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rebeccazh's Reviews (2.89k)
![泾渭情殇 [Jīng Wèi Qíng Shāng] by Qing Jun Mo Xiao](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/c7q2yh1okciglkbuj9s4ii0dcfso)
I am sadly putting this on indefinite hold. This book is just too long. I've been reading this for forever and there's still so many chapters left and I am not a slow reader. Long review ahead, skip using the headers.
The plot:
First arc - The novel starts off when Qiyan was just born to the people of the plains. Due to political reasons, she is brought up as a boy. When she's five or so, the Wei kingdom (the Han Chinese), exterminated Qiyan's tribe. She escaped and was taken in by a masked woman, who teaches her everything about the Wei kingdom for the sake of vengeance. Qiyan is brought up and moulded into a tool of the masked woman, meant to take down the Wei kingdom because the masked woman also hates the Wei kingdom.
Qiyan, now able to pass off as a Han Chinese person, enters the capital as a scholar. Through a series of schemes, both her own and others', she ends up entering the palace, but as the husband of Princess Nangong Jingnu, most beloved daughter of the emperor.
Second arc: Qiyan puts on a performance as a studious and devoted husband to Nangong Jingnu. Nangong Jingnu falls in love with her and Qiyan also starts to develop feelings, even though she had originally faked everything. This arc mainly focuses on Qiyan's increasingly conflicted feelings - vengeance says that Nangong Jingnu is part of the group that caused the genocide of her people (she's part of the royal family) but her personal feelings say that she loves Nangong Jingnu and being with her is probably Qiyan's only shot at happiness.
Meanwhile, Nangong Jingnu undergoes quite an intense growth arc. She starts out very impulsive, innocent/naïve and good-hearted; she becomes more mature, thoughtful and thinks before she acts. She learns about political maneuvers and learns that what you see is not always all there is. There are also a bunch of political sideplots that show the kind of person Qiyan is - very intelligent, calculating and a little ruthless. Although not totally a bad person, she does a lot of amoral things.
Third arc: I stopped halfway through here. More players come into the field - the masked person, some people from the plains who survived, Nangong Jingnu (who is now on the path to becoming a female Emperor), other political heavyweights, etc. Qiyan is also beginning to want to protect Nangong Jingnu's life no matter what happens. A lot of moves by various players to get power; Qiyan and the masked person are trying to topple the Wei kingdom.
The good:
- huuuge improvement from [b:女将军和长公主 Female General and Eldest Princess|48752565|女将军和长公主 Female General and Eldest Princess|请君莫笑|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573480864l/48752565._SX50_.jpg|74124005]; the main couple is much more interesting and dynamic and you actually know what they are like together
- qiyan and nangong jingnu are very well-written characters with very compelling arcs. it is really a pity that the novel was so long and there was so much info-dumping. qiyan is an anti-heroine and i was actually quite uncomfortable with some of the things she did
- female characters are all awesome!!
The bad:
- way too much info-dumping. the pace is really, really slow. there were too many side-plots that were unmemorable and side characters who are basically like NPC characters in a game, where i barely remember them after they're gone. this book reads like a whole series of novels stuffed into one. it's 4000+ pages on my kindle.
The plot:
First arc - The novel starts off when Qiyan was just born to the people of the plains. Due to political reasons, she is brought up as a boy. When she's five or so, the Wei kingdom (the Han Chinese), exterminated Qiyan's tribe. She escaped and was taken in by a masked woman, who teaches her everything about the Wei kingdom for the sake of vengeance. Qiyan is brought up and moulded into a tool of the masked woman, meant to take down the Wei kingdom because the masked woman also hates the Wei kingdom.
Qiyan, now able to pass off as a Han Chinese person, enters the capital as a scholar. Through a series of schemes, both her own and others', she ends up entering the palace, but as the husband of Princess Nangong Jingnu, most beloved daughter of the emperor.
Second arc: Qiyan puts on a performance as a studious and devoted husband to Nangong Jingnu. Nangong Jingnu falls in love with her and Qiyan also starts to develop feelings, even though she had originally faked everything. This arc mainly focuses on Qiyan's increasingly conflicted feelings - vengeance says that Nangong Jingnu is part of the group that caused the genocide of her people (she's part of the royal family) but her personal feelings say that she loves Nangong Jingnu and being with her is probably Qiyan's only shot at happiness.
Meanwhile, Nangong Jingnu undergoes quite an intense growth arc. She starts out very impulsive, innocent/naïve and good-hearted; she becomes more mature, thoughtful and thinks before she acts. She learns about political maneuvers and learns that what you see is not always all there is. There are also a bunch of political sideplots that show the kind of person Qiyan is - very intelligent, calculating and a little ruthless. Although not totally a bad person, she does a lot of amoral things.
Third arc: I stopped halfway through here. More players come into the field - the masked person, some people from the plains who survived, Nangong Jingnu (who is now on the path to becoming a female Emperor), other political heavyweights, etc. Qiyan is also beginning to want to protect Nangong Jingnu's life no matter what happens. A lot of moves by various players to get power; Qiyan and the masked person are trying to topple the Wei kingdom.
The good:
- huuuge improvement from [b:女将军和长公主 Female General and Eldest Princess|48752565|女将军和长公主 Female General and Eldest Princess|请君莫笑|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573480864l/48752565._SX50_.jpg|74124005]; the main couple is much more interesting and dynamic and you actually know what they are like together
- qiyan and nangong jingnu are very well-written characters with very compelling arcs. it is really a pity that the novel was so long and there was so much info-dumping. qiyan is an anti-heroine and i was actually quite uncomfortable with some of the things she did
- female characters are all awesome!!
The bad:
- way too much info-dumping. the pace is really, really slow. there were too many side-plots that were unmemorable and side characters who are basically like NPC characters in a game, where i barely remember them after they're gone. this book reads like a whole series of novels stuffed into one. it's 4000+ pages on my kindle.
I agree with the reviewer who called this an eco-fable. It's a rather short book, split into four parts. The first three parts feature seemingly unconnected characters, told in a myth/fable-like style. The last part zooms into the human characters in a journey/roadtrip of sorts. The atmosphere of the book is haunting and dystopian.
I thought this book did a fantastic job showing the relationship between man, communities, and nature. The animals in this book (the rain heron, the squid) are mystical, with a touch of the unknowable about them. The groups of humans who interact with the animals have various agendas and motivations; some live in a harmonious and interdependent way with the animals, while others are driven by greed and profit and see the animals only as objects, leading to cruel spillover effects on other humans.
Also, I thought the rain heron would feature more.
I thought this book did a fantastic job showing the relationship between man, communities, and nature. The animals in this book (the rain heron, the squid) are mystical, with a touch of the unknowable about them. The groups of humans who interact with the animals have various agendas and motivations; some live in a harmonious and interdependent way with the animals, while others are driven by greed and profit and see the animals only as objects, leading to cruel spillover effects on other humans.
Also, I thought the rain heron would feature more.
A solid 4.5 stars. Similar in tone to The Poppy Wars, this is a really solid character-driven fantasy inspired by East Asia. Misaki is one of the most human and well-written female characters I've ever read and I loved how she was written; her growth as a person was immensely satisfying. I am most impressed by how her relationship to motherhood was written. I also LOVE her son Mamoru and was HEARTBROKEN by That Event midway.
IMO the story should have ended after her fight in the last 80-90%. Many others have pointed out the problematic implications of Takeru's narrative. I personally find that if the author wanted to write about Takeru's growth and his and Misaki's marriage as a two-sided conflict, she should have laid the groundwork for it earlier. Instead, he is portrayed as cold, callous, acting in abusive ways repeatedly and consistently in ways that are hard to stomach. The turning point in his arc was thus very abrupt and it seemed as if he and Misaki did a 180 immediately and completely.
I saw a reddit review describe this as a clumsy masterpiece - that it is special instead of perfect. This is a very fitting description of this book.
IMO the story should have ended after her fight in the last 80-90%. Many others have pointed out the problematic implications of Takeru's narrative. I personally find that if the author wanted to write about Takeru's growth and his and Misaki's marriage as a two-sided conflict, she should have laid the groundwork for it earlier. Instead, he is portrayed as cold, callous, acting in abusive ways repeatedly and consistently in ways that are hard to stomach. The turning point in his arc was thus very abrupt and it seemed as if he and Misaki did a 180 immediately and completely.
I saw a reddit review describe this as a clumsy masterpiece - that it is special instead of perfect. This is a very fitting description of this book.
Imo this will make a good cdrama though they will need to shorten the age gap between the two and delay the romance so she's not a teen/preteen when he falls in love. 3.5 stars.
Read this last year but apparently I completely forgot to log it. This is another excellent volume in the series.
I do love a good werewolf romance (still looking for the next Alpha & Omega) and this was a quick and entertaining read. Tropey and predictable but the banter is snappy and characterization consistent. I enjoyed reading about the stoic/intense/loyal Lowe and oblivious
/emotionally stunted/kind Misery. Also I can't believe this book has knotting.
/emotionally stunted/kind Misery. Also I can't believe this book has knotting.
3.5 stars and surprisingly enjoyable. I thought this was going to be similar to Gifted Thief or one of her other books but this was fast-paced and fun to read. The narration is funny and the heroine is kind and scrappy. It's a very quick read and I really enjoyed watching her upend expectations, make friends, and banter with the love interest (Hugo).
Note to self that I'm officially dropping this series. Too much work to get to one good book (Fire Touched).
Once the plot started, I literally couldn't stop reading and sped through the book. Jacky Leon books are like potato chips. They're so addictive. Once again, Jacky deals with another one of her families and finds closure and moves on. It's very nice to see her grow into herself. I really love Banet's strong characterization and tension filled plot and action scenes in her Tribunal series.
3.5 stars. This novel felt so familiar. The vernacular English, the beliefs around gods and ghosts, the family culture, even the apps are things I experience in my daily life and it is novel and fun to see it in prose form. Jess deals with ghosts and gods as the stakes escalate and secret after secret about her family unravels, and in the backdrop is her worries about coming out. The book started out strong but the middle dragged a bit. The cast of characters is colorful and Ah Ma turned out to be my favorite for her sheer force of personality. The ending is satisfying as Jess figures out how to stop Black Water Sister.