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adelphiereads's reviews
150 reviews
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the kind of book that I could talk about for hours and it still wouldn’t be enough. I feel like Donna Tart could write five more books retelling the story from each of the Greek kids' perspectives and I would still read it, no— devour it, get lost in it, and constantly think about it even after reading them. It’s the kind of book that I would love to read it for the first time again because it’s just that good.
This book talks about elitism. All forms of it. It justified murder and cruelty. It paints the perpetrators of evil as victims of the world. And it’s told in the perspective of an unreliable narrator. So in essence, yes it is like Crime and Punishment but also it’s not because of some elements in that great work that was omitted in this one for the sake of aesthetics. It truly is a great depiction of Dark Academia.
Basically…it’s a book about a bunch of young privileged people who read a lot and wanted the books they’ve read to be very much like their reality, to the extent that they exerted great effort to make it so but of course since that’s not possible, they got what is coming for them…or did they?
If you’re interested in my non-spoiler-free review of the book here’s a link to a Google docs (I am still editing it as time passes, I believe I will be writing on it for days): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S7H7sngXGufWGDjYXNRlV5yGVmhlY_T1VoxqCUFW53M/edit?usp=sharing
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Despite it’s dark themes such as murder, death and abuse, I still see this book as a cozy fantasy novel. I think it’s probably because the entire plot of the book is focused on a single quest and things such as romance, character building and social relevance were placed on the background. Not neglected, just not given too much attention but it was still there. It’s like you wouldn’t be able to get to know the characters so much that you have no choice but be so drastically attached to them, still that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be able to relate with them or somehow see yourself in one of them.
To put it simply, this book reads like a Studio Ghibli movie but with more adult themes (not spicy ones). It’s like if Studio Ghibli made a movie for adults in their 20s, this would be the result.
Anyone who is into fantasy Studio Ghibli movies or simply just quest-type & found-family trope stories would love this book.
“Nothing is fair, except that we try to make it so. That’s the point of humans, maybe, to fix things the gods haven’t managed.”
Manacled by SenLinYu
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Torture, War, Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Violence
If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Despite being a short book, this one was thought-provoking and insightful. Especially during the first chapters, the author really made me reflect on the world around me and how I am currently living my life. It made me realize that I should know which things are really important and what I should do about them. However, I did not like how I the narrator/main character would go on a tangent about something insightful or heavy topic but then he would digress into mundane stuff out of nowhere. The book had so much potential. It could’ve talked about the topics it had happened more instead of just leaving them up in the air and letting the readers think about it. The last chapters were confusing and anticlimactic as well. Still, I did like how this book made me feel so it wasn’t at all bad. I would still recommend this to others, just so they could have food for thought about life too.
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
One thing's for sure, I did not see that coming. I thought it was the other thing but I was so wrong. The plot twist in this book was so shocking that I literally had to pause to compose myself. If you like psychological thrillers but not the kind that makes you sick to the stomach just disturbed in the mind, then this book is perfect for you.
The review below is a full-on spoiler of the book. Don't read it if you haven't read the book! Or if you don't want to get spoiled!!
I thought Ethan was EJ the entire time and I didn't even suspect that Tricia was PL and that she is more dark and sinister than EJ and the doctor.
I really love unreliable narrators.
The review below is a full-on spoiler of the book. Don't read it if you haven't read the book! Or if you don't want to get spoiled!!
I thought Ethan was EJ the entire time and I didn't even suspect that Tricia was PL and that she is more dark and sinister than EJ and the doctor.
I really love unreliable narrators.
The Husky & His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
I think this quote pretty much sums up the pain that the author wrote about in this volume. As always, I devoured this book, the author really knows how to put me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop reading it even though some moments in it are so painful, I almost couldn't breathe. But I just had to know what happens next. This story to me is like a drug. It makes me smile, laugh, irritated, restless and hurts me so much I could barely breathe...but still I want more. I want more of the husky and his white cat shizun.
The author's writing is of course, chef's kisses. I was so enamored by her writing style, maybe that's why I couldn't get enough of her work. I physically couldn't wait for the next volume!
Okay time for the review with spoilers:
Chu Wanning's backstory wrecked me. It personally hit home. Especially this line:
"Maybe, once upon a time, he had hoped. Hoped that someone would reach down and help him up. But he'd waited once, and there had been no one. And second time, and still, no one. He had experienced disappointment after disappointment, and he'd gradually grown inured to it. By the time someone, finally, came to help him up, it no longer felt necessary; it only felt shameful."
People like me who are not used in asking for help or receiving help, this perfectly describes our innermost thoughts. To all the girls out there who once waited for their knight in shining armor and when no one came decided to be the knight themselves, you guys are doing great but I think it's time to let other people in to help us.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
After all, a scar cut through water could return even smoothness, but a wound carved into a tree would forever remain.
I think this quote pretty much sums up the pain that the author wrote about in this volume. As always, I devoured this book, the author really knows how to put me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop reading it even though some moments in it are so painful, I almost couldn't breathe. But I just had to know what happens next. This story to me is like a drug. It makes me smile, laugh, irritated, restless and hurts me so much I could barely breathe...but still I want more. I want more of the husky and his white cat shizun.
The author's writing is of course, chef's kisses. I was so enamored by her writing style, maybe that's why I couldn't get enough of her work. I physically couldn't wait for the next volume!
Okay time for the review with spoilers:
Chu Wanning's backstory wrecked me. It personally hit home. Especially this line:
"Maybe, once upon a time, he had hoped. Hoped that someone would reach down and help him up. But he'd waited once, and there had been no one. And second time, and still, no one. He had experienced disappointment after disappointment, and he'd gradually grown inured to it. By the time someone, finally, came to help him up, it no longer felt necessary; it only felt shameful."
People like me who are not used in asking for help or receiving help, this perfectly describes our innermost thoughts. To all the girls out there who once waited for their knight in shining armor and when no one came decided to be the knight themselves, you guys are doing great but I think it's time to let other people in to help us.
Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 8 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Last volume...I can't write a spoiler free review. If you've come this far into the series, I am sure that you would want to read how it ends, so I don't think I need to write a review that will get you interested in reading this volume.
Anyway here's my full review of the book series so it won't be spoiler-free.
This review will consist of 6 parts. Each part contains the topics that I loved in this book series.
I. Romance
I think what the author did is that she took the concept of “unconditional love” and expounded it, describing in full detail of what it really means and what it should entail. The love between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian was definitely unconditional. We’ve seen it over the past 8 volumes of the book, over the thousands of words written by the author. So what is unconditional love according to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu? It’s when nothing can stop you from loving someone. May it be social class, money, time, space, illness, pain, death or even if that person doesn’t even love you back. None of it matters, you would still love the person. And no, it’s not the same as obsession, the author made sure that we are aware of that as she showed us what obsession means in Jun Wu’s actions towards Xie Lian. No, unconditional love only works if you don’t force your love on that person if you don’t force anything on that person. There’s no anger nor any kind of negative emotions in unconditional love. Just love. Your goal is not to be with that person romantically, your goal is to love that person, care for them, and protect them from harm even if you only get to do it in the sidelines. Them loving you is just a sweet bonus. That’s the kind of love Hua Cheng and Xie Lian shared. Nothing held their love back. No matter what happens, they will always find a way back to each other…to love each other. And I think that’s beautiful.
What they have is something rare though. Everyone has the chance to find their true love but I don’t think everyone can do unconditional love. Yes, I believe unconditional love is an act and a feeling because you have to feel it and constantly act on it. Not everyone can do that, only the most courageous ones.
II. Friendship
There were a LOT of representations of friendship in this book series. I believe almost every arc had one. The most common theme is the fact that true friendship can withstand any storm. Fights can happen. Distance can separate the closest of friends. But when life throws them together or when circumstances call for one to help the other, the bad blood between friends disappears and their friendship will prevail, they will inevitably be there for each other. And the book series showed how it’s also rare to find such true friendship, so when you do happen upon one…never let it go.
III. Self-discovery.
In this book, we saw how Xie Lian literally and figuratively ascended to and descended from the heavens. We saw him at his best, the Crown Prince of Xianle, darling of the heavens. We saw how he slowly descended to the worst version of himself as life, or Jun Wu for that matter, kept trying to knock him down and destroy his righteous principles. We saw how he was so close to going into the “dark side”. We saw how one person was able to change that. We saw how the villain tried to ruin him again. We saw how he was soo close to spiraling into that dark abyss again. How he bounced back like a freaking 90s trend, like how Taylor Swift did because one person believed in him. Because one person loved him. Because one person who saw him at his best and at his worst chose to stay and fight for him. Basically, we saw him in his long and arduous self-discovery journey. And I think what this tells us is that even though we don’t have immortality we still have ample time to get to know ourselves and to keep on growing.
We make mistakes. Xie Lian did, and his mistake took the lives of hundreds. Maybe our mistakes aren’t as grave but maybe to us that’s what they feel like, afterall, our mistakes can have different gravity on us. But we cannot dwell on them. We should be kinder to ourselves. We have time to make mistakes, learn from them and be better people. And in the process, we will discover something about ourselves.
We may not have centuries to live but we have time, to be kind to ourselves, to make room for improvements, and to know ourselves better.
IV. Religion and devotion
I know that this book series focused on one religion but I think its message about it can be applied to all religions. So, what I am about to talk about is not just representative of the religion used in the book, it’s for every religion that has ever existed and still exists today in the world.
Religion is whatever people makes it. If the leader of the religion decides it is about a certain person or a certain natural phenomena or a certain god, then it is what it will be. But also, the believers get to decide whether it will prosper or not. People will only continuously follow a religion if they get something out of it may it be provisions, a sense of security, or righteousness. It is and will always be about what people can get out of it. If it serves them well, then people will keep it. That’s how religions are created and made to stay. And so? What if it is what people make it? Religion helps people have faith and assurance that their life has meaning. Still, if it is made by fallible people, it means it is not perfect. It is not just. It has room for improvement. But that also doesn’t mean that no one should follow a religion. No, having a religion is good because it ensures that one has a healthy spiritual life. But people shouldn’t be so devoted that they become blind to these imperfections. They should be aware that their religion can have teachings and practices that don’t promote the general welfare of others, that it could actually cause harm in them and the believers must point this out and correct it. Because despite the differences in religion, humans have the universal moral obligation to ensure that every single human being has exercised their right to live.
V. Societal expectations
Societal expectations ruined Xie Lian. Even though he was a god, it was still too much. He was put there by the people. It was almost the same as when academic achievers were put on this pedestal by society which expects them to always be the smartest person in the room or to be the perfect student. To be…perfect. But no one is perfect. Humans are not infallible. We make mistakes. But society seems to always forget this fact when they put people on pedestals. Not just academic achievers. They also do it on politicians and celebrities. They revere these people and expect them to not make a single mistake and when they do, they are ostracized by it. Not just simply pushed off the pedestal, but kicked and trampled on in the ground. It’s unfair. But that’s just how the world works. People find satisfaction in watching someone who they think is above them fall to the ground. Despite their insistence on putting others on a pedestal, they still want to be superior and so they wait…they wait for the time that person would make a mistake so they can point it out and punish the person for it which will make them look like they’re morally superior to them. The best way to deal with it? The same way Xie Lian did…don’t let it bother you, don’t think about it just do what you know is right, and let the world think what they want. Just be the unbothered person, like Xie Lian or Hua Cheng.
VI. Human depravity
I don’t care what the philosophers say but I believe the nature of man is self-preservation. We saw it in every single arc of this book series. It’s a recurring theme. People will go to great lengths to save themselves. Place the blame on the innocent. Ostracize others. Outcast a child. Hurt the innocent. Hurt others. Murder. Start a war. Almost all kinds of human depravity are kindled by their need to save themselves, by their nature of self-preservation. The author managed to convey that message of truth about humans in real life underneath layers of magic and cultivation practices in a mystical realm.
In general, that’s what I love about this book series, it was able to convey such impactful messages on topics that I have discussed under the guise of the mystical occurrences in the world of cultivation, immortality, and the gods in a fantastical realm. Despite being a story that took place in a mythical realm, it was a mirror of our real world. Which is why I believe everyone should read it. You will definitely learn a lot about love, life, and hopefully…yourself. I did. I may read hundreds or thousands of books after this but this book series will always have a place in my heart until I draw my last breath for it has taught me a lot and it helped me see a part of myself that I have never seen before. I hope it changes you as well.
Thank you for reading my review up to this point, you are amazing, by the Heaven Official’s Blessing I hope you will reach all your dreams.
Anyway here's my full review of the book series so it won't be spoiler-free.
This review will consist of 6 parts. Each part contains the topics that I loved in this book series.
I. Romance
I think what the author did is that she took the concept of “unconditional love” and expounded it, describing in full detail of what it really means and what it should entail. The love between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian was definitely unconditional. We’ve seen it over the past 8 volumes of the book, over the thousands of words written by the author. So what is unconditional love according to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu? It’s when nothing can stop you from loving someone. May it be social class, money, time, space, illness, pain, death or even if that person doesn’t even love you back. None of it matters, you would still love the person. And no, it’s not the same as obsession, the author made sure that we are aware of that as she showed us what obsession means in Jun Wu’s actions towards Xie Lian. No, unconditional love only works if you don’t force your love on that person if you don’t force anything on that person. There’s no anger nor any kind of negative emotions in unconditional love. Just love. Your goal is not to be with that person romantically, your goal is to love that person, care for them, and protect them from harm even if you only get to do it in the sidelines. Them loving you is just a sweet bonus. That’s the kind of love Hua Cheng and Xie Lian shared. Nothing held their love back. No matter what happens, they will always find a way back to each other…to love each other. And I think that’s beautiful.
What they have is something rare though. Everyone has the chance to find their true love but I don’t think everyone can do unconditional love. Yes, I believe unconditional love is an act and a feeling because you have to feel it and constantly act on it. Not everyone can do that, only the most courageous ones.
II. Friendship
There were a LOT of representations of friendship in this book series. I believe almost every arc had one. The most common theme is the fact that true friendship can withstand any storm. Fights can happen. Distance can separate the closest of friends. But when life throws them together or when circumstances call for one to help the other, the bad blood between friends disappears and their friendship will prevail, they will inevitably be there for each other. And the book series showed how it’s also rare to find such true friendship, so when you do happen upon one…never let it go.
III. Self-discovery.
In this book, we saw how Xie Lian literally and figuratively ascended to and descended from the heavens. We saw him at his best, the Crown Prince of Xianle, darling of the heavens. We saw how he slowly descended to the worst version of himself as life, or Jun Wu for that matter, kept trying to knock him down and destroy his righteous principles. We saw how he was so close to going into the “dark side”. We saw how one person was able to change that. We saw how the villain tried to ruin him again. We saw how he was soo close to spiraling into that dark abyss again. How he bounced back like a freaking 90s trend, like how Taylor Swift did because one person believed in him. Because one person loved him. Because one person who saw him at his best and at his worst chose to stay and fight for him. Basically, we saw him in his long and arduous self-discovery journey. And I think what this tells us is that even though we don’t have immortality we still have ample time to get to know ourselves and to keep on growing.
We make mistakes. Xie Lian did, and his mistake took the lives of hundreds. Maybe our mistakes aren’t as grave but maybe to us that’s what they feel like, afterall, our mistakes can have different gravity on us. But we cannot dwell on them. We should be kinder to ourselves. We have time to make mistakes, learn from them and be better people. And in the process, we will discover something about ourselves.
We may not have centuries to live but we have time, to be kind to ourselves, to make room for improvements, and to know ourselves better.
IV. Religion and devotion
I know that this book series focused on one religion but I think its message about it can be applied to all religions. So, what I am about to talk about is not just representative of the religion used in the book, it’s for every religion that has ever existed and still exists today in the world.
Religion is whatever people makes it. If the leader of the religion decides it is about a certain person or a certain natural phenomena or a certain god, then it is what it will be. But also, the believers get to decide whether it will prosper or not. People will only continuously follow a religion if they get something out of it may it be provisions, a sense of security, or righteousness. It is and will always be about what people can get out of it. If it serves them well, then people will keep it. That’s how religions are created and made to stay. And so? What if it is what people make it? Religion helps people have faith and assurance that their life has meaning. Still, if it is made by fallible people, it means it is not perfect. It is not just. It has room for improvement. But that also doesn’t mean that no one should follow a religion. No, having a religion is good because it ensures that one has a healthy spiritual life. But people shouldn’t be so devoted that they become blind to these imperfections. They should be aware that their religion can have teachings and practices that don’t promote the general welfare of others, that it could actually cause harm in them and the believers must point this out and correct it. Because despite the differences in religion, humans have the universal moral obligation to ensure that every single human being has exercised their right to live.
V. Societal expectations
Societal expectations ruined Xie Lian. Even though he was a god, it was still too much. He was put there by the people. It was almost the same as when academic achievers were put on this pedestal by society which expects them to always be the smartest person in the room or to be the perfect student. To be…perfect. But no one is perfect. Humans are not infallible. We make mistakes. But society seems to always forget this fact when they put people on pedestals. Not just academic achievers. They also do it on politicians and celebrities. They revere these people and expect them to not make a single mistake and when they do, they are ostracized by it. Not just simply pushed off the pedestal, but kicked and trampled on in the ground. It’s unfair. But that’s just how the world works. People find satisfaction in watching someone who they think is above them fall to the ground. Despite their insistence on putting others on a pedestal, they still want to be superior and so they wait…they wait for the time that person would make a mistake so they can point it out and punish the person for it which will make them look like they’re morally superior to them. The best way to deal with it? The same way Xie Lian did…don’t let it bother you, don’t think about it just do what you know is right, and let the world think what they want. Just be the unbothered person, like Xie Lian or Hua Cheng.
VI. Human depravity
I don’t care what the philosophers say but I believe the nature of man is self-preservation. We saw it in every single arc of this book series. It’s a recurring theme. People will go to great lengths to save themselves. Place the blame on the innocent. Ostracize others. Outcast a child. Hurt the innocent. Hurt others. Murder. Start a war. Almost all kinds of human depravity are kindled by their need to save themselves, by their nature of self-preservation. The author managed to convey that message of truth about humans in real life underneath layers of magic and cultivation practices in a mystical realm.
In general, that’s what I love about this book series, it was able to convey such impactful messages on topics that I have discussed under the guise of the mystical occurrences in the world of cultivation, immortality, and the gods in a fantastical realm. Despite being a story that took place in a mythical realm, it was a mirror of our real world. Which is why I believe everyone should read it. You will definitely learn a lot about love, life, and hopefully…yourself. I did. I may read hundreds or thousands of books after this but this book series will always have a place in my heart until I draw my last breath for it has taught me a lot and it helped me see a part of myself that I have never seen before. I hope it changes you as well.
Thank you for reading my review up to this point, you are amazing, by the Heaven Official’s Blessing I hope you will reach all your dreams.
Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 7 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Before I get into details about the things that made me love this volume, let's first get this out of the way. [Because I really hate it when people think that this book series is just a love story. It's not. It's so much more than that.] But the romance part is this volume is definitely swoon-worthy, giggling-like-a-school-girl-worthy, and screaming-like-a-banshee-worthy. So, HuaLian nation, we won, here.
Now, onto my favorite parts:
The plot twist and how it was revealed was definitely jaw-dropping. I got chills at the exact same time Xie Lian did when he found out. I also love how the backstory of the villain in this story is not too generic. It's not the same as the backstory of any other villains you've seen or read about before. Like it's too nuanced that it will make you question yourself. It did make me question myself on how I would have become if those things happened to me. Would I have become a villain or would I have ended up a righteous woman the way Xie Lian did? It's annoying and at the same time really amazing that I have questioned myself and my principles on many occasions during the time that I've read the volumes in this book series. When you get a chance to read this book, I hope you question yourself as well. What would you have done? Would you have become the villain or the hero of the story?
Now, onto my favorite parts:
The plot twist and how it was revealed was definitely jaw-dropping. I got chills at the exact same time Xie Lian did when he found out. I also love how the backstory of the villain in this story is not too generic. It's not the same as the backstory of any other villains you've seen or read about before. Like it's too nuanced that it will make you question yourself. It did make me question myself on how I would have become if those things happened to me. Would I have become a villain or would I have ended up a righteous woman the way Xie Lian did? It's annoying and at the same time really amazing that I have questioned myself and my principles on many occasions during the time that I've read the volumes in this book series. When you get a chance to read this book, I hope you question yourself as well. What would you have done? Would you have become the villain or the hero of the story?