, and elevates their merits until they become separated from the mortal realm. Even in this bit, we see instances of them hiding their true selves, unwilling to let their less-than-godly traits shine through, for fear that this might result in the wavering devotion of their followers. They operate on their followers' expectations of them, and this limits them.
Xie Lian, a god who has ascended three times, is different. Being demoted twice, with his reputation being a god of misfortune (people do tend to stay away from worshipping gods of misfortune because... bad luck will come to you), he doesn't have any obligation to act on his followers' expectations of him (because he doesn't any... OR DOES HE). His dream is to save the common people, regardless of the consequences and he has gone through hell for it.
Saving the common people is Xie Lian's primary drive, and people hated him for it. He constantly broke rules that were set in stone for centuries. He disobeys everyone's orders. He went against even the ceremonial tribute to the Heavens. He noses in just about everyone's private affairs. He was able to get away with this because he was a Crown Prince in the flourishing kingdom of Xianle, though not without warning that someday, he would poke his nose in a business far greater than he was, and there would be a retribution. Xian Le dismisses this as he might dismiss just about any kind of teachings.
As it is with dreams, sometimes it wavers. Sometimes you get caught up in conflicts that make you wonder: "maybe it's not worth it anymore. It's already cost me too much. Is it time to give up on this dream?" Xian Le is no exception. He is forced to watch his kingdom die out before his eyes, because of a drought that culminated in a war between another territory. He tries to subvert fate by descending into the mortal realm and partaking in the war, but ends up making the situation worse because the war already devastated the resources of their land, leaving the citizens to the plague and the drought. His followers destroy his temples and his shrines. His own parents get exiled along with him and two of his most trusted servants. They live in poverty and his father catches a sickness. His servants leave, pragmatic Mu Qing first. He pawns off his beloved weapon collections. Then becomes a street performer when he runs out of weapons to sell, using his martial arts skill to do tricks and thereby attract passersby. He tries to rob rich people (he fails and gets caught by everyone). Loyal Feng Xin leaves. His father dies, and his mother commits suicide because of the shame.
(I had to break the paragraph off because it was getting too long. HE GOES THROUGH A LOT.)
Anyway, that was just the first part. He questions himself, and at one point he even tries to enact vengeance on the very people he wanted to save: the common people. One act of kindness was enough to snap him back to his original self, because that's just not what he really wanted. He just wanted someone to prove to him that the common people are worth saving, and he gives them a lot of chances to do so. I would argue that he would postpone his revenge as long as possible, until at least one kind person comes along. The statistics of that happening were in his favor, since he was lying smack-dab in the middle of a plaza where a lot of people will undoubtedly pass by.
He goes through the lowest of the lows, and he learns that that's part of him. It's a part of him that he refuses to acknowledge, because of the utter shame and revolt he feels at his past self. It takes 800 years and a (sexy) Demon King to make him realize that he's just as worthy of praise and admiration as he gives to everyone.
Hua Cheng: Your Highness, don't be afraid. Remember? The one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is 'you', and not the state of you. No matter what's happened in the past, I will never leave you. You can tell me anything."
To end, he added gently, "You told me this yourself."
ok now i have to cry
« hua cheng waited for him for over eight hundred years, so what did it matter if he waited for hua cheng for another eight hundred more ? it could be a thousand years, ten thousand years, and he would still wait, and continue to wait. »
je suis clairement au bout de ma vie. ce livre m’a bien détruit jusqu’au plus profond de moi. sérieusement j’ai adoré du debut à la fin je sais meme pas quoi dire honnêtement c’était juste 2050 pages de SOUFFRANCE et pining non mais vraiment j’ai tellement ri et pleuré, cette histoire m’a fait ressentir tellement de chose c’était incroyable je suis tellement triste d’avoir fini et j’ai l’impression d’avoir fini beaucoup trop vite pourtant il m’a fallu presque 1 mois entier pour le finir…Les personnages étaient tellement bien écrits, bien construits, riches et si attachants. Tout était juste trop bien fais, quand j’aimais un personnage c’était jusqu’au bout et quand j’en détestais un c’était jusqu’au bout aussi. Et pour parler du plot, c’était dingue, j’arrive pas a croire qu’en plus de 2000 pages je ne me suis pas ennuyée une seule fois ? Quand je lisais pas j’avais juste une seule envie reprendre ma liseuse et continuer à lire non stop. Non vraiment je ne peux que recommender ce livre a tout le monde peu importe les goûts c’est impossible de ne pas être immergée dans l’histoire, les personnages et le monde crée par MXTX. Bon je m’arrête la j’ai fais un pavé la honte (et en plus j’ai encore tellement de choses a dire mais comment résumer mon ressenti sur une histoire de 2050 pages en une seule review) mais bon ca prouve à quel point c’est vraiment devenu mon livre préféré de tous les temps
je suis clairement au bout de ma vie. ce livre m’a bien détruit jusqu’au plus profond de moi. sérieusement j’ai adoré du debut à la fin je sais meme pas quoi dire honnêtement c’était juste 2050 pages de SOUFFRANCE et pining non mais vraiment j’ai tellement ri et pleuré, cette histoire m’a fait ressentir tellement de chose c’était incroyable je suis tellement triste d’avoir fini et j’ai l’impression d’avoir fini beaucoup trop vite pourtant il m’a fallu presque 1 mois entier pour le finir…Les personnages étaient tellement bien écrits, bien construits, riches et si attachants. Tout était juste trop bien fais, quand j’aimais un personnage c’était jusqu’au bout et quand j’en détestais un c’était jusqu’au bout aussi. Et pour parler du plot, c’était dingue, j’arrive pas a croire qu’en plus de 2000 pages je ne me suis pas ennuyée une seule fois ? Quand je lisais pas j’avais juste une seule envie reprendre ma liseuse et continuer à lire non stop. Non vraiment je ne peux que recommender ce livre a tout le monde peu importe les goûts c’est impossible de ne pas être immergée dans l’histoire, les personnages et le monde crée par MXTX. Bon je m’arrête la j’ai fais un pavé la honte (et en plus j’ai encore tellement de choses a dire mais comment résumer mon ressenti sur une histoire de 2050 pages en une seule review) mais bon ca prouve à quel point c’est vraiment devenu mon livre préféré de tous les temps
xianle trio thank you for my life... also one star deducted on account of mxtx being a freak
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
i will now proceed to cry over hualian
2nd read:
ending my 2020 with the book I started it with! which is undeniably my favourite book of the year
“美丽的东西存在于世上，这一点本身就值得感谢了。”
2nd read:
ending my 2020 with the book I started it with! which is undeniably my favourite book of the year
“美丽的东西存在于世上，这一点本身就值得感谢了。”
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Better and worse than mdzs, I think. The themes, as always, were great, super compelling, it was extremely funny in ways that played to the strengths of the setting, I liked the side characters and the drama of their arcs a LOT, it was structurally MUCH more coherent, and the romance didn't rely on constant boundary-violation, Unfortunately I'm a bit of a h/l hater because I actually found the romance at its core quite sad and boring, especially compared to wangxian. No conflict, no development, everything's already perfect, he's loved him for hundreds of years so xl doesn't even have to do any work, defeat the bad guy (in THE most insane finale I've ever read), and then happy ending. But despite their fantastic chemistry and their grand, dramatic romantic scenes, the core of this romantic drama is 'one guys really likes another guy and then he likes him back' like...it's also kind of weird and sad that hc became fixated on xl as a literal child, fought and died for him in the army, became obsessed with him at a young age, has nobody else, got rich, and then....just stayed like that forever, that's his happy ending, being with that person. He has no other responsibilities, no other obligations, no other friends or loved ones, and he's nasty to characters who do and who can't prioritize xl all the time. I'm still mad on mq and fx's behalf! And he really does oversee a gambling den where men can bet THEIR DAUGHTER'S LIVES. Also when lan chang thanked him for sheltering her he barely even looked at her and he used those dancers as decoration to be ignored in favor of xl I do not think he gaf about women like he's petty and nasty to most characters in general but he seems pointedly shitty to women. xl is too tho like when that girl died and all that he could say was how ugly she was? that was insane. this is the author's fault too tho/sob the misogyny never rests. at least we got ling wen
anyway so this romance looks picture-perfect and SO so happy and I do believe they're in love with each other but there's something stagnant and depressing at the core of it that I find deeply painful. god worship as a basis for a romantic relationship, and a perfect partner who's smart and clever and devoted and funny and hot who you never have to fight with - it's just so fake. I'm 28 years old! A zero conflict relationship? It sounds absurd! As much as wx had issues, I miss the realism and very human struggles they went through in their journey to be together. They were friends - they went through the ringer together and had to learn to talk to each other (theoretically, at least).
Also painting what was implied to be self-insert porn of yourself and your crush isn't the worst thing ever but mq and fx were literally right to freak out because what if you were trapped in a cave system with that guy and and that art is all over the walls and he'd been looking for you for 800 years because he was obsessed with you. Wouldn't that be a better story if it was creepy? Anyway.
Side characters were great - enamored with mq and fx, and sqx my friend sqx. xl himself is a great character, appearing normal and chill but hiding freakish strength and nastiness that he can pull out at a moment's notice. The plot in book one dragged horribly, and the ban yue arc was one of the most blatantly racist I've ever seen.The way book 4 was handled was like, life-changingly powerful tho, so it's a mixed bag.
Overall - funny, powerful, exciting, with glaring flaws. Some people really like the main couple, and I found them fun, but very shallow and juvenile. If you think about it too long it becomes boring and sad and flat, but if you buy into what the story says you'll likely enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
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