A review by lott_oh
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really like the characters of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian and how they interact with each other, but it's so hard to keep up with all the other characters considering they have two and sometimes three names, and the sheer number of side characters mentioned. The story is interesting enough and I am intrigued to find out what happens in the next volumes, but the writing is a bit of a drag. I've read other reviews explaining the situation with the Seven Seas translation, so I think I'd rather read the fan translation online from now on. The writing overall feels quite juvenile, especially the description (or lack thereof) of the scenery, but I can't fault the author if it is truly just a badly translated work. 
The other issue is that at times it feels a bit fetishy and like a real caricature of gay men- I understand that Wei Wuxian was putting on an act, but the whole thing was so strange when he was still pretending to be the Mo guy and it was quite uncomfortable to read.
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