I did not want to put this book down, and, when I finished it, I immediately wanted to pick up the next one (so much so that it kind of ruined part of the reading experience of the next book I attempted to read)! The one drawback to this book is that we spend a significant time in other characters' heads (A Qing and Nie Mingjue), so that means this sort of has second book syndrome (it does a lot a setting up and moving forward with the plot, though! It's just large chunks of either someone else's story or information dump in between). Both the stories are good in each, but I love being in Wei Wuxian's head so much that I missed it. Xiao Xingchen's story will likely stay with me for a long time, and I wish the best for A Qing; their bond was so sweet.

Absolutely fuck Xue Yang; he is an absolute psychopath. I mean, cutting out people's tongues and then having Xiao Xingchen, who is BLIND, slaughter them, making him an unwitting murderer is absolutely deplorable. I will also never forgive him for what he did to Song Lan (forcing him to be his puppet along with making Xiao Xingchen, his sworn brother, unwittingly kill him. It broke my heart that when he found out that he slit his throat. I don't give a single fuck that he was bullied for being poor as a child and came to somewhat care for Xiao Xingchen during his years of deceit. This does not justify his actions in the slightest!

I also wished we had more content of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji working together, side by side!

We did get to see drunk Lan Zhan again, which was super cute, and as a result, we got their first kiss of the series! It was slightly dub-con because of how drunk Lan Zhan was, but it was still cute. Lan Zhan tying Wei Ying up with his forehead ribbon, then we get to see the junior's reactions as well as Wei Ying discovering the significance of the ribbon was absolutely priceless! Wei Ying, please get a clue about your feelings!

Wei Wuxian with the juniors was, of course, adorable and amazing, though. Wei Wuxian showing off his skills was super fun. He really suits the teacher role so well!

We got a reveal that the body parts Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were collecting was actually Nie Mingjue, and that the culprit was Jin Guangyao. Also, Wei Wuxian's identity was revealed to the rest of the cultivation world because Jin Guangyao is a clever little bitch. Him convincing his wife to commit suicide after she finds out what he did, enough that she started violently throwing up??? Diabolical, but I am looking forward to seeing more of how fucked up he is. I love a clever villain, though while reading you will get the vibes of "oh, how convenient you reveal this information now when it is profitable for you" like when he reveals Suibian sealed itself after Wei Wuxian's death and that he taught Mo Xuanyu about the soul sacrificing ritual, but of course this is intentional and all part of the fun.

We got to see a good amount of character growth from Jin Ling, and it is done so well!

Even though he ends up stabbing Wei Wuxian at the end of the book, you could really feel his internal struggle about it.

I really got to know him much better, and he is becoming a very interesting and enjoyable character, which I was not fully expecting based on the first book

he's still a bit homophobic though, so fuck that

. I'm excited to see how everything plays out!

Also, Lan Sizhui's statement about how safe he feels with Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian was SO PRECIOUS!!!!!

This book had a lot of grief, but it was totally worth it. I loved learning more about the world and the supporting characters.
Can't wait to see where their journey leads to in the next book!

Yi City: 4⭐️
The flashback dragged on for so long and Xue Yang felt underwritten but at least he made Xiao Xingchen & A-Qing (the mvp!) interesting. 

Golden Carp Tower: 5⭐️

The flashback scene here was also long but because Jin Guangyao is a fascinating character, it was enjoyable.

What he says can be considered normal to anyone else besides Nie Mingjue & Qin Su who knew him well enough to see the underlying meanings.

I love this quote which sums him up quite well…

Also I love the trust Wangxian have in each other. Lan Wangji must’ve missed Wei Wuxian so much that he was willing to risk his reputation multiple times to be by his side 😭 And it was so cute to see how excited Wei Wuxian was when he saw Lan Wangji in the flashback hehe. 

I definitely enjoyed this volume a lot more than the last because this is where the ball really gets rolling to me. Also I think the bulk of what I remember from MDZS as a whole came from this volume and a few things from the start of the next volume (which I started reading immediately after finishing this one). This book also has one of my favourite illustrations of the entire series of

Nie Mingjue kicking Jin Guanyao down the stairs. There's just something about how beautifully it's illustrated that gets me every time.

Some of my complaints are still the same as last time, however. Particularly in the case of one party that was properly introduced in this volume felt like they suddenly appeared in the story, which I think could have been alleviated with a list of the all the clans and their leaders. 

Also a lot of the female characters end up getting the short end of the stick, which is an ongoing problem in this and some of MXTX's other works. And I also thought it was kind of comical that, as a paper doll, Wei Wuxian had plenty of time to experience Nie Mingjue's entire backstory when it was established if he didn't return to his body within a set amount of time there would be consequences.

I'm still in love with this series. There was no doubt that I would be, but I'm enjoying getting more into the mystery and watching it unfold. I especially love the story with the juniors, A-Qing, and Xiao Xingchen, heartbreaking though it may be. Someone once said that storyline is Shakespearean, and it is!

I can't get enough of WangXian, and seeing just how much more dense Wei Wuxian is to Lan Wangji's affections in the book than he was in the TV show, it's hilarious. I was talking to the book!

I can foresee by the cliffhanger and where this book stops that we're going to start book 3 with one of my favorite moments from the boys' teen years (I'm almost sure), and I'm ready! What a masterpiece!