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caladbolg's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Torture and Abortion
teagstime's review
- 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
4.75
Shen Yuan/Qingqiu is a brilliant unreliable narrator. Pretty much everything he thinks is undermined by his actions (e.g. insisting he thinks of everyone as simply characters in a novel, yet grows to care for them and constantly puts himself in danger for the sake of others)(albeit he still does have many problems recognizing their agency as living people, but that’s another story lmaoo). Any time this man denies having an emotion, which is often, he’s probably having TOO MANY— but we would be none the wiser! Because he’s so good at disassociating from his own body and feelings, he Also thinks he’s telling the truth! It’s concerning! I wanna k word this man so bad (affectionate)
Luo Binghe is also just. So good. This is a man who truly has All The Trauma… The ‘hurt/no comfort’ tag embodied. I feel like he gets misunderstood by a lot of people, which is incredibly upsetting to me, because he is so interesting and tragic and great??
I think this novel also has a really neat relationship w its tropes, because mxtx wrote SVSSS as a commentary on harem/stallion novels and many of the plot devices they- and other things in the romance genre- tend to use, as well as things like transmigration stories, internet trolls/redditor-type dudebros, and male power fantasies in general! There are so many takes and subversions in this book that I just ! Care about so much !! And find so interesting to think about !! For example, with Luo Binghe’s power as the protagonist: unlike your typical male action hero / Shonen protag, he gets severely punished for powering up.
Another aspect I really love (which I’ve seen some hate/uncertainty toward) is Bingqiu’s relationship itself— I guess I can understand if there’s tropes that aren’t your thing, or if there’s dynamics in their relationship you find toxic or unhealthy. However ! Concerning the toxicity/unhealthy parts of their relationship… a lot of it stems from mxtx’s commentary on harem tropes and male power fantasies? Those stories are damaging and gratuitous and horrifying, especially for the love interests, who are often just there to be put in traumatizing situations and papapa’d better… And the all-powerful male protag is often just.. overbearing and entitled and arrogant and creepy. No relationship’s gonna come out of that kind of environment unscathed!
Imo the tragic & horrible parts of their relationship just make the ending so much better?
Anyway! Christ,, , I did not mean to make this a novel on its own OTL I could and would keep talking, but… I will cut myself off lmaooo
TLDR; I care this book a lot
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
My advice: do NOT read this book without looking at the trigger warnings. There is graphic, disturbing content and it's rated for adults for a reason (the suggested reading age from some stores is literally 22+) !!!!tonyaisadyingweasel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Those are the three words I’d use to describe SVSSS. I finished this book in 4 days (a record time for me!) which says a lot about how much I love this story already. I picked up this book when a friend kept sending me snippets of it. I was intrigued, but my expectations weren’t that high. After all, my main motive for reading is just to forget the emotional damage I felt after the black water arc in TGCF.
Oh, gurl was I wrong. It made me read it non-stop from morning to night, even when I’m in the middle of school. Another way to describe this book is “crack treated seriously”. Whenever I read, I always get feel-good chill vibes. Tbh, SVSSS’s writing style reminds me a lot of how fanfics are written (in a positive way!). It never fails to cheer me up with hilarious plotlines and ironic situations. Funnily enough, even in sad scenes, I couldn’t help but still laugh.
However, as much as I love the whole cast of characters (which I’m very attached to) and the (extremely hilarious) plotline, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. A few friends expressed bewilderment and disgust when I mentioned it involves a student x mentor relationship. The parts which contain r*apey scenes and misogynistic language might also trigger a lot of people, so read at your own discretion! :D
In conclusion, it’s a solid 10/10 for me, and you should give it a shot.
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
moonmagister's review
- 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? Yes
4.0
I personally really enjoyed this novel, despite flaws in plot and translation. I’m looking forward to continuing the official translation in the following months!
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail