elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
awkwardimagination's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Absolutely adored this and will be starting the second book rjght away. Xingyin is on of my favourite protagonists I've ever read and I love everything about her character; I was never once annoued with her, what a breath of fresh air. The romantic plot lines were well done and I enjoyed them, cannot wait to see how that turns out. I'm vaguely familiar with the legend this story is based on, but everything is explained well enough that I was not confused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, Infidelity, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death
bea_reads_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Animal death, War, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
empathreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reading this was a delightful experience, akin to being intoxicated by poetry. The cascade of words was bathed in the warm sunlight of emotion. In reality, it didn't thrust you immediately into the realm of a powerful heroine, but instead, it showcased her gradual growth into one, and even more. The narrative unveiled the intricate dynamics of surrendering control to life and its offerings, capturing the fleeting fragments that one could grasp. The story intertwined grit, grief, and madness, often unveiling the poignancy of first experiences. The narrative's twists and turns were masterfully crafted, prompting contemplation within the romantic facets, both paths feeling valid. It not only left room for a potential sequel but also stood strongly as a complete tale in its own right. In the latter sections, I found myself drawn to the evocative emotions it evoked and the eventual embrace of closure. Sacrifices were made and the notion of sacrifice was far from concluding easily. Truly, I adored it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, and War
kelseyr713's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Excellent, creative fantasy romance. I felt a little distanced from the main character (I feel like we never really get to know her beyond the surface level, despite being in her head for the whole book) but I still liked her. Very much looking forward to the sequel, and I appreciate that the first book still ended in a satisfying way and not on a cliffhanger!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, War, Murder, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
The sexual assault is attempted, not completed, and alluded to vaguely.mossboss08's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, and Rape
jj_tj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Bullying, War, Blood, Grief, and Kidnapping
mushureads44's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Classism, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
shannnne's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Torture, Death, Death of parent, and War
melethwi's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall review (spoiler free:)
Before I get into the review, I do want to say that I think this is a great fantasy book, especially considering the author says in her acknowledgments section that she had very little writing experience. I did enjoy this book, though at some points I felt lost and like I was dragging myself to keep reading.
I admit that I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and title. The book did not disappoint, and the author showed her mastery of imagery in her beautifully elegant writing throughout the story (she has a really good vocabulary of great words, but has the tendency to repeat them to a point that is very noticeable..... I'm looking at you, "magnanimous.") This book was enchanting in its premise, and really dazzled me with the prose. I also really loved Xingyin as a leading lady. She was strong, smart, and reliable as a narrator.
Unfortunately, where this book lost stars with me was with the "romance." I did not feel particularly attached to any party, and most of the romantic development occurred "off-screen," so to speak. It felt like we were missing a whole book between a few of the chapters. For that reason, this book really failed to capture my attention for the first half because I was just trying to keep up. This could be explained by 99% of the characters being immortal and not really having a good sense of time, but the main relationship just felt really forced and then left me feeling really unsatisfied with the ending. I get that the author is setting up for a second book, but I was really hoping that after 500 pages of a book with "romantic" on the back cover, we would have a little more. :,(
Overall, I wouldn't let that deter you from reading this book. If you're a big fan of lush writing, of Chinese mythology, and VERY strong female leads, this book would be for you! Just... dampen your expectations for the romance, maybe?
More spoilery stuff:
For me, this book started off really fast. I barely had any time to get to know the characters before we were fully delving into the meat of the plot. We then met the main love interest, and their relationship took off really fast.
I got really interested again when came along, but unfortunately, he had even less chemistry and word count dedicated to relationship building with Xingyin than the other guy. His character felt very flat and unconvincing, and then
Before I get into the review, I do want to say that I think this is a great fantasy book, especially considering the author says in her acknowledgments section that she had very little writing experience. I did enjoy this book, though at some points I felt lost and like I was dragging myself to keep reading.
I admit that I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and title. The book did not disappoint, and the author showed her mastery of imagery in her beautifully elegant writing throughout the story (she has a really good vocabulary of great words, but has the tendency to repeat them to a point that is very noticeable..... I'm looking at you, "magnanimous.") This book was enchanting in its premise, and really dazzled me with the prose. I also really loved Xingyin as a leading lady. She was strong, smart, and reliable as a narrator.
Unfortunately, where this book lost stars with me was with the "romance." I did not feel particularly attached to any party, and most of the romantic development occurred "off-screen," so to speak. It felt like we were missing a whole book between a few of the chapters. For that reason, this book really failed to capture my attention for the first half because I was just trying to keep up. This could be explained by 99% of the characters being immortal and not really having a good sense of time, but the main relationship just felt really forced and then left me feeling really unsatisfied with the ending. I get that the author is setting up for a second book, but I was really hoping that after 500 pages of a book with "romantic" on the back cover, we would have a little more. :,(
Overall, I wouldn't let that deter you from reading this book. If you're a big fan of lush writing, of Chinese mythology, and VERY strong female leads, this book would be for you! Just... dampen your expectations for the romance, maybe?
More spoilery stuff:
For me, this book started off really fast. I barely had any time to get to know the characters before we were fully delving into the meat of the plot. We then met the main love interest, and their relationship took off really fast.
Spoiler
After a two-year time skip,</> our main guy and girl had basically established their entire relationship off-screen. I feel like I didn't know the main guy at all, and didn't find the budding romance very convincing at all, as we went from barely knowing each other to being head over heels in just a few pages.I got really interested again when
Spoiler
Wenzhi, the second love interestSpoiler
he was suddenly in love with Xingyin and asking her to marry him and have his kids or something??? I was also incredibly disappointed when he turned out to be ~evil~ because I felt that Xingyin would have a better story with him. His arc felt really forced and completely out of nowhere, almost like a late addition.Spoiler
I also felt like the reunion with Xingyin and her mother was a little bit anticlimactic... Though I am very happy they got reunited!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Kidnapping, Vomit, and Death of parent