You are cordially invited to my fucking funeral cause this book killed me.
And we're not talking peacefully and painlessly, no, no, no - Volume 8 realYou are cordially invited to my fucking funeral cause this book killed me.
And we're not talking peacefully and painlessly, no, no, no - Volume 8 really said (in a Mortal Kombat voice) "FINISH HER!!" And it did...it really did. I am finished. My eyes are swollen from crying and I don't know what to do with my hands.
Hualian is the peak, the pinnacle, the apotheosis of love.
There is literally nothing I can say that can summarize how fucking extraordinary this series is, so I won't even try.
If you'll excuse me...I need to go cling to my books like I'm in the middle of the ocean and they're the only life raft for miles....more
You get a plot twist, you get a plot twist, EVERYBODY GETS A PLOT TWIST!!
My heart rate was SKYROCKETING for this entire book - would not recommend foYou get a plot twist, you get a plot twist, EVERYBODY GETS A PLOT TWIST!!
My heart rate was SKYROCKETING for this entire book - would not recommend for those who want to stay in the world of the living. But, bitch, call me ghostie cause I have UNRESOLVED TRAUMA IN THE FORM OF VOLUME 8.
You know what I'm talking about. This volume is essentially that cluster of episodes in a show where the impromptu teamAh yes, the roadtrip episodes.
You know what I'm talking about. This volume is essentially that cluster of episodes in a show where the impromptu team goes on an adventure and absurdity ensues.
In other words: the calm before the storm. You always know shit's about to go down when an author throws some diverting hijinks atcha.
There are still moments of important plot development and FUCKING ADORABLE Hualian scenes, but my impatient ass was struggling a bit in this one cause (while I still loved it) my brain was like "GET TO THE GOOD STUFF."
However, my restlessness was soothed every time Xie Lian and Hua Cheng so much as looked at each other. ...more
The twisty-est and the turny-est of plots that pulls on your heartstrings until they damn near snap.
This gives most of the asian dramas that I've seeThe twisty-est and the turny-est of plots that pulls on your heartstrings until they damn near snap.
This gives most of the asian dramas that I've seen a run for their money (and I've seen a lot). Seriously, if you're not a fan of melodrama, I would maybe reconsider this one because nearly every line is absolutely steeped in it. Like, I LIVE for the drama and even I was like "HOW MANY MORE TWISTS ARE GONNA FUCKING HAPPEN BEFORE THESE BEAUTIFUL ASSHOLES GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER!?"
By the time the MCs actually get together, you're gonna be starved for it. BUT, if you pay attention and let yourself enjoy the slowness of the burn, the author does a pretty damn good job of dropping delicious morsels of love and fluff to keep you alive (if just barely).
Also, there's a surprising amount of angsty spice that cuts through all the sweetness and ohhhhh how very yummy it is....nom nom nom.
As far as our characters go, I adore Shen Mo but I am addicted to Ji Mingxuan - I love when a seemingly cold and aloof MC turns out to be just fucking WHIPPED. Nothing says I love you like a man that's all "I would burn the world down for you and serve it up on a silver platter, but you'll be the last to know." UGH, I LOVE IT.
I'm stuck between ratings because there are some dramatic elements to the plot (especially towards the end) that feel excessive and make me want to either scream or cry (or both) but half of me feels like that was kinda the point? And also, I think it has more to do with personal preference versus an actual plot issue so I'm just gonna halve my rating too.
Rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5!
P.S. Fair warning: the English translation for this is fairly lackluster. So, if you're planning on reading this, just know that that's something you kind of have to look past to see the story underneath. It's not a bad translation by any means; the author's intent is still there if you know what to look for - it's just more rigid and doesn't flow as well as I think it might in the original language. Who knows, the story could very well be slightly clunky in the original language too, but I don't think it's fair to dock a book's rating because some things may have been quite literally lost in translation. It's the risk we run when we choose to read translated books so, for that reason, my review is solely based on the story itself - not the actual writing. ...more
*finishes book and immediately orders the next few copies*
An AMAZING start to this story! It's the slowest and the burniest but by god, I feel an obs*finishes book and immediately orders the next few copies*
An AMAZING start to this story! It's the slowest and the burniest but by god, I feel an obsession a'brewin'. Hualian has my whole heart.
I will say, I watched part of the anime series prior to reading this and while normally, I have a "book first, series/movies after" rule, I actually highly recommend watching the series first. There's a LOT of terminology thrown at you in the beginning of the book and fantastical concepts that are hard to imagine without a proper visual and watching the anime first 100% gave me that visual. For instance, the Spiritual Communication Array? I definitely would've been struggling to picture that throughout the book and it would've bugged me to the point of slowing down my reading speed. Idk about you, but I'm the type of reader who needs to be able to visualize/understand what I'm reading in order to truly enjoy it, and watching the anime was a lovely little gift to kickstart this book series!
Also, kudos to the creators of the anime because it is literally a shot-for-shot remake of the book! There's basically no deviation from the original narrative; only a few small details here and there that while weren't essential in the anime, helped to explain things a little better in the book. So if you watch the anime and go, "wait, what?", I promise there's an explanation in the book somewhere and vice versa.
As far as first books go, I think the set up for the story is done beautifully! I looove Xie Lian's gut-instinct trust in Hua Cheng and Hua Cheng's scary protectiveness of Xie Lian. Since it's the first in the series, we end with infinitely more questions than answers but I'm SO EXCITED to read the rest!
P.S. Shoutout to my friend Ray-Ray for buying me a physical copy of this book for my birthday because I probably would've taken forever to get to it without that little nudge....more