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Reviews tagging 'Confinement'
魔道祖师 - Mó Dào Zǔ Shī by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
9 reviews
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
FINALLY DONE
Man, that first section was such a drag. It was so boring up tilllotus pier burned and then from then onwards it was splendid. All around really solid, I just didn't enjoy the main ship's interactions set when they were young. Really wish we'd gotten to see more of Wei Wuxian being in yiling patriarch mode
First chinese novel I actually read from start to finish (skipping non-age appropriate sections) purely for enjoyment so it's a nice milestone for me.
Really really liked theburial mounds scenes with the Wens , that was my favourite section of CQL and it's somehow even better here. I feel like a fake fan but I like CQL!Wangxian more 😭💀 novel!Wangxian was just so plain compared to all the plot going on in the book. Also, the sheer amount of times Wei Wuxian directly or indirectly got Lan Wangji drunk was somewhat annoying . Uh, I think CQL is not a faithful adaptation when going by tone.
Moving on, when the angst hit it really hit.When I got to the Qiongqi path section, it was hard to convince myself to continue reading.
Man, that first section was such a drag. It was so boring up till
First chinese novel I actually read from start to finish (skipping non-age appropriate sections) purely for enjoyment so it's a nice milestone for me.
Really really liked the
Moving on, when the angst hit it really hit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Slavery and Sexual harassment
Self harm is to get blood to do magic things. Happened quite a few times. Also, technically not drug use so didn't warn for it but I feel like demonic cultivation has many many similarities to drug use.eauderat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia, Child abuse, Incest, Torture, and War
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Self harm, and Grief
atlanticgiantpumpkin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
Wow, I’m taken aback for words. This series has given me everything I could ask for: transformations, reveals, a hero’s villain origin story, villains just for the sake of evil, slow burn romance, a good mixture of smut and fluff, great plot and story and characters, it’s all there. It does get a bit confusing if you’re not familiar with how naming goes in this book, but once you catch on it gets easier. This was such a great read. Thank you, Alicia, for holding me hostage and keeping me from watching its show equivalent until I finished this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
It’s pretty dark, not gonna lie, but it’s worth it.blingping's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely gorgeous book. I haven't cried in months, and this had me in tears several times. Not only is the story incredible, the translation is also done so well (much better than the official translation, that's for sure). Overall, this just has so much heart and soul in it, and it genuinely restored my faith in humanity. Go read it (only after checking the content warnings, tho, it can be very intense).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Lots of subtle homophobia and misogyny. There's some dubious consent towards the very end, and the extras have some pretty risque nsfw scenes.zhanghao's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
idk who main-tagged this as "light-hearted" but they're lying😭😭😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
i don't recommend reading this before watching the live adaptation. the time-skips are not always coherent and sometimes there's a flashback inside of a dream inside of a talisman-induced recollection inside of a-- you get the ideaungles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved it, like this os one of my personality traits now, but, there are some problems, the stereotypes of gay people, the lack of diversity in the females characters and some major plot holes thar were left unexplained. I love this story with my whole heart, but still has things that would be nice if changed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
consensual non-consent , rape kink, pregnancy kink, manipulation, sexual content, necromancy, quarteringjinguangyao's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Is it even necessary to write this review? All the amazing features of this novel have already been said. I'm going to do it anyways, because I intend on being critical as well. I'm currently on my second reading of MDZS (I've seen most of CQL, all of the donghua and all of the manhua).
Themes: 9
Queer Representation: 7
Writing Quality: 8
Enjoyment: 10
Comedy: 9
Character development: 10 (2 for women)
Romance: 10
Slowburn: 100
Angst: 100
Let's start with the positives for those who have yet to read it. The writing is wonderful. It always kept me guessing, especially with the time skips. If you enjoy novels that you will appreciate even more on a second reading, this one is for you! So many twists and turns that re-contextualize the story every time. It leads to a truly rewarding experience. The writing in general is a lot of fun. The author knows how to balance the humorous and dark tones without making a scene seem tonally inappropriate. MXTX uses a lot of Chinese literary references throughout the novel, which are enjoyable even to those (like myself) who don't speak the language and haven't read much Chinese literature. I don't know how she does it but she knows how to balance the shameless, funny scenes and the dark, tense scenes perfectly.
The romance is also good. For those who enjoy fanfiction tags and trope descriptions here are a few: rivals? or idiots to lovers, major character death, love interest falls in love first, SLOWBURNthey confess around chapter 80-90 of the main 113 chapter novel , long separations, angst, NSFW, devoted love interest, mystery, first love, xianxia, cultivation, historical, etc.
It is VERY slowburn, which I personally enjoy torturing myself with. It is done very well, their dynamic matches perfectly with the themes of balancing good and evil, reputation, etc. Their romance isn't an addition to the story later, it is woven into the very themes. The misunderstandings aren't unreasonable (as a lot of novels rely on the misunderstanding trope in very unrealistic ways). You can clearly tell WHY they care about each other, WHY they love each other and it makes their confession very rewarding.
The comedy is GREAT. Personally, I enjoy the historical homophobic jokes (as a lesbian myself). Wei Wuxian is incredibly shameless and funny. It makes it easier to get through the angst and dark portions of the novel. If you're someone who will subconsciously put off novels when they get too depressing (like me), this one will be easier to get through. I enjoy watching Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian be incredibly shameless and torment the straight characters. :)
The villains are just... *chef's kiss*. As you can tell, I am a Jin Guangyao enjoyer. Even beside him, the other villains are amazing. Wen Ruohan is powerful and intimidating, Su She is pathetic but well written, Jin Guangyao is perfect and complex, and Xue Yang is tragic and complicated. If you're a villain gay (as I am), there is plenty of great content for you here.
Now onto the negatives. I'd like to preface that I might sound harsh, but these negatives are something that have not affected my deep love for this novel.
First, I would say that the women in this novel are unfortunately poorly written. This has become less of an issue with TGCF as she has improved a lot, but it is a bit of an eye sore in MDZS. She can not seem to write a three-dimensional female character to save her life. Their character completely depends on how they interact with the men in this story. If they are unable to contribute anything else to the men in the story, they die. I mean really. The death toll for women in this novel is insane. I think maybe three made it to the end? MianMian and the prostitutes are the only ones that come to mind.
Jiang Yanli is sweet, don't get me wrong, but her entire character relies upon being a sister archetype. How can she serve her brothers' character development? How can she provide their moral core? How can her death affect them? In the end, her death was not hers, but her brothers. How sad for them that she died! But what does it truly say about her as a character? Nothing. Not to be rude (because a lot of MDZS stans become incredibly angry if you criticize a character) but she served soup, was a sister archetype, and then died. This is not a three dimensional character. I struggle so much to think of a single complex female character in this novel. There is no excuse for MXTX. She's a woman!
Second, sorry to be an anti, but the r*pe fetish is extremely tasteless. Before the 30 year old pro-ship fandom moms break down my doors screaming "fiction doesn't affect reality!" (it does), I am someone who enjoys dark fiction. For f*cks sake, my favorite novel is Exquisite Corpse. I know how to critically consume media! Fetishizing r*pe is extremely tasteless and disgusting. It doesn't help that this is a gay novel. R*pe and predatory behaviors have been wrongfully associated with gay men for decades. Writing other characters to view them as predatory (everyone in the novel who hates Mo Xuanyu for being "predatory" and "inc*stuous" when he wasn't) and then actually making them into r*pe is just so homophobic it's unreal.
Other than that, I think this novel is generally perfect. It happens to be my favorite MXTX novel, even though TGCF has more quality writing. The themes are beautiful and woven throughout the entire story. Everything foreshadows something in the future (The whirlpool scene foreshadowing how everyone will act during the Guanyin Temple scene) so well. The nonlinear storytelling was an amazing choice for this style of writing and she clearly knows how to use it effectively.
Aside from the predatory r*pe fetishism in this novel, I think she wrote a wonderful representation of queerness. Their confession isn't the final point of them understanding their identity. Their "coming out" isn't for anyone but themselves. It's personal, not perfect, and not the final culmination of their identity (as a lot of straight people thing it is). They don't need everyone's approval. They would've confessed without others there anyways. It is just very refreshing to see a gay novel where a confession or coming out is not focused on the straight people's reactions.
Overall, the romance is amazing, representation is generally good, amazing imagery and literary references, great storytelling and use of foreshadowing, etc. It's a truly amazing novel that should be consumed critically. Authors are not gods, they are not impervious to criticism. Keep that in mind when you read MXTX novels, and cnovels in general.
Themes: 9
Queer Representation: 7
Writing Quality: 8
Enjoyment: 10
Comedy: 9
Character development: 10 (2 for women)
Romance: 10
Slowburn: 100
Angst: 100
Let's start with the positives for those who have yet to read it. The writing is wonderful. It always kept me guessing, especially with the time skips. If you enjoy novels that you will appreciate even more on a second reading, this one is for you! So many twists and turns that re-contextualize the story every time. It leads to a truly rewarding experience. The writing in general is a lot of fun. The author knows how to balance the humorous and dark tones without making a scene seem tonally inappropriate. MXTX uses a lot of Chinese literary references throughout the novel, which are enjoyable even to those (like myself) who don't speak the language and haven't read much Chinese literature. I don't know how she does it but she knows how to balance the shameless, funny scenes and the dark, tense scenes perfectly.
The romance is also good. For those who enjoy fanfiction tags and trope descriptions here are a few: rivals? or idiots to lovers, major character death, love interest falls in love first, SLOWBURN
It is VERY slowburn, which I personally enjoy torturing myself with. It is done very well, their dynamic matches perfectly with the themes of balancing good and evil, reputation, etc. Their romance isn't an addition to the story later, it is woven into the very themes. The misunderstandings aren't unreasonable (as a lot of novels rely on the misunderstanding trope in very unrealistic ways). You can clearly tell WHY they care about each other, WHY they love each other and it makes their confession very rewarding.
The comedy is GREAT. Personally, I enjoy the historical homophobic jokes (as a lesbian myself). Wei Wuxian is incredibly shameless and funny. It makes it easier to get through the angst and dark portions of the novel. If you're someone who will subconsciously put off novels when they get too depressing (like me), this one will be easier to get through. I enjoy watching Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian be incredibly shameless and torment the straight characters. :)
The villains are just... *chef's kiss*. As you can tell, I am a Jin Guangyao enjoyer. Even beside him, the other villains are amazing. Wen Ruohan is powerful and intimidating, Su She is pathetic but well written, Jin Guangyao is perfect and complex, and Xue Yang is tragic and complicated. If you're a villain gay (as I am), there is plenty of great content for you here.
Now onto the negatives. I'd like to preface that I might sound harsh, but these negatives are something that have not affected my deep love for this novel.
First, I would say that the women in this novel are unfortunately poorly written. This has become less of an issue with TGCF as she has improved a lot, but it is a bit of an eye sore in MDZS. She can not seem to write a three-dimensional female character to save her life. Their character completely depends on how they interact with the men in this story. If they are unable to contribute anything else to the men in the story, they die. I mean really. The death toll for women in this novel is insane. I think maybe three made it to the end? MianMian and the prostitutes are the only ones that come to mind.
Jiang Yanli is sweet, don't get me wrong, but her entire character relies upon being a sister archetype. How can she serve her brothers' character development? How can she provide their moral core? How can her death affect them? In the end, her death was not hers, but her brothers. How sad for them that she died! But what does it truly say about her as a character? Nothing. Not to be rude (because a lot of MDZS stans become incredibly angry if you criticize a character) but she served soup, was a sister archetype, and then died. This is not a three dimensional character. I struggle so much to think of a single complex female character in this novel. There is no excuse for MXTX. She's a woman!
Second, sorry to be an anti, but the r*pe fetish is extremely tasteless. Before the 30 year old pro-ship fandom moms break down my doors screaming "fiction doesn't affect reality!" (it does), I am someone who enjoys dark fiction. For f*cks sake, my favorite novel is Exquisite Corpse. I know how to critically consume media! Fetishizing r*pe is extremely tasteless and disgusting. It doesn't help that this is a gay novel. R*pe and predatory behaviors have been wrongfully associated with gay men for decades. Writing other characters to view them as predatory (everyone in the novel who hates Mo Xuanyu for being "predatory" and "inc*stuous" when he wasn't) and then actually making them into r*pe is just so homophobic it's unreal.
Other than that, I think this novel is generally perfect. It happens to be my favorite MXTX novel, even though TGCF has more quality writing. The themes are beautiful and woven throughout the entire story. Everything foreshadows something in the future (The whirlpool scene foreshadowing how everyone will act during the Guanyin Temple scene) so well. The nonlinear storytelling was an amazing choice for this style of writing and she clearly knows how to use it effectively.
Aside from the predatory r*pe fetishism in this novel, I think she wrote a wonderful representation of queerness. Their confession isn't the final point of them understanding their identity. Their "coming out" isn't for anyone but themselves. It's personal, not perfect, and not the final culmination of their identity (as a lot of straight people thing it is). They don't need everyone's approval. They would've confessed without others there anyways. It is just very refreshing to see a gay novel where a confession or coming out is not focused on the straight people's reactions.
Overall, the romance is amazing, representation is generally good, amazing imagery and literary references, great storytelling and use of foreshadowing, etc. It's a truly amazing novel that should be consumed critically. Authors are not gods, they are not impervious to criticism. Keep that in mind when you read MXTX novels, and cnovels in general.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism
szuum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Medical trauma and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, and Rape
nelira's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement and Incest