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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (Novel) Vol. 2 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
16 reviews
sahkitsune's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual violence
theirnknight's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
As with the first volume, it's a dark comedy, albeit the darkness is now ramped up above the comedy with the secondary lead having grown up and been corrupted. It's classified as a romance, but in practice it doesn't read like one. Instead, it's something of a (still comedically inclined) suspense novel, with the love interest playing the role of antagonist. Overall I think it's less fun than the first, but just as captivating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Gaslighting
dolly_rocker's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I binged this book in a weekend. It is, by far, the best in the series, since the plot kicks into gear and Shen QingQiu starts to see everything unravel as his choices cause the story to deviate from the original he read.
It's simultaneously hilarious and sad to follow him and Luo BingHe as their relationship moves through stereotypical tropes, including, but not limited to: dream meetings, accidental disrobing, near-death confessions, emotional constipation, miscommunications, faking one’s own death, jilted ex-lovers, and revenge duels. Oh, and that’s not countingwhatever the fuck LBH was doing with SQQ’s corpse.
And through this, it’s hilarious to see SQQ slowly morph into the main love interest, whose fainting spells and kidnappings and such are the same drivers of plots that he railed against in the original novel he read. Yet he continues to insist these people around him are characters who are supposed to fill a pre-defined role instead of real people making real choices.
He also continues to be oblivious to
LBH’s feelings, and even when he does start to get a clue, he leans hard into internalized homophobia and denial. Wild how this man can insist he’s not gay while wondering what it would be like for the female characters to kiss LBH if he were a flesh eating demon (nobody wondered that but you, dude), or insisting that everyone thought he was mourning LBH like a widow instead of a teacher (again, nobody said this but you, bro).
This is a fun, tropey ride that leverages dramatic irony and the unreliable narrator to comment on many of the problematic aspects of both romance and gender roles. Again, this is not a story for people who are unprepared to sit with discomfort and actively question everything the narrator says.
It's simultaneously hilarious and sad to follow him and Luo BingHe as their relationship moves through stereotypical tropes, including, but not limited to: dream meetings, accidental disrobing, near-death confessions, emotional constipation, miscommunications, faking one’s own death, jilted ex-lovers, and revenge duels. Oh, and that’s not counting
And through this, it’s hilarious to see SQQ slowly morph into the main love interest, whose fainting spells and kidnappings and such are the same drivers of plots that he railed against in the original novel he read. Yet he continues to insist these people around him are characters who are supposed to fill a pre-defined role instead of real people making real choices.
He also continues to be oblivious to
LBH’s feelings, and even when he does start to get a clue, he leans hard into internalized homophobia and denial. Wild how this man can insist he’s not gay while wondering what it would be like for the female characters to kiss LBH if he were a flesh eating demon (nobody wondered that but you, dude), or insisting that everyone thought he was mourning LBH like a widow instead of a teacher (again, nobody said this but you, bro).
This is a fun, tropey ride that leverages dramatic irony and the unreliable narrator to comment on many of the problematic aspects of both romance and gender roles. Again, this is not a story for people who are unprepared to sit with discomfort and actively question everything the narrator says.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, and Misogyny
alisylvi's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
keddy4306's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
For a quick summary of events, we go through the Huan Hua Palace plague and water Prison segment, followed by Sqq entering Lbh's dream realm. Sqq self-detonated to save Lbh when his demon sword was trying to cause a qi deviation. Then we have a 5 year timeskip where sqq comes back because of that mushroom. It grows into a new body. Lbh had been keeping his bed warm with Sqq's old body for the last 5 years and was now big cray-cray. We have another couple dream segments where Lbh monches on Sqq's mouth like a feral animal. Sqq meets up with Zhuzhi-Lang, the snake dude, and ingests his blood to stop Lbh's blood. Sqq escapes thanks to some prostitutes and then goes to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect where Lbh is bullying all the side characters and waiting for Sqq to show himself because he knew dream Sqq was the real one.
Bingqiu is just red flags in a trenchcoat.
Bingqiu is just red flags in a trenchcoat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
mermay's review
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Confinement, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Stalking
hamohero's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book sucked so bad and yet...I couldn't stop reading lol
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
mal_eficent's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-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? Yes
3.0
This is one of those books that is satisfyingly difficult to read. If you enjoyed the end of the first book, the first third of this volume might be a struggle. From the first page, everything is difficult for Shen Qingqiu, miscommunication abounds (not just between the main couple, but every character), and everyone is an idiot. It's deeply, deeply frustrating. But I can respect that the author intends it to be, and it does drag you into the story desperate to see how things sort themselves out.
Thankfully, the humour and meta nature of the narration is still so much fun and it's an absolute ride from start to finish. The romance is, er, incredibly weird and the illustrations make it more obvious than the text that's there's tension going on, in my opinion.
If you're on the fence about continuing, this might be the book that puts you off, but I promise the third book picks straight back up after this one if you are invested with the series and are struggling through book 2!
Thankfully, the humour and meta nature of the narration is still so much fun and it's an absolute ride from start to finish. The romance is, er, incredibly weird and the illustrations make it more obvious than the text that's there's tension going on, in my opinion.
If you're on the fence about continuing, this might be the book that puts you off, but I promise the third book picks straight back up after this one if you are invested with the series and are struggling through book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body horror and Bullying
Minor: Chronic illness
loveyoulike's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lbh you are a mystery to me
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
khyie's review
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Hinted necrophilia