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A review by pannii
No Paths Are Bound by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"Even when mortals become gods, we do not have the good fortune to avoid fate in the end."
I could write an entire dissertation about fate and luck in these novels and I might just do that once I have read the remaining two books as well because damn. I have Some Thoughts. Mo Xiang Tong Xiu truly is a genius.
What a journey this book was. It took me a while to get through it because of its length, but I think for this one it is actually better this way; there are so many little details that you would miss if you just rushed through it. The story is really well structured, and I love how the author keeps coming back to the same questions, examining them from different points of views, but still moving the narrative forward. There is a lot of foreshadowing that hits like a punch in the gut if you know certain spoilers, and I'm sure that upon a re-read I will catch even more details. I also want to note that there are no unimportant characters, no useless plot points. Everyone and everything the author decides to put in the book has a purpose, serves a meaning. What is true and what is false, how the truth can be distorted, and how it blends with legends are also central in the story (I have not yet read Scum Villain, but this can definitely be seen in Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation as well). It is a good way to keep the reader guessing, as you always have to assume what you are reading might not be entirely true. It also plays really well into this no-clear-lines-between-right-and-wrong type of storytelling with morally grey characters.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot, because it really is complicated and hard to discuss without spoilers, but one thing I want to mention is the Black Water arc. I think when it comes to this book in particular, a lot of people tend to focus on that (even if "focus" means pretending it never happened) which is completely understandable. It is honestly one of my favourite arcs I have ever read in any book, even though I knew most of the details going in and even though I'm scarred for life and will probably never feel happiness again. The story basically turns into horror at this point. The way the author builds tension should be taught in writing classes, and the Black Water reveal was quite possibly the best-executed reveal of this type I have ever encountered in fiction. The characters, the dialogues, everything about this arc is just incredible, seriously, I want to frame it and put it in a museum.
Speaking of characters, the thing that I love the most about Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's writing is that her characters are three-dimensional. They make mistakes, they falter, they act irrational at times, they react in different ways. She makes sure you see and understand just what exactly drove a character to a certain point, made them make certain choices, and if you can't understand, that is intentional as well. There is actual character development, whether it be positive or negative, all characters are complex and interesting (and almost all of them are likeable at least to some degree) (White No-Face can rot in hell though), much more so than in many other works of fiction. (Of course it doesn't necessarily mean that you personally sympathize with a character or agree with their actions. Just wanted to point this out before someone accuses me of endorsing torture or murder or something.)
Without going too much into details, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are both so layered, and their dialogues are some of the best I have ever read. They are truly likeable main characters, and you just can't help but root for them. I could write entire essays about both of them but this review is long enough already (just wait until I have read all five books, now *that* review will be of Biblical length…). When it comes to the rest of the characters, someone I really want to mention is Pei Ming. I have to admit, I kind of wrote him off in the beginning (though I assume that was the intention on the author's part) but I should know better by now than to do that when reading a novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. His character was a pleasant surprise and really grew on me. I'm glad we got to see a bit more of Pei Xiu and Banyue, and just generally of characters who were more in the background in the first book. Yin Yu should also be mentioned, I think his past makes him one of the most complex characters in this novel. Yushi Huang has my heart. As for Mu Qing and Feng Xin, once again I'm impressed by how incredible Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is when it comes to characterization, how well she uses small gestures and actions (or lack thereof) that might seem insignificant but are actually crucial to help the reader understand a character. She should give lectures, seriously.
I'm really going to try and stop now because I could keep going for hours. The ending was a LOT and to be honest I'm quite scared as to what exactly is going to happen in the fourth book, because learning about Xie Lian's past will HURT. Still, I can wholeheartedly recommend these novels to people who like fantasy, this is one of the best stories I have ever read in my life.
I could write an entire dissertation about fate and luck in these novels and I might just do that once I have read the remaining two books as well because damn. I have Some Thoughts. Mo Xiang Tong Xiu truly is a genius.
What a journey this book was. It took me a while to get through it because of its length, but I think for this one it is actually better this way; there are so many little details that you would miss if you just rushed through it. The story is really well structured, and I love how the author keeps coming back to the same questions, examining them from different points of views, but still moving the narrative forward. There is a lot of foreshadowing that hits like a punch in the gut if you know certain spoilers, and I'm sure that upon a re-read I will catch even more details. I also want to note that there are no unimportant characters, no useless plot points. Everyone and everything the author decides to put in the book has a purpose, serves a meaning. What is true and what is false, how the truth can be distorted, and how it blends with legends are also central in the story (I have not yet read Scum Villain, but this can definitely be seen in Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation as well). It is a good way to keep the reader guessing, as you always have to assume what you are reading might not be entirely true. It also plays really well into this no-clear-lines-between-right-and-wrong type of storytelling with morally grey characters.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot, because it really is complicated and hard to discuss without spoilers, but one thing I want to mention is the Black Water arc. I think when it comes to this book in particular, a lot of people tend to focus on that (even if "focus" means pretending it never happened) which is completely understandable. It is honestly one of my favourite arcs I have ever read in any book, even though I knew most of the details going in and even though I'm scarred for life and will probably never feel happiness again. The story basically turns into horror at this point. The way the author builds tension should be taught in writing classes, and the Black Water reveal was quite possibly the best-executed reveal of this type I have ever encountered in fiction. The characters, the dialogues, everything about this arc is just incredible, seriously, I want to frame it and put it in a museum.
Speaking of characters, the thing that I love the most about Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's writing is that her characters are three-dimensional. They make mistakes, they falter, they act irrational at times, they react in different ways. She makes sure you see and understand just what exactly drove a character to a certain point, made them make certain choices, and if you can't understand, that is intentional as well. There is actual character development, whether it be positive or negative, all characters are complex and interesting (and almost all of them are likeable at least to some degree) (White No-Face can rot in hell though), much more so than in many other works of fiction. (Of course it doesn't necessarily mean that you personally sympathize with a character or agree with their actions. Just wanted to point this out before someone accuses me of endorsing torture or murder or something.)
Without going too much into details, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are both so layered, and their dialogues are some of the best I have ever read. They are truly likeable main characters, and you just can't help but root for them. I could write entire essays about both of them but this review is long enough already (just wait until I have read all five books, now *that* review will be of Biblical length…). When it comes to the rest of the characters, someone I really want to mention is Pei Ming. I have to admit, I kind of wrote him off in the beginning (though I assume that was the intention on the author's part) but I should know better by now than to do that when reading a novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. His character was a pleasant surprise and really grew on me. I'm glad we got to see a bit more of Pei Xiu and Banyue, and just generally of characters who were more in the background in the first book. Yin Yu should also be mentioned, I think his past makes him one of the most complex characters in this novel. Yushi Huang has my heart. As for Mu Qing and Feng Xin, once again I'm impressed by how incredible Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is when it comes to characterization, how well she uses small gestures and actions (or lack thereof) that might seem insignificant but are actually crucial to help the reader understand a character. She should give lectures, seriously.
I'm really going to try and stop now because I could keep going for hours. The ending was a LOT and to be honest I'm quite scared as to what exactly is going to happen in the fourth book, because learning about Xie Lian's past will HURT. Still, I can wholeheartedly recommend these novels to people who like fantasy, this is one of the best stories I have ever read in my life.