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ros_lanta's reviews
937 reviews
Phoenix Awoken by Ekaterine Xia
3.75
Enjoyable but sadly let down by a poor ending. I'm still glad I've read both books though and I hope the series continues at some point.
No Doubt in Us by Young Dream, Linksure
5.0
I read this 175 chapter webcomic slowly over the course of more than a month, and I honestly love it. I read it on the Tapas app where its name is The Emperor's New Body, but I've also sometimes seen it referred to as No Doubt in Us.
I first discovered this story through the animated adaptation available on Netflix (titled No Doubt in Us), then consumed the live action version (named The Trust) before finally getting to the original webcomic/manhua. Each version has its own strengths and weaknesses and overall I do think the animation is the strongest, often expanding significantly on material from the manhua, which can at times feel a bit rushed with certain plot elements. I do however thoroughly recommend all three.
The characters in this are a delight. I was routing for the main couple from early on, while there's an honestly adorable relationship between the Emperor's brother and the state advisor (which is never explicitly gay, probably due to Chinese censorship laws). The story is at times laugh out loud funny and at other times moving and emotional.
Honestly I love this - very thoroughly recommended.
I first discovered this story through the animated adaptation available on Netflix (titled No Doubt in Us), then consumed the live action version (named The Trust) before finally getting to the original webcomic/manhua. Each version has its own strengths and weaknesses and overall I do think the animation is the strongest, often expanding significantly on material from the manhua, which can at times feel a bit rushed with certain plot elements. I do however thoroughly recommend all three.
The characters in this are a delight. I was routing for the main couple from early on, while there's an honestly adorable relationship between the Emperor's brother and the state advisor (which is never explicitly gay, probably due to Chinese censorship laws). The story is at times laugh out loud funny and at other times moving and emotional.
Honestly I love this - very thoroughly recommended.
Phoenix Chosen by Ekaterine Xia
4.0
This is a self-published portal fantasy romance with a setting inspired by ancient China and polyamorous romance. I really enjoyed it.
I was drawn in from quite early on by the characters and relationships (romantic and platonic). I was also drawn in by curiosity - there's a number of key questions about Estyria's background, some of which are not answered by the end of this first novel.
The writing style is relatively simple, but easy to read and I never wanted to put the book down. There were unfortunately a few plot or worldbuilding aspects that didn't fully make sense to me and perhaps could have used a better edit - for example, I could never understand why the main character is constantly trying to figure out what time period she's in, when she knows full well she's not on Earth (so why would Earth timelines apply?). Still, those aspects were never enough to harm my enjoyment.
Overall I had a good time with this book, and will most likely be continuing with the sequel very soon.
I was drawn in from quite early on by the characters and relationships (romantic and platonic). I was also drawn in by curiosity - there's a number of key questions about Estyria's background, some of which are not answered by the end of this first novel.
The writing style is relatively simple, but easy to read and I never wanted to put the book down. There were unfortunately a few plot or worldbuilding aspects that didn't fully make sense to me and perhaps could have used a better edit - for example, I could never understand why the main character is constantly trying to figure out what time period she's in, when she knows full well she's not on Earth (so why would Earth timelines apply?). Still, those aspects were never enough to harm my enjoyment.
Overall I had a good time with this book, and will most likely be continuing with the sequel very soon.