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kilppes's review
5.0
If I had to pick a danmei to introduce cultivation themes to a friend, it would be Liu Yao. Even though I've read many novels, sometimes I feel like I lack full comprehension on what goes into cultivation and daoist beliefs and having characters that also don't know bullshit makes this story more acessible, since you learn alongside them.
Seeing the characters slowly grow together and become a community makes everything even more special, and it's impossible to not get attached to their personalities. They're all unique in their own ways and Priest never tries to make any of them "perfect", having as many flaws as a human being would. I adore all of them.
The main couple was beautifully handled. Yan Zhengming only realizes his feelings after they're both grown adults, which eased my heart because of the age gap between them in their childhood. All the mental steps he had to take to come into terms with this love - which he considered wrong, thinking he was taking advantage of his shidi - were really realistic, and I'm glad they were addressed. Cheng Qiao's behavior is so consistent throughout the plot that at some point I feared he wouldn't fall in love with Yan Zhengming back, but the way he realizes his own feelings is so cute and innocent (and fitting to his character!!) that makes you warm.
I'd say this is, from what I've read, Priest's couple that starts the relationship with the least amount of communication, since Yan Zhengming is always trying to shoulder everything by himself. Yet the beauty is how he starts to grow and rely on the other little by little.
I personally love how not all the main characters are god-tier cultivators. Even though Yan Zhengming and Cheng Qiao are way above the average, Li Yun being their tag-along nerd guy makes everything more fun. Han Tan being childish, with the potential to be a goddess but still in her early stages brings a fun dynamic between them.
Han Yuan's redemption is also well written, and I like how Priest made their generation also have a demonic cultivator - but not Cheng Qiao. Yan Zhengming and Munchun constantly worried about CQ's temperament, yet he showed to be strong willed and dedicated to his path. I worried that he would, as a protagonist, fall into the trap (since it's reocurring one of the protagonists in the couple to be into) but being a secondary character was really refreshing.
I love Liu Yao and hope many people read it too! It's a great story, much like all Priest's works
Seeing the characters slowly grow together and become a community makes everything even more special, and it's impossible to not get attached to their personalities. They're all unique in their own ways and Priest never tries to make any of them "perfect", having as many flaws as a human being would. I adore all of them.
The main couple was beautifully handled. Yan Zhengming only realizes his feelings after they're both grown adults, which eased my heart because of the age gap between them in their childhood. All the mental steps he had to take to come into terms with this love - which he considered wrong, thinking he was taking advantage of his shidi - were really realistic, and I'm glad they were addressed. Cheng Qiao's behavior is so consistent throughout the plot that at some point I feared he wouldn't fall in love with Yan Zhengming back, but the way he realizes his own feelings is so cute and innocent (and fitting to his character!!) that makes you warm.
I'd say this is, from what I've read, Priest's couple that starts the relationship with the least amount of communication, since Yan Zhengming is always trying to shoulder everything by himself. Yet the beauty is how he starts to grow and rely on the other little by little.
I personally love how not all the main characters are god-tier cultivators. Even though Yan Zhengming and Cheng Qiao are way above the average, Li Yun being their tag-along nerd guy makes everything more fun. Han Tan being childish, with the potential to be a goddess but still in her early stages brings a fun dynamic between them.
Han Yuan's redemption is also well written, and I like how Priest made their generation also have a demonic cultivator - but not Cheng Qiao. Yan Zhengming and Munchun constantly worried about CQ's temperament, yet he showed to be strong willed and dedicated to his path. I worried that he would, as a protagonist, fall into the trap (since it's reocurring one of the protagonists in the couple to be into) but being a secondary character was really refreshing.
I love Liu Yao and hope many people read it too! It's a great story, much like all Priest's works
rebeccazh's review
5.0
Another one of my favorites. At this point, priest can write about people going to the supermarket and I'll faithfully read all 800 pages of it.
Plot:
This story features the Fuyao sect and starts off with an eccentric sect master taking in five disciples, each with their own distinct personalities, strengths, weaknesses and history. The first 30-40% of the novel establishes the found family dynamic. But disaster strikes. Their master is killed and the kids uncover a murder plot and discover a little of the dark history behind their sect. At this point, the oldest of the five is only a teenager and the youngest is a literally toddler. The oldest disciple has to become the sect master.
I felt so anxious for them! As the five try to journey home to the Fuyao mountain, more tragedy happens. The third disciple, our main character (Chengqian), is killed.
This was the moment when the novel came to life for me. The arc leading to Chengqian's death was absolutely heartbreaking to read because of the vivid descriptions of the others. Our other main character, the first disciple Yan Zhengming, goes into a state of helpless shock and denial. The descriptions of his emotions were really heartbreaking because they described the end of his childhood and the loss of his innocence.
Then we get a timeskip of a hundred years. I notice that priest often uses tragedy to further her characterization. In nearly all the novels by her that I've read, tragedy often moulds and matures many of her main characters - especially the idealistic, young and naive types.
The remnants of the Fuyao sect reunite after this timeskip. They're trying to find a way to unlock the seal placed on Fuyao mountain. Along the way, they discover conspiracies and uncover a lot of dark and bloody history. And that's the basic plot. I do wish that the story focused less on the five of them coming together, and more on the tragedy that shaped them and the timeskip...
Review:
This novel was many things. It's a coming-of-age novel that was gripping to read. There was humor and lighthearted back-and-forth among the brothers, and there were poignant and bittersweet moments. As always, priest describes the psychological very well and I'm in love with her characters. Yan Zhengming, the unfortunate boy who was thrust into a difficult and thankless leadership position, has actually grown very well into his role as the leader of a ragtag, struggling small sect, managing to take care of the younger disciples whilst searching for ways to break the seal, but he shows spurts of deep exhaustion, anger, frustration and helplessness. A big thread in the novel is his struggle with his inner demons (the xinmo - literally, heart demons), his sense of powerlessness, anger and insecurity, where he fantasizes about ditching all of them even though he knows he never would.
In the meantime, Chengqian's narrative thread touches on how he moves from a cold, aloof and indifferent view of the world (he literally resurrects as a sort of ice/jade spirit) into someone who feels, struggles and is tied to life and living (partly thanks to the romance subplot).
This novel also felt a bit like a deep dive into mortality and a sort of analysis of the wuxia genre. In wuxia, cultivators often spend their whole life cultivating to become good enough to ascend to the heavens, where one presumably lives happily, powerfully and peacefully for eternity (commented on in [b:Heaven Official’s Blessing 天官赐福 |44283411|Heaven Official’s Blessing 天官赐福 |墨香铜臭|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551802602l/44283411._SX50_.jpg|66416862]).
In this novel, the entire idea of heaven is taken apart and examined. Many of the antagonists are characters who have experienced hardship, who want to escape to something better, or they chase after the golden fruit of heavenly immortality and use it to justify inhuman acts, etc, but the protagonists' discover the deeply hidden secret of their world: transcending human consciousness doesn't lead to heavenly immortality. Instead, it leads to a state very like Dust in [b:The Golden Compass|119322|The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)|Philip Pullman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505766203l/119322._SX50_.jpg|1536771]- becoming part of the universe.
In every wuxia novel, people become cultivators to escape the pain, powerlessness and suffering of ordinary life. When they become cultivators, they become powerful, and they work hard to ascend to heaven, where heaven becomes the goal that gives meaning to all their actions. Now that the main characters discover that there is no heaven, many of the actions and efforts of the antagonists' and even the protagonists' suddenly become meaningless. In the end, the novel seemed to suggest to me that no matter how powerful one became, there was no escaping mortality, pain and suffering.
It was a thought-provoking read. There was a lot about life and the attachments one forms to life, love, mortality, responsibility, morality, choice... There were some really beautiful quotes in here. I couldn't help but think of Buddhism - it's not the goal, but the journey that is important.
Plot:
This story features the Fuyao sect and starts off with an eccentric sect master taking in five disciples, each with their own distinct personalities, strengths, weaknesses and history. The first 30-40% of the novel establishes the found family dynamic. But disaster strikes. Their master is killed and the kids uncover a murder plot and discover a little of the dark history behind their sect. At this point, the oldest of the five is only a teenager and the youngest is a literally toddler. The oldest disciple has to become the sect master.
I felt so anxious for them! As the five try to journey home to the Fuyao mountain, more tragedy happens. The third disciple, our main character (Chengqian), is killed.
This was the moment when the novel came to life for me. The arc leading to Chengqian's death was absolutely heartbreaking to read because of the vivid descriptions of the others. Our other main character, the first disciple Yan Zhengming, goes into a state of helpless shock and denial. The descriptions of his emotions were really heartbreaking because they described the end of his childhood and the loss of his innocence.
Then we get a timeskip of a hundred years. I notice that priest often uses tragedy to further her characterization. In nearly all the novels by her that I've read, tragedy often moulds and matures many of her main characters - especially the idealistic, young and naive types.
The remnants of the Fuyao sect reunite after this timeskip. They're trying to find a way to unlock the seal placed on Fuyao mountain. Along the way, they discover conspiracies and uncover a lot of dark and bloody history. And that's the basic plot. I do wish that the story focused less on the five of them coming together, and more on the tragedy that shaped them and the timeskip...
Review:
This novel was many things. It's a coming-of-age novel that was gripping to read. There was humor and lighthearted back-and-forth among the brothers, and there were poignant and bittersweet moments. As always, priest describes the psychological very well and I'm in love with her characters. Yan Zhengming, the unfortunate boy who was thrust into a difficult and thankless leadership position, has actually grown very well into his role as the leader of a ragtag, struggling small sect, managing to take care of the younger disciples whilst searching for ways to break the seal, but he shows spurts of deep exhaustion, anger, frustration and helplessness. A big thread in the novel is his struggle with his inner demons (the xinmo - literally, heart demons), his sense of powerlessness, anger and insecurity, where he fantasizes about ditching all of them even though he knows he never would.
In the meantime, Chengqian's narrative thread touches on how he moves from a cold, aloof and indifferent view of the world (he literally resurrects as a sort of ice/jade spirit) into someone who feels, struggles and is tied to life and living (partly thanks to the romance subplot).
This novel also felt a bit like a deep dive into mortality and a sort of analysis of the wuxia genre. In wuxia, cultivators often spend their whole life cultivating to become good enough to ascend to the heavens, where one presumably lives happily, powerfully and peacefully for eternity (commented on in [b:Heaven Official’s Blessing 天官赐福 |44283411|Heaven Official’s Blessing 天官赐福 |墨香铜臭|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551802602l/44283411._SX50_.jpg|66416862]).
In this novel, the entire idea of heaven is taken apart and examined. Many of the antagonists are characters who have experienced hardship, who want to escape to something better, or they chase after the golden fruit of heavenly immortality and use it to justify inhuman acts, etc, but the protagonists' discover the deeply hidden secret of their world: transcending human consciousness doesn't lead to heavenly immortality. Instead, it leads to a state very like Dust in [b:The Golden Compass|119322|The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)|Philip Pullman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505766203l/119322._SX50_.jpg|1536771]- becoming part of the universe.
In every wuxia novel, people become cultivators to escape the pain, powerlessness and suffering of ordinary life. When they become cultivators, they become powerful, and they work hard to ascend to heaven, where heaven becomes the goal that gives meaning to all their actions. Now that the main characters discover that there is no heaven, many of the actions and efforts of the antagonists' and even the protagonists' suddenly become meaningless. In the end, the novel seemed to suggest to me that no matter how powerful one became, there was no escaping mortality, pain and suffering.
It was a thought-provoking read. There was a lot about life and the attachments one forms to life, love, mortality, responsibility, morality, choice... There were some really beautiful quotes in here. I couldn't help but think of Buddhism - it's not the goal, but the journey that is important.
cqriix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
4.25
evilex's review against another edition
3.75
I absolutely loved this book. Unfortunately my reading experience was a bit ruined due to the translator who translated from Vietnamese to English, their English was not good and they often translated chinese terms that should not have been. This has nothing to do with the quality of the story and I still loved it, it just was quite unfortunate
crimsonjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
shadowfriends's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.5
han yuan grew on me more than i thought he would but honestly you can't help but love all of them
rachelselene's review against another edition
5.0
“you are already my unbreakable tether to this world of red dust.”
rianneosuke's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
son una familia🥺
stacieladams21's review against another edition
5.0
Another 5* from Priest. Beautiful storytelling with one of my favorite tropes- found family. As expected from Priest, a slow burn where romance really is not the main part of the story but the relationship of the MC/ML is still very central to the plot. I absolutely love the grumpiness and awkwardness of both Yan Zhengming and Cheng Qian as they figure things out. The five disciples of the Fuyao Sect are forced onto a path they weren’t prepared for and we get to watch them quickly go from children to adults. There were some deeply sad moments but as always, Priest gives us just the right amount of humor throughout. If you are a fan of xianxia and love Priest, then this book should be on your TBR!
whisperinthereeds's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book because of how slice of life it felt. The final stretch was a bit of a slog to get though thou. Things got plotty and a bit confusing and overall failed to grab my attention much. The romance is light but I enjoyed it. Yan Zhengming was the best thing about this book, in my opinion.