A review by scarabsi
University of the Underworld by Ziloi, Jan Mitsuko Cash

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The pacing was very uneven, I had a hard time staying invested for the beginning half and then the last 15% of the story wrapped up a little too quickly for me. However, the puzzle of the plot unfolded clearly and the foreshadowing was nicely laid. It may have been a little too obvious in places but it helped get me more invested. The characters were alright but the mystery ultimately got me more interested than everything else. A surprising amount of emotional or legal incest for an otherwise pretty light read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Violence and Incest

A note about the incest tag:

This isn't genetic or blood relation incest, or even familial incest. It's more like characters interpret their relationships in conflicting ways. Bai Shaonan sees Bai Qinghe as his father while it is heavily implied that Bai Qinghe is romantically fixated on Bai Shaonan. The climax involves a romantic tragedy between two lovers who legally declared each other father and son, and refer to each other as such. Other characters describe their relationship as father and son in close proximity to depictions of them having sex. It is a minor tag because the incest aspect of it isn't even brought up and the fact that it's incestuous is not a relevant part of the story, it's just the contradictive nature of how the characters' relationships have been built.