Reviews

天官赐福 [Heaven Official's Blessing] by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

linhdapanda's review against another edition

4.0

It has taken me, I believe, over 5 years to get through this webnovel series. I can't read Chinese, so it has been a truly difficult journey to find good translation for it. In the end, I don't think I ever did find a translated version that flows well. None of the English translation even makes sense, so I hopped from various Wattpad/truyenfull Vietnamese translators; and at this point, I am exhausted and I know how the story will end. So I will retire my journey with this series here. (For now, anyways! Rumor has it that they are licensing this one so I might return to it in a future date).

This series has the intricate, beautiful world building & tragic elements you'd find in the same author's [b:Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation|42190679|Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation|墨香铜臭|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567521271l/42190679._SX50_.jpg|54048872] series. It also has a lot of humor that was more visible in [b:The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System 人渣反派自救系统 |41832245|The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System 人渣反派自救系统 |墨香铜臭|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536968701l/41832245._SX50_.jpg|75324200]. If you are new to this author, I would highly recommend starting with Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. Exiled Rebels has the full series translated very well and with a very handy sect/name guide here: https://exiledrebelsscanlations.com/novels/grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation/

erickabdz's review against another edition

5.0

"Don't be scared."

love exists its called hualian.

I'm honestly not ready to review this book. There's a certain feeling in my heart that, I think, did not exist before I read this novel. I could call it a certainty, certainty in real, endless, love, but that would not be accurate, because there is so much more than that. Hope, I think, is a better word. Hope in love, and hope in humanity, and hope in oneself; hope in thinking that, after all the suffering, there is something good for us. I could keep like this, describing all the things it made me feel and wishing it would transmit how much I loved this book, but it would take some time that you would better invest in reading it.

"To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is 'you' and not the state of you."

I have so much to say about the things I loved. Especially, and undoubtedly, the love story takes the first place. You see, I had never seen this kind of love before, one that was both heavenly and ordinary and is beautiful because of how these two things work together. I think it is important to me to make such emphasis in the love story because it is one of the best things that have happened to me, but also it would be unfair to say it's the only good thing about this story. The characterization of all characters was exquisite, nothing white or black but all different tones of gray, and all the mysteries shocked me and surprised me in a good way.

There's another good thing I wasn't expecting because the two last books of the author were not the best in this aspect but made me happy to find in this one: well-written women. Most of them are somewhat a spoiler so I won't be talking details, but we got to see a great, diverse cast of girls and women with different storylines and different kinds of strengths. Like the other characters, each of them had a very cohesive narrative and a very distinct personality.

Another thing I deeply loved was the humor. I was laughing out loud all the time I didn't spend crying. I really, really loved all the character's interactions (especially Hua Cheng with anyone), and the dialogues and honest reactions made my day.

"Something like saving the world, it really doesn't matter how you do it. But, although brave, it's foolish."

"Yeah," Xie Lian agreed.

Hua Cheng continued, "Although foolish, it's brave."

I talk a lot about these simple things I loved, but I'm sure I wouldn't have loved them that much if it wasn't for the complex plot and intricate world-building. All of this is especially remarkable because you never feel like you're thrown all this much information: it comes slowly, but you never feel lost, and all the details make sense by the end.

All in all, this novel was a delight to read and the 244 chapters felt like little of what Hua Cheng and Xie Lian's story deserved, but they definitely make them justice and I will forever be grateful to 墨香铜臭 for giving us this book.

palebluesky's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

ak_312's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

nelliebravo's review against another edition

5.0

counting this as the manhua and oh my god the art is absolutely gorgeous

thea's review against another edition

5.0

this review does not do this brilliantly crafted, masterfully woven story any justice, so i urge you to just let another love story into your heart, to just fall in love with the characters because it's all so worth it. even if it's just one person, it's worth it.

"Only after having met you did I rediscover that it's such a simple thing to be happy."

if you've heard about heaven official's blessing but don't know whether it's for you, let me say right now that it is. at its heart, this is a love story between a fallen, considerate god and a mischievous but thoughtful ghost king. it's emotional and epic. don't believe me? just listen to this original soundtrack. i completed this in its entirety within 10 days and just finished with the most overwhelming yet satisfied emotions in my heart. this is one of those epic love stories for the ages, that spans centuries of time, in the mercy of fate, hoping that their red strings will eventually lead them back to each other no matter what.

"I might not be able to decide whether the road is easy or not. But whether I walk it is entirely up to me."

i've said all i needed to say in my first, second, third, fourth, and fifth review, all my heartfelt sentiments and all my thoughts. as every review goes on, you can see my downward spiral into obsession with this story (in my opinion, the fourth & fifth reviews are the best ones). the last thing i'll say is that i've completely fallen in love with this story, in a way that i've never done with any other. i've never felt so light and hopeful after reading a story. trust me — you do not want to miss out. happy reading!

official carrd (with the extras!). donghua is on netflix and youtube (with vpn). manhua (or on bilibili comics app!).

"If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you."

theasips's review against another edition

emotional funny sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I think it took me nearly 3 years to finish all the books because I often get lazy to read and saw a lot of spoilers already. Nonetheless, it's a great read and definitely full of emotions.

oliin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

afewisaacs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

tgcf you are everything to me

lilytruonq's review against another edition

5.0

I would break the scale of 5 stars if i could on how much I love this book series. It's quite perfection in a nutshell and I fear I will never experience romance as deep as Xie Lian's and Hua Cheng's. The prose, quotes and world building is literally (no pun intended) out of this world.