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A review by rebeccazh
Ballad of the Desert by Tong Hua
3.0
3.5 stars. Koala was the translator for this novel again. I found this story a bit hard to follow in the beginning and a bit confused about Jin Yu's upbringing and history. Anyway, the story follows a free-spirited and loyal heroine (quite similar traits to Lost You Forever's heroine) as she travels to the capital and falls in love with two very different men. This is more of a character-driven romance novel, not much of a political intrigue or history novel (found myself missing Sha Po Lang while reading the court machinations lol).
One thing I like about Tong Hua's romance novels is that they're all pretty short. No more novels with 200/300/400+ chapters! The other thing I really like is that her heroines go through a lot of growth. Jin Yu is no exception, growing and maturing in the cesspit of the capitol.
On the romance side, Jin Yu ends up with Huo Qu Bing. I like his character a lot, and I wish I could ship it, but it felt like Jin Yu's first love is and remains Jiu Ye. She has a special affection for him no matter what he does or how much time has passed. So the endgame romance wasn't super convincing for me though I really like HQB. I think the messy love triangles that Tong Hua writes work so well because the heroine genuinely cares about the many men and they love her as well - there's often a strong bond of affection and friendship between the heroine and her many choices.
Anyway, pretty enjoyable!
One thing I like about Tong Hua's romance novels is that they're all pretty short. No more novels with 200/300/400+ chapters! The other thing I really like is that her heroines go through a lot of growth. Jin Yu is no exception, growing and maturing in the cesspit of the capitol.
On the romance side, Jin Yu ends up with Huo Qu Bing. I like his character a lot, and I wish I could ship it, but it felt like Jin Yu's first love is and remains Jiu Ye. She has a special affection for him no matter what he does or how much time has passed. So the endgame romance wasn't super convincing for me though I really like HQB. I think the messy love triangles that Tong Hua writes work so well because the heroine genuinely cares about the many men and they love her as well - there's often a strong bond of affection and friendship between the heroine and her many choices.
Anyway, pretty enjoyable!