A review by mustnotblink
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi, Vol. 1, by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I am a western reader with no language knowledge beyond English so I can not attest to the quality of the translation. However, as someone new to this genre, I did read some cultural guides (provided by the non-western portion of fandom) and some general xianxia background and tropes so that I would have a better understanding of the novel. I'm a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi so I am used to being thrown into the deep end of new worlds, but I firmly believe that having this background knowledge made my reading experience 100% better.

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is very talented at crafting characters that people love. I can attest to that; it was very easy to start loving Wei Wuxian. His narrative is very much unreliable but there is a careful balance between his humorous antics, telling bouts of intelligent problem solving, and the extremely insightful moments of darkness that makes him a joy to read. Lan Wangji holds his cards much closer to his chest, yet allows enough glimpses over time that soon he too became a treasured addition to the shelf of characters I would fight a bitch for.

Do l desperately wish that this book was not split into three volumes so I could read the rest? Absolutely! However, I do think volume 1 did a good job balancing world/character introduction with the mystery plot progression AND flashbacks.

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