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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first two volumes seem to be a good mixture of character v plot driven and you see more of the perspective of both characters. This volume is centered on He Yu. It was a little emotionally rough to get through. It amazes me how Meatbun can make these characters unlikable but you still root for them! Another commenter said they wouldn’t recommend this series to just anyone and I agree! This one has a very niche audience and I would read the CW and the synopsis and probably another one of Meatbun’s works before diving into this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Blood
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“All this time, there’s never been anyone who loved me for real. At least in the future, there’ll be someone who hates me passionately. That would be good too.”
never will i be able to recommend this to anyone because this story really feels like it’s meant for a very very very niche audience. but even then, this is a really special title to me because of the complexity of he yu’s character, and how rare it feels to see such a compelling dynamic that is very unhealthy, and both of them are well aware of it, but it’s soooo….well-written??
it’s like a moving train wreck, but premeditated—as if both the author and her characters have much more control than the story seems. there’s so many times he yu is led to believe he finally gained some control over xie qingcheng, but then the story pulls it all in reverse. he’s driven so far in this volume that it was borderline painful to read, but it made his character more interesting, than annoying…..
anyways, he yu & xie qingcheng are one of my top favorite pairings this year—truly can’t imagine them being with anyone else; they’re just too much. and the way the overall plot still lingers behind them has me hooked.
never will i be able to recommend this to anyone because this story really feels like it’s meant for a very very very niche audience. but even then, this is a really special title to me because of the complexity of he yu’s character, and how rare it feels to see such a compelling dynamic that is very unhealthy, and both of them are well aware of it, but it’s soooo….well-written??
it’s like a moving train wreck, but premeditated—as if both the author and her characters have much more control than the story seems. there’s so many times he yu is led to believe he finally gained some control over xie qingcheng, but then the story pulls it all in reverse. he’s driven so far in this volume that it was borderline painful to read, but it made his character more interesting, than annoying…..
anyways, he yu & xie qingcheng are one of my top favorite pairings this year—truly can’t imagine them being with anyone else; they’re just too much. and the way the overall plot still lingers behind them has me hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood
Moderate: Self harm, Violence
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"He was lying in the cold water, but he knew that right now, he wasn't alone. Xie Qingcheng was right by his side. He only had to reach out a hand, and he would feel a hint of another person's warmth. It was a warmth that wouldn't leave...a warmth that could only be taken away by death."
Mandatory warning to read the TWs before reading this series!
3.5 stars - again I'm so conflicted because I do genuinely enjoy reading this series so much but He Yu man...he's a sad, tragic character who does terrible things. If only He Yu would communicate with Xie Qingcheng better maybe we wouldn't get development only when they're on the brink of death. Following He Yu was actually quite fun until most of his actions across this volume started TvT. But he had a few redeemable moments which leave me with a bit of hope for his future character development. This tore at me though:
"I don't care what you think of me. After all, there's never been anyone who sincerely loved me, who regarded me as an equal [...] I'm used to all of it."
His voice was calm, but he sounded like a complete madman, lonely and paranoid beyond belief, his response born of despair. It was as if he had gone mad, but also as if he was begging."
Xie Qingcheng seemingly has less focus in this volume since we follow more of He Yu's struggle as he's coming to terms with his feelings (can't believe the amount of mental gymnastics he's doing to avoid admitting he's gay💀) but his little moments were still heartbreaking to read:
"In other words, there was no one in the world who couldn't live without him. And so Xie Qingcheng tore himself into countless pieces so that he could use his own flesh and bones to deal with any feral dogs or wicked dragons he encountered on the road."
Like He Yu is the one who can't live without him please TvT. One particularly section that was the most upsetting was probably when He Yu falls from the balcony and has his dream about Xie Qingcheng, yet wakes up and has no response from the man to his messages about relapsing into another episode.
So it turned out that, in the end, He Yu was the wretched one. He had lost sight of himself, while Xie Qingcheng had not."
Really I'm just holding out for their relationship to improve because I can't support it as much as I want to when it consists of He Yu blackmailing Xie Qingcheng TvT.
One of my favourite moments was the fact Seven Seas included the mini theatre! The art for that was so sweet I thought I was going to cry at the contrast between it and the rest of the novel. The little exchange between puppydragon He Yu and Xie Qingcheng was adorable:
"Are you really very cheap?"
"Mm-hm!"
"How much?"
The puppydragon wagged his tail and piped up in a childish voice, "1.68 million!"
"...I'm broke."
The puppydragon grew anxious, his tail wagging more furiously as he jumped up and clung to his waist. "Free of charge! Free of charge!"
Just praying that we get better development in the next volume since we should be reaching the halfway point soon TvT.
Mandatory warning to read the TWs before reading this series!
3.5 stars - again I'm so conflicted because I do genuinely enjoy reading this series so much but He Yu man...he's a sad, tragic character who does terrible things. If only He Yu would communicate with Xie Qingcheng better maybe we wouldn't get development only when they're on the brink of death. Following He Yu was actually quite fun until most of his actions across this volume started TvT. But he had a few redeemable moments which leave me with a bit of hope for his future character development. This tore at me though:
"I don't care what you think of me. After all, there's never been anyone who sincerely loved me, who regarded me as an equal [...] I'm used to all of it."
His voice was calm, but he sounded like a complete madman, lonely and paranoid beyond belief, his response born of despair. It was as if he had gone mad, but also as if he was begging."
Xie Qingcheng seemingly has less focus in this volume since we follow more of He Yu's struggle as he's coming to terms with his feelings (can't believe the amount of mental gymnastics he's doing to avoid admitting he's gay💀) but his little moments were still heartbreaking to read:
"In other words, there was no one in the world who couldn't live without him. And so Xie Qingcheng tore himself into countless pieces so that he could use his own flesh and bones to deal with any feral dogs or wicked dragons he encountered on the road."
Like He Yu is the one who can't live without him please TvT. One particularly section that was the most upsetting was probably when He Yu falls from the balcony and has his dream about Xie Qingcheng, yet wakes up and has no response from the man to his messages about relapsing into another episode.
So it turned out that, in the end, He Yu was the wretched one. He had lost sight of himself, while Xie Qingcheng had not."
Really I'm just holding out for their relationship to improve because I can't support it as much as I want to when it consists of He Yu blackmailing Xie Qingcheng TvT.
One of my favourite moments was the fact Seven Seas included the mini theatre! The art for that was so sweet I thought I was going to cry at the contrast between it and the rest of the novel. The little exchange between puppydragon He Yu and Xie Qingcheng was adorable:
"Are you really very cheap?"
"Mm-hm!"
"How much?"
The puppydragon wagged his tail and piped up in a childish voice, "1.68 million!"
"...I'm broke."
The puppydragon grew anxious, his tail wagging more furiously as he jumped up and clung to his waist. "Free of charge! Free of charge!"
Just praying that we get better development in the next volume since we should be reaching the halfway point soon TvT.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes