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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
challenging
informative
mysterious
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
Potentially 5 stars but I like to let some time pass before I award any book 5 stars. It needs to stay in my mind for awhile
4.5 stars this rating might be tainted because I have watched the anime before so the twists were lost on me but despite knowing what was going to happen I really enjoyed the book. The anime is definitely 5/5 and it definitely elevates the interactions between Jinshi and Maomao
GOD Maomao is the BEST. The book and the show are practically word-perfect duplicates, I could see the scenes unfolding from what the show has already portrayed. As a result I may be a bit biased, but the little mysteries are very well done, subtle and interesting without hitting you over the head to explain things. Definitely a feat to translate how technical this must be.
But let me speak on Maomao, my new beloved investigator. She's autistic. She's asexual. She minds her own damn business in the hierarchy and she is a casual genius. The only reason she is in this mess is because she literally can't say no to this random annoying nymph man who is so beautiful Helen of Troy would weep. And she still claims to hate him, it's perfect.
I can't wait until I read far enough in this series to be beyond where the anime has gotten, because the writing is extremely deadpan and I'm curious if I will still see the attitudes of the characters without the cute little chibi inserts of the tv show. All in all though, the episodic mysteries are fascinating and the overall mysteries are sooo entrancing.
But let me speak on Maomao, my new beloved investigator. She's autistic. She's asexual. She minds her own damn business in the hierarchy and she is a casual genius. The only reason she is in this mess is because she literally can't say no to this random annoying nymph man who is so beautiful Helen of Troy would weep. And she still claims to hate him, it's perfect.
I can't wait until I read far enough in this series to be beyond where the anime has gotten, because the writing is extremely deadpan and I'm curious if I will still see the attitudes of the characters without the cute little chibi inserts of the tv show. All in all though, the episodic mysteries are fascinating and the overall mysteries are sooo entrancing.
As someone who adored the first season of the anime, I feel like the novel doesn't quite have that same sparkle.
It might just be because the episodic nature of the story is inherently better suited for a tv show format. But as a novel, it left me wishing for some themes to have been handled with more depth, as well as more overall cohesion—an impression which I did not get in the anime. It's actually one of the rare cases where I found the adaptation better than its source material.
There were a few things about the prose that bugged me a little as well. It was just a bit too straightforward and monotonous for my taste, which didn't really match the historical setting and made it hard to truly connect with the story and characters.
Since the narration (or translation?) is somewhat dry, Maomao reads as more emotionally distant or standoffish than in the anime. To the point that the romance between Jinshi and Maomao felt a lot more one-sided, and frankly even uncomfortable to read at times. I realize she's somewhat of an unreliable narrator, but while this was hinted at in other aspects of the story, there was virtually no indication of her interest or consent whenever Jinshi came on to her. And since he holds a position of power over her... idk it just made me uncomfy.
I'm usually not a fan of the chibi inserts in anime, but for this story I feel like they were very much needed. Load-bearing chibis, if you will. In the anime, they add emotional depth to Maomao and break up the monotonous flow. So I actually found myself missing seeing her fangirl over poison here.
Also not to get too nitpicky but the descriptions were often repetitive to the point they became a little tiring, such as Jinshi being compared to a nymph, Maomao looking at him like a worm, eunuchs not being "real men", or the constant emphasis that Maomao is "not like other girls" (side-eyeing the last two btw). I don't usually mind this issue in webnovels, but for a published light novel it feels somewhat lacking.
That being said, I did enjoy the themes present in the story itself, even if they felt a little surface-level or disjointed at times. The medical mysteries were also fun in the way they adapt current knowledge to the historical setting.
Maomao is a very refreshing protagonist, and something I like most about her is that she often takes women's side. Truly a girls' girl, we love to see it.
Also shoutout to my fav quote:
It might just be because the episodic nature of the story is inherently better suited for a tv show format. But as a novel, it left me wishing for some themes to have been handled with more depth, as well as more overall cohesion—an impression which I did not get in the anime. It's actually one of the rare cases where I found the adaptation better than its source material.
There were a few things about the prose that bugged me a little as well. It was just a bit too straightforward and monotonous for my taste, which didn't really match the historical setting and made it hard to truly connect with the story and characters.
Since the narration (or translation?) is somewhat dry, Maomao reads as more emotionally distant or standoffish than in the anime. To the point that the romance between Jinshi and Maomao felt a lot more one-sided, and frankly even uncomfortable to read at times. I realize she's somewhat of an unreliable narrator, but while this was hinted at in other aspects of the story, there was virtually no indication of her interest or consent whenever Jinshi came on to her. And since he holds a position of power over her... idk it just made me uncomfy.
I'm usually not a fan of the chibi inserts in anime, but for this story I feel like they were very much needed. Load-bearing chibis, if you will. In the anime, they add emotional depth to Maomao and break up the monotonous flow. So I actually found myself missing seeing her fangirl over poison here.
Also not to get too nitpicky but the descriptions were often repetitive to the point they became a little tiring, such as Jinshi being compared to a nymph, Maomao looking at him like a worm, eunuchs not being "real men", or the constant emphasis that Maomao is "not like other girls" (side-eyeing the last two btw). I don't usually mind this issue in webnovels, but for a published light novel it feels somewhat lacking.
That being said, I did enjoy the themes present in the story itself, even if they felt a little surface-level or disjointed at times. The medical mysteries were also fun in the way they adapt current knowledge to the historical setting.
Maomao is a very refreshing protagonist, and something I like most about her is that she often takes women's side. Truly a girls' girl, we love to see it.
Also shoutout to my fav quote:
"I wouldn't be here if I couldn't endure both the beautiful and the terrible in this world."
Idk maybe I'm being a little too harsh on it. I mean, it was still solid. Not quite sure why it was such a struggle for me to get through this volume. But it's just missing that certain je ne sais quoi that made the anime truly special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Medical content, Trafficking, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
I started reading this after watching the anime. So far, the anime has been true to the novel, so I haven't read anything new. Still, it's an interesting story with good mystery and political intrigue.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced