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guybrushtmp 's review for:
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Clear and muddy loss of love is such an epic read. It is slow but I think the slowness fits it well, it allows for moments to feel natural and not feel rushed. And given the fact the book covers over ten years it needs it. Because it is serialised, it gives the feeling of a TV show or a manga when reading. I would give constant plot updates to my best friend over voice memo and he felt the comparisons to manga hard (a masked villain? crossdressing?). I think if you haven't read serialised books before or manga with long plot arcs, it is good to go in knowing it will be a different reading experience than you are used too.
Now I must give create where due, I think the author is a master plotter. I was left being certain what was coming but unable to predict how it would come about. It made for a super engaging read. I think the only chapter I felt disappointed in was the final one until I read the extras. I think these 3 extras are the true ending and it left me feeling good.
I must also talk about the characters. I have previously said how I think the biggest problem in a lot of writing in recent years is authors do not put their characters through enough situations with stakes. You can see this in both western and writing but is most common in danmei and isekai. The people are perfect and always slide out of every situation with ease. An odd, but good example is the tv show Vincenzo, where at the end of a lot of episodes you find out surprise they actually had a plan to get out of the sticky situation the entire time and reversed it on the villains.
This is not the case in this book. Qi Yan is incredibly smart and perceptive, but they do make mistakes, situations do get away from them, and they are physically weak. This makes the plot of revenge and romance feel much more intense, even though we are assured there is a happy ending. They are not infallible and that makes the story worth it. Additionally, I think the author is great at character development. They had one author's note detailing towards the end why Qi Yan was making the choices they did (because apparently people in comments of the original work were calling it OOC) but every point listed I felt was something that I understand and had already seen in the story, basically confirming that my understanding of the character was sound and the author did a great job of setting up their development.
I think for me the things that prevented it from being a full 5 stars were the relationship between the two side characters which started in a very sketch way, leaving me feeling a bit ick and the ending chapter being a bit bumpy. I think maybe if it is repacked for book form, I would do a bit of editing to turn it into its most perfect form but still worth the intense number of pages to read.
Overall, much fun, much long, good revenge, good love. Definitely worth the time.
Now I must give create where due, I think the author is a master plotter. I was left being certain what was coming but unable to predict how it would come about. It made for a super engaging read. I think the only chapter I felt disappointed in was the final one until I read the extras. I think these 3 extras are the true ending and it left me feeling good.
I must also talk about the characters. I have previously said how I think the biggest problem in a lot of writing in recent years is authors do not put their characters through enough situations with stakes. You can see this in both western and writing but is most common in danmei and isekai. The people are perfect and always slide out of every situation with ease. An odd, but good example is the tv show Vincenzo, where at the end of a lot of episodes you find out surprise they actually had a plan to get out of the sticky situation the entire time and reversed it on the villains.
This is not the case in this book. Qi Yan is incredibly smart and perceptive, but they do make mistakes, situations do get away from them, and they are physically weak. This makes the plot of revenge and romance feel much more intense, even though we are assured there is a happy ending. They are not infallible and that makes the story worth it. Additionally, I think the author is great at character development. They had one author's note detailing towards the end why Qi Yan was making the choices they did (because apparently people in comments of the original work were calling it OOC) but every point listed I felt was something that I understand and had already seen in the story, basically confirming that my understanding of the character was sound and the author did a great job of setting up their development.
I think for me the things that prevented it from being a full 5 stars were the relationship between the two side characters which started in a very sketch way, leaving me feeling a bit ick and the ending chapter being a bit bumpy. I think maybe if it is repacked for book form, I would do a bit of editing to turn it into its most perfect form but still worth the intense number of pages to read.
Overall, much fun, much long, good revenge, good love. Definitely worth the time.