Ren Haiyan, known by her pen name Tong Hua or Zhang Xiao San, was born in 1982. She is one of the most famous contemporary romance novelists in China.
She graduated from Peking University and came to America in 2005. She currently lives in New York. In 2013, Hua co-wrote the television series Perfect Couple, which is currently in production.
I have decided that this is absolute garbage. I rated the previous book low but I thought the story and relationships would improve. I honestly wasn't trying to hate read this. Ok. So. I can NOT get behind AHeng and ChiChen's love story. Here is my rant. It is very long. Emotions are high.
They committed adultery and yet they still agree to tell their daughter they did nothing wrong??? They didn't think they did anything wrong?? They think she had every right to be together. It is soooo immoral!! The pain she caused her ex-husband is beyond my comprehension. Sure, AHeng and him did not have a romantic relationship, but she's married to him, and even in current time period, a wife doing this do the husband is not ok.
Additionally, the fact that AHeng is still so in love with ChiChen even after he killed her brother, critically injured her father, and would not stop ragging war against her country and she had the audacity to express how much she feels for all the orphans and widows, but she still runs to him every chance she gets. (I didn't even get into the obsession and possessiveness from book 1 that bordered on psychologically manipulation.) On the other hand, her ex-husband, the biggest mistake he made was not lend her troops which led to the death of her other brother. BUT for hundred of years previously, he had been pretending to be her elder brother and this act was saving her mother, her brother, her sister-in-law, and herself! Plus he swallowed his pride, hid the affair, accepted her daughter, even though morals was a pillar in his country. Her ex-husband did one thing wrong and she cut him off. Humiliated him by a public divorce!
AHeng and ChiChen is way too selfish. They live in their own world. I am so mad that this is even a story. The messages is, even in modern times, not acceptable.
I won't talk about the other relationships. I have issues with the logic on those... Namely, that princess who married AHeng's elder brother (dead) but for hundreds of years after the marriage she had never saw him. Did she not think it is weird? Did no one else think it is weird? They didn't have their wedding night. The wedding was suppose to bring peace to the two countries but the war continued yet she didn't...leave??? (And before you point it out, I will counter that leaving is very easy because AHeng f* divorced her husband who is a king with zero consequences. She up and left. Went home.)
Ok. Lastly. The ending. About a page before the end AHeng decided to live for her daughter (and all the people she listed. etc.) BUT she chose not to go home. She chose to stay in that desert/forest with ChiChen's...spirit. This women abandoned her daughter when just another page earlier ChiChen reminded readers AHeng deeply wished to see her daughter grow up, get married, etc! Additionally, in the story, there were instances where she talked as if she was wiling to sacrifice and suffer for her daughter's well being; .ex) the way she begged her ex-husband to keep XiaoYao safe forever and when she was looking at the orphan girl... It was outrageous and I was so speechless when I read the least words of this book; to know that was the decision she made I instantly knew this could only be a 1 star book for me. Like I said, I felt they were in their own world. They were filming their own show. The world revolves around their ideals. Nothing they do can be wrong.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Sad love drama. Tong Hua. Go thru the creation myth. Take the scene and character in the Royal Palace. With a center is a princess of one of 3 most biggest dynasty. The author built a complex net relationship between those 3 main party's princesses, princes with central character. They are young, easy going, strong passion. Fews was grown up together, with tight relationship, special memory as a soulmate. However, time flat, they both think about the own power in the Palace. King or dog. Losers are always in the wrong. Alive or die. Their relationships was there, but more complicated. Sometimes they don't realize that they are divising, planning something with the most close friend. Sometimes, the reader also don't realize their invention. Is they want to help? Is they help because of benefits? Even taking a love story from the beginning to the end. I much loved the way Tong Hua create and solve the side story to show the family love, familism. We did not realize until other sibling was died. It made me cries, who was extremely dumb emotion. I love it!
"Có những con đường một khi đã đặt chân lên thì chẳng thể quay đầu lại nữa, chỉ có thể đi mãi đi mãi về phía bóng đêm thăm thẳm, dù bản thân có muốn cũng khó mà khống chế." Sau tất cả, kẻ chết người sống, không có đúng - sai, cũng chẳng có tốt - xấu, chỉ có những con đường mà mỗi người phải lựa chọn và sống với nó cả đời mà thôi. Gấp trang sách cuối cùng lại, dù từng ghét ai yêu ai cũng chẳng thể nào trách họ được, vì mỗi hành động họ làm, đều có lý do của nó. Đau đớn hơn khi mà những việc làm đó của họ, dù tàn nhẫn đến đâu cũng vì một ai khác chứ chẳng vì chính mình. Người đời nhìn vào thấy họ nắm trong tay quyền cao chức trọng, nhung lụa ấm no, tàn nhẫn lạnh lùng mà đâu thấu đằng sau bức màn đẹp đẽ đó là biết bao máu đã đổ, bao nhiêu nước mắt đã rơi cùng biết bao lời hứa đã bị đạp lên. Hoàng Đế rồi đến Thiếu Hạo, cả đời mưu trí bày mưu tính kế để được ngồi lên ngai cao, khi đã đạt được mục đích, quay đầu nhìn lại đã chẳng còn ai bên cạnh nữa rồi, nhưng bản thân họ lại không thể trách cứ ai, vì đó chính là con đường họ đã chọn, là trách nhiệm họ phải gánh lấy. Còn A Hành và Xi Vưu, biết bao mộng ước lứa đôi từng thề ước, biết bao kế sách được đưa ra nhằm có được hai chữ "tự do", vậy mà đến cuối vẫn không sao thoát khỏi số kiếp quân cờ trong tay kẻ khác... Thanh Dương, Thiếu Hạo, A Hành, Vân Tang - bi kịch của họ là bi kịch của những kẻ sinh ra trong gia đình đế vương, nhung lụa gấm vóc bao bọc từ khi lọt lòng chẳng qua cũng chỉ là thứ bị đổi lấy từ sự tự do. Nhưng ít nhất, những kẻ đã chết, hết thảy họ đều hạnh phúc hơn A Hành hay Thiếu Hạo. Bởi chết là hết, là không còn đau đớn dằn vặt, trong khi kẻ sống chỉ còn biết gặm nhấm những kí ức, chịu đựng những cô đơn mà tiếp tục bước đi... Đoạn cuối đã khiến mình khóc, không nức nở cũng đủ cay xè mắt. Tiếc cho mối tình duyên dở dang của Vân Tang và Nặc Nai, tiếc cho một gia đình 3 người hạnh phúc đáng lẽ A Hành và Xi Vưu sẽ có, tiếc cho khúc gỗ mục Chu Du cả đời đứng chờ Thanh Dương quay về... Biết bao lời hứa đã được trao đi, biết bao ước hẹn đã được thốt ra, đến cuối dường như chẳng ai hoàn thành được lời hứa của mình. "Từng thề ước" - sau cùng hứa hẹn gì cũng chỉ là "đã từng" mà thôi, cuộc sống chẳng bao giờ để người ta dễ dàng hoàn thành lời hứa ấy cả...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.