Reviews with content warning for War - Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1

This story focuses on a character named Xie Lian who was once a god, turned scrap collector, turned god again. We see him navigate the nuances of godhood and brilliantly solve Scooby Doo-ish mysteries that surface resentment, corruption and further questions. Along the way he meets a mysterious, but handsome character, San Lang. A loving relationship develops between them as they spend time together in a domestic setting and while on an adventure.

I truly enjoyed the slow-burn romance moments in this book, but want to caveat that this story includes dark themes and gore. Like many xianxia stories, there are characters with multiple names and titles. If you’re finding it tough to keep track of the names, I highly recommend keeping track of them and other confusing elements on the side on paper.

This volume does a lot of legwork to set up the world, but it can be a bit confusing if you haven’t read other stories of this genre. It introduces us to heaven, some cultivation and ghosts. The different realms mentioned are truly intriguing. The characters in this story are so fun and chaotic. Not all are fully developed, but they are definitely written with unique personalities and motivations. The pacing of this book can be challenging at times as there are scenes that go on for a bit longer than anticipated. But then there are moments where it picks up and it’s hard to put the book down because I just had to know what happens next. The story leaves us with a ton of loose threads going into the rest of the series!

Here are a few of the darker topics that came up in the story (behind a spoiler tag):

Moral Grayness, Genocide, Empires, Death, Body Horror, Desecrating Bodies, Casual Misogyny, Violence in General

Content Warnings

asipofcozy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

If I didn't push myself through those first 100 pages, I definitely would have DNFed this quite soon. I had gone into TGCI with really high expectations after having watched the donghua a few years ago. I was so excited when we got news that the danmei would be translated into English.

Alas, getting through the beginning of TGCI was boring and quite slow. I found myself confused more than not with the many names a person could have, the different areas, the unexpected flashbacks that aren't distinguished among other text. It's definitely a writing style you need to get used to and not expect perfection from.

However, once the story picked up and I had a basic understanding of the background I started to enjoy the story. Especially the budding friendship between San Lang and Xie Lian. If it wasn't for the latter half of the book, I would not be continuing on with the series. I mean 8 massive volumes is a lot to collect if you aren't in love with something. So thankfully the ending to Volume 1 kept me curious and interested enough to continue.

Content Warnings

suicana's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

This might just be my new favourite series. I don't even know anymore how often I've read/watched the first 1-2 novels in (almost) all its available formats - many, many times. Xie Lian is, without any doubt, my favourite protagonist of all time. He's funny, clever, down-to-Earth, competent, and so many things more. And: He's one of the few immortal protagonists I've met where I can believe without a doubt that yes, he really is centuries old and not just another teen with an absurdly high age for ~flAvoUr~.
The plot starts kind of slow and appears disjointed, but I promise it will all fall into place in later novels and all of the characters are reoccurring. It just takes a long time (hence the small star deduction).
Side note: The glossary at the end of the Seven Seas edition is a godsend for Western readers, but I promise all the names and concept also get easier fairly quickly.

Content Warnings