I don't want to say goodbye to these characters! They will definitely be close to my heart for the rest of my life, and I'm not sure I will ever stop thinking about them. I was happy that it picked up right where it left off from the previous book so that the suspense of leaving the tension between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying wasn't too drawn out. Everything was revealed and exposed in a chaotic, yet well set-up way (although, there were times where I didn't quite feel the weight of the situation as it demanded). Jiang Cheng's entrance was epic, and the way he finally let all* off his emotions out was so satisfying and gives more clarity to his character (which is nice that others are now aware of it as well; it was well-needed) (

the reveal at the very end about why he was actually captured and got his core destroyed (in order to protect Wei Ying) was heartbreaking, especially since he never said anything

). My heart goes out to Lan Xichen (

man, the way his was tricked into killing Jin Guangyao by Nie Huaisang, never fully knowing or able to have closure is devastating if you let yourself dwell on it

). I sort of wish we got to see the angst of

Wei Ying with Lan Zhan after he brought him back to the Burial Mounds after the Nightless City to protect him and confess his feelings, then protect Wei Ying from the Lan elders

, but at the same time my heart is happy (and more intact) that we didn't. Jin Ling's torn nature is really well portrayed, and Jiang Cheng's is as well. It hurt a bit to see

Wen Ning and Wei Ying part paths

, but I also get it. The chemistry between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying is amazing, and I loved seeing them as a couple (in the official end, as well as in the extras; I also loved that we got see couple moments between the two that DIDN'T HAVE DUBIOUS CONSENT CONTENT; I get that it is their shared kink, but it makes me a bit uncomfortable...Wei Ying is so into it, though, which makes it a bit better). The extras were well-done; I really liked seeing the night hunts and specific cute couple moments between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. My least favorite extra was the flashback one between Jin Guangyao and Xue Yang (it was interesting, and I get why it was included, but being in Wei Ying's head is just so much fun, that I just wanted even more). For the notorious "Incense Burner" extra, Wei Ying's dream was so cute, but then there's the dub-con content (yes, again, shared kink, but still...), and Wei Ying has absolutely NO SHAME (

what he did to Bichen!

). I just genuinely don't want this to be over, and this will stick with me for a long time (maybe forever). I love Lan Zhan and Wei Ying's relationship (yes, despite the controversial content), and I love how fleshed out and complex all of the side characters are as well. There's plenty of possibilities for what happens post-canon, and I think that is done in an excellent way (I usually HATE open endings). I will be living in the fanfiction world of this fandom for a long time to come. LOVE LOVE LOVE this series!

I’d definitely want to reread this series so I can get a different experience with what I’ve learned. It’s a happy ending with some bittersweet feelings. The scene that made me actually cry was Wen Ning telling Wei Wuxian that he’s done enough. Wei Wuxian endured so much and gave up everything out of pure selflessness and he can finally live a happy and peaceful life with the love of his life 😭. Also, I love the juniors so much. Even Jingyi, who’s not as fleshed out as the others, makes me laugh every time he’s on the page. And I liked that we saw the families dealing with the aftermath of the events. My top 3 favorite characters: Wen Ning, Jin Ling, and Jiang Cheng. 

 

Criticisms: 

I did like the

Nie Huaisang mastermind reveal, him being a foil to JGY is so interesting.

But it felt like it was missing something. We knew early on

he’s smarter than he looks

but it’s never even implied how

he discovered the truth about Mingjue’s death. Or how he noticed the body was swapped.

 

In general, because the novel is told primarily through Wei Wuxian’s pov, we don’t get the full emotional impact of scenes he didn’t witness. This happened a lot in vol. 3 and 4, the biggest example being when we just found out Wen Ning was aware that Lan Wangji spoke in defense of him and his sister from execution but we never saw it. But I think Lan Xichen revealing the truth about Lan Wangji in the past was done well. 

 

Maybe it’s the translation but the smut was mostly cringeworthy (everything besides their first time  and the Bichen scene should’ve been scrapped). Who thought “hot weapon” and “massive invader“ were a good idea? Also, the first dream sequence from LWJ’s pov has a bit of (tw: violent imagery)

bleeding from anal sex

that was disturbing and unnecessary. Just because the characters liked it doesn’t mean I have to. The good thing is that these scenes are skippable since it’s bonus content. 

this shit rated PORN. mxtx should find a different english publisher bc seven seas lowkey sucks 

El extra del incensario no existe en Ba Sing Se 😀