yaliewang's review
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
clockworkstars's review against another edition
emotional
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
What am I supposed to do with my life now?
msteasam's review against another edition
4.0
I finally did it! After watching the masterpiece that is The Untamed, I really had no choice but to read this novel. This was sitting at around 3 stars for me until chapter 79 when I was able to change to a translation I preferred (chiaki_himura).
Romance aside (I actually vastly preferred how Lan Wanji was portrayed in the drama despite knowing this was likely an artifact of censorship; violent jealousy, possessiveness and lack of sexual restraint really do not sit well with me) the plotting is exceptional and Wei Wuxian is one of my favourite characters of all time!
I really wish I could read this in the original Chinese and understand all of the cultural cues, as despite understanding everything on a surface level I feel like there was a lot of inherit cultural context and style that just do not translate at all.
As it is, I loved this all the more for having seen the drama first.
Romance aside (I actually vastly preferred how Lan Wanji was portrayed in the drama despite knowing this was likely an artifact of censorship; violent jealousy, possessiveness and lack of sexual restraint really do not sit well with me) the plotting is exceptional and Wei Wuxian is one of my favourite characters of all time!
I really wish I could read this in the original Chinese and understand all of the cultural cues, as despite understanding everything on a surface level I feel like there was a lot of inherit cultural context and style that just do not translate at all.
As it is, I loved this all the more for having seen the drama first.
aeons_v_atlas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.25
Takes a long break from main plot at one point
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, War, and Alcoholism
salamanderink's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death, and Death of parent
josee_hg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
randomhumanbean's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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
soinavoice's review against another edition
3.0
Three and a half stars. Started The Untamed and got hooked enough to want to read the source material; the plot is engaging, the world-building was excellent, there was some really excellent characterization and delicious moral complexity. The writing was... I mean, it's a fan-translated web-serial, it was about what you'd expect, but the bits of the manhua I read that were translated were really well done, really faithful, and gorgeously illustrated. The thing that most :-/ me about it was, surprisingly, the romance. I was prepared to get invested, I WANTED to get invested, I am, in theory, invested, but in practice... idk, I haven't read much (any?) yaoi before, so maybe it's a feature of the genre, but a lot of it seemed... unenlightened? fetishistic? generally yikes? I love the characters and I love this ship as a concept, it's just that the execution was often underwhelming and/or cringey. Still a fun read though. Blew through it in record time (thanks, plague days). Now to go finish the live action drama...
dotty_dog33's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0