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cyanide_latte 's review for:
Peach Blossom Debt
by Da Feng Gua Guo
DID NOT FINISH: 66%
DNF @ 65%. I had had such high hopes for this book and I wanted to like it, I really did. It did start out with something of a light-hearted romantic drama premise, and initially it looks like it was going to deliver on that front.
However, at over halfway through the book, I've reached a point where I just can't keep going. The way events and details and plot twists escalate in this story felt too absurd and lacking in cohesion, meaning my mental rubber band labeled "suspension of disbelief" was stretched over and over to the point of being very loose.
And at the point at which I had stopped, I felt like it would have been a very good close. Where I was at in the story and what was happening felt like it would have been the perfect spot to end in another couple of chapters. It still would have felt to me like it was largely nonsensical, but maybe this entire thing was a farce and we would now see the consequences of that farce and what it was really for, what the purpose of all this was. And yet there was still 45% left to go. On a quick skim through some of the other chapters, it appears the circumstances continue to get more and more absurd, and as I was already feeling like there was a serious lack of cohesion with the events in the story I am not confident that anything happening after that point would have salvaged this for me. Additionally I also took a look and realized that the main character did end up with the love interest that I thought he would; it felt somewhat obvious from the moment that character was introduced that they would be the endgame couple, but having that confirmation did cement for me that I don't need to continue slogging through this in order to reach that conclusion.
I feel weird about this, because by and large across the online danmei community, I see almost nothing but praise for Peach Blossom Debt. Almost everyone I've seen talk about it says that it was really good, that the read is very emotional and the ending left them crying and feeling moved. If I see anyone say they didn't enjoy it, it's usually attributed to the book "being too slow" for them. And all I can think is, did we really read the same book? I wanted to like this but it just isn't working for me, and I'm just done trying to force myself through it. It's not worth it for me.
However, at over halfway through the book, I've reached a point where I just can't keep going. The way events and details and plot twists escalate in this story felt too absurd and lacking in cohesion, meaning my mental rubber band labeled "suspension of disbelief" was stretched over and over to the point of being very loose.
And at the point at which I had stopped, I felt like it would have been a very good close. Where I was at in the story and what was happening felt like it would have been the perfect spot to end in another couple of chapters. It still would have felt to me like it was largely nonsensical, but maybe this entire thing was a farce and we would now see the consequences of that farce and what it was really for, what the purpose of all this was. And yet there was still 45% left to go. On a quick skim through some of the other chapters, it appears the circumstances continue to get more and more absurd, and as I was already feeling like there was a serious lack of cohesion with the events in the story I am not confident that anything happening after that point would have salvaged this for me. Additionally I also took a look and realized that the main character did end up with the love interest that I thought he would; it felt somewhat obvious from the moment that character was introduced that they would be the endgame couple, but having that confirmation did cement for me that I don't need to continue slogging through this in order to reach that conclusion.
I feel weird about this, because by and large across the online danmei community, I see almost nothing but praise for Peach Blossom Debt. Almost everyone I've seen talk about it says that it was really good, that the read is very emotional and the ending left them crying and feeling moved. If I see anyone say they didn't enjoy it, it's usually attributed to the book "being too slow" for them. And all I can think is, did we really read the same book? I wanted to like this but it just isn't working for me, and I'm just done trying to force myself through it. It's not worth it for me.