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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The Apothecary Diaries” adalah seri light novel yang baru kuikuti karena pada dasarnya tertarik dengan seri ini.
Dari volume satu ini, perjalanan cerita Maomao dibuka dengan menarik dan seru. Banyak kasus misteri yang dipecahkan secara logis, tetapi unik. Apalagi latar tempat dan waktu diambil juga tidak biasa, yaitu tempat para selir pada era Dinasti Tang. Jadi bisa dibilang campuran sejarah dan misteri menjadi satu dari aspek yang unik. Apalagi tokoh utamanya perempuan bisa memecahkan misteri dengan cara masuk akal dan memiliki latar belakang dalam dunia obat-obatan.
Meski agak disayangkan kadang ada beberapa bagian alur cerita sedikit ‘lost’, seperti kadang kasus misteri memiliki penuntasan yang begitu saja atau kurang penjelasannya bagaimana misteri itu bisa terpecahkan. Namun, bisa saja penulis sengaja untuk membiarkan pembacanya kembali berpikir dan melalukan ‘cocokologi’.
Gaya penulisan dalam novel ini juga indah tetapi tidak bertele-tele. Bahkan sang penulis berhasil menciptakan suasana indah dari tempat para selir seperti apa. Banyak kata kiasan yang merujuk secara sopan pada para selir.
Dari volume satu ini, perjalanan cerita Maomao dibuka dengan menarik dan seru. Banyak kasus misteri yang dipecahkan secara logis, tetapi unik. Apalagi latar tempat dan waktu diambil juga tidak biasa, yaitu tempat para selir pada era Dinasti Tang. Jadi bisa dibilang campuran sejarah dan misteri menjadi satu dari aspek yang unik. Apalagi tokoh utamanya perempuan bisa memecahkan misteri dengan cara masuk akal dan memiliki latar belakang dalam dunia obat-obatan.
Meski agak disayangkan kadang ada beberapa bagian alur cerita sedikit ‘lost’, seperti kadang kasus misteri memiliki penuntasan yang begitu saja atau kurang penjelasannya bagaimana misteri itu bisa terpecahkan. Namun, bisa saja penulis sengaja untuk membiarkan pembacanya kembali berpikir dan melalukan ‘cocokologi’.
Gaya penulisan dalam novel ini juga indah tetapi tidak bertele-tele. Bahkan sang penulis berhasil menciptakan suasana indah dari tempat para selir seperti apa. Banyak kata kiasan yang merujuk secara sopan pada para selir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
This got me to read like I was a little kid again, finished in 3 hours. More involved than the manga or anime, and so worth it. If you like Maomao being sassy, read the light novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Kidnapping, Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
It mentions alot of stuff, some triggering, but often openly speaks down on it. It's historical in nature so keep that in mind.
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was fine? I’m not sure I quite understand the reaction to this, but that could very much be because I haven’t read the actual manga yet. This was fairly short and somewhat easy to get through, but despite its length I found it be kind of repetitive. The mini plot lines for the mysteries between chapters were pretty formulaic, and certain bits of information and even exact sentences were repeated throughout. The writing itself is also very blunt and monotonous and it made things feels boring, which made it hard for me to connect with the story and characters.
There’s also some topics that are discussed in an… interesting way. There’s a lot of talk about the eunuchs not being “real men”, and I understand there’s both cultural and historical context, as well as translation in the mix, but it still wasn’t my favourite. There’s also mentions of pedophilia and consorts of Emperors being quite young, and while again there’s historical context, it didn’t make it less uncomfortable to read about.
I did enjoy Maomao’s weird girl energy and how she talked to people, especially those who are above her station. I thought her antagonistic relationship with Jinshi was interesting and funny, albeit with some odd moments, and I also liked her interactions with the consorts and their handmaidens.
I’ll probably try the manga or anime, because I did see promise with premise and characters, but this execution wasn’t for me.
I did enjoy Maomao’s weird girl energy and how she talked to people, especially those who are above her station. I thought her antagonistic relationship with Jinshi was interesting and funny, albeit with some odd moments, and I also liked her interactions with the consorts and their handmaidens.
I’ll probably try the manga or anime, because I did see promise with premise and characters, but this execution wasn’t for me.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was fun, I'd never read an LN volume before and thought it'd be shorter but it was actually pretty filling. Having watched the anime adaptation this felt like a pretty straight rethread of that so I'm excited to reach non-adapted territory. As for the story itself, I really like Maomao as a main character and am an absolute sucker for the vaguely imperial China-ish setting.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was ok. Half of the book is descrbing how beautiful Jinshi is, which at some points was annoying. The other half is Maomao resolving weird "mysteries". I liked Maomao a lot but other than that it was "ok". Probaby I expected more because all of the hype around this story and was disappointed.