flora_nora's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny 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

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!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

books4eva99's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sahkitsune's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lim's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted relaxing tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.25

If the ending of the series had been included in the last volume it likely wouldn't have felt as rushed but as is the pacing felt off since it picked up right were volume 4 ended.  I am a bit salty about 
the Nie clan head dude being the puppet master instead of Zewu-jun since it's a reveal that ends up meaning nothing in the grand scheme of things whereas if Lan Zhan's brother was the baddie it could have gone in a more interesting and compelling direction.
...  Oh well.

Since the majority of this volume was extras that is what the rating I am giving will reflect.  Some of them were fine but I was not expecting the horny smut escapades that occurred and the rape-y vibes were prevalent in the non/dub-con scenes.  There was some domestic bliss I suppose but even that felt like a superficial means to get them back in bed.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sirenricobooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

drtx_bwt's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

saltycoffee's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

doctorwodka's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

a fairly enjoyable ending to this series with some surprising twists, even if the majority of the book ended up being the extremly horny extra chapters.

wangxian has no shame and im so sorry to the gusu lan for having to deal with the everyday occurrence of their very loud sex life.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings