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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
No
fast-paced
okay listen i know the publishing industry has specific genre standards in terms of word count but i genuinely feel as though this book would’ve been improved greatly by the addition of another 50-80 pages of pure relationship development between zhen & xiao prior to the reveal
give me more yearning, more longing, more angst regarding their respective stations & zhen hiding such a large secret from xiao
more snake hunts & moments of them learning more about each other & their pasts
make the reveal feel more earned
also
i feel personally cheated that we never got to see zhen & xian’s mother meet
and ???? that we never find out who the white snake is that bit the mom? i was fully expecting it to be a whole plot point of sabotage from fahai and/or wang’s family or at least have greater plot relevance with xian thinking that zhen was the one who bit her in the first place but it was never brought up in the narrative again after informing the audience that zhen wasn’t the same snake
it was a cute story though & i genuinely did enjoy zhen/xiao’s dynamicpost-wang reveal i just wish that it was all expanded upon more
like if it’s meant to be a romance story at its core; give me more romance development
if it’s meant to be twisty & turny & have political intrigue, give me more political intrigue
just give me more!
give me more yearning, more longing, more angst regarding their respective stations & zhen hiding such a large secret from xiao
more snake hunts & moments of them learning more about each other & their pasts
make the reveal feel more earned
also
and ???? that we never find out who the white snake is that bit the mom? i was fully expecting it to be a whole plot point of sabotage from fahai and/or wang’s family or at least have greater plot relevance with xian thinking that zhen was the one who bit her in the first place but it was never brought up in the narrative again after informing the audience that zhen wasn’t the same snake
it was a cute story though & i genuinely did enjoy zhen/xiao’s dynamic
like if it’s meant to be a romance story at its core; give me more romance development
if it’s meant to be twisty & turny & have political intrigue, give me more political intrigue
just give me more!
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Yes
i am in shambles.
where do i even begin with this one? i feel like i was thrown for many loops and made to feel many things (maybe even things i didn’t want to feel). i was even tearing up at the end — honestly, words cannot begin to encompass to array of emotions i was made to feel at the end and i mean it in the best possible way.
when i say many loops, it has to do with, first, being ridiculously art-baited by that gorgeous cover. as a reader of danmei, my expectations were set. and then they were dashed slightly when i realised this was YA (i don’t really read YA anymore). but the hopes were returned when i realised sher lee’s skill at skirting YA restrictions tastefully. i definitely found myself appreciating her ability to write a romance that really tugs at your heartstrings.
but romance aside, i was truly impressed with the development of the plot alongside the romance, including the development of some characters i was not expecting to have a character arc. of course, i admit i went into this not knowing the original legend so everything was new, including the twists. but i enjoyed it regardless. the friendships aside from the main romance were so entertaining (feng & xian) and lovely (zhen & qing) to read as well.
also, this was definitely not a slow-start YA book. i thought everything would start spinning out of control at around the 70% mark but this book started early at like 45% and i just couldn’t put it down after that. my heart is still a wreck at this moment but i promise that this was so worth the read.
where do i even begin with this one? i feel like i was thrown for many loops and made to feel many things (maybe even things i didn’t want to feel). i was even tearing up at the end — honestly, words cannot begin to encompass to array of emotions i was made to feel at the end and i mean it in the best possible way.
when i say many loops, it has to do with, first, being ridiculously art-baited by that gorgeous cover. as a reader of danmei, my expectations were set. and then they were dashed slightly when i realised this was YA (i don’t really read YA anymore). but the hopes were returned when i realised sher lee’s skill at skirting YA restrictions tastefully. i definitely found myself appreciating her ability to write a romance that really tugs at your heartstrings.
but romance aside, i was truly impressed with the development of the plot alongside the romance, including the development of some characters i was not expecting to have a character arc. of course, i admit i went into this not knowing the original legend so everything was new, including the twists. but i enjoyed it regardless. the friendships aside from the main romance were so entertaining (feng & xian) and lovely (zhen & qing) to read as well.
also, this was definitely not a slow-start YA book. i thought everything would start spinning out of control at around the 70% mark but this book started early at like 45% and i just couldn’t put it down after that. my heart is still a wreck at this moment but i promise that this was so worth the read.
emotional
lighthearted
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:
Complicated