The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 9

薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] (Light Novel) #9

by Natsu Hyuuga, Touco Shino (Illustrator), Kevin Steinbach (Translator)

Maomao has effectively become Jinshi’s personal physician, but she’s just a simple apothecary. If she’s going to give him proper medical treatment, she’ll need more than her meager surgical skills. When she turns to her father for help, he says he’ll only teach her if she can pass a test he sets for her. Even if she succeeds at his mysterious request, however, the truth behind the practice of surgery at court may be more than she cares to know. And only once she has the knowledge she needs will she be able to accompany Jinshi on what could be his most dangerous journey yet.

Genres: Light Novel, Mystery, Romance, Historical Fiction, Manga, Fiction, Historical

253 pages, ebook

First published February 28, 2020

About the author

See: 日向夏

Reviews

[aamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE LAST CHAPTER 😍😋🤪 got me smiling, blushing, twirling my hair and kicking my feet

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maomao is finally starting to show her feelings for Jinshi and I NEED her to realize it!!! It’s so painfully obvious how much she cares about him and how she truly understands him. And despite herself, she has a soft spot that only appears for Luomen and HIM. 🥺💚

Evidence of Maomao’s feelings for Jinshi:

EXHIBIT A

“He had the power; he could have done any number of even crazier things. That he had the generosity of heart to listen to Maomao’s words made it hard to shout at him now.” (Maomao, our blunt, to the point protagonist, feels bad for yelling at Jinshi?? Smells like a SOFT SPOT to me 🤭)

EXHIBIT B

“The more Jinshi thought he could help, the more he got involved, until he was spread too thin.

I know someone else like that... She thought of the person she was always chasing after. He, too, spent himself in the service of others. He was the man Maomao respected more than anyone.

I guess it’s my fault the quack got mixed up in all of this.

It was Maomao—Maomao was the one who would take it the hardest if Luomen found himself in danger. Jinshi had proven himself a kindhearted politician, yet at the same time, still naive.

Why had Jinshi done something so idiotic?”

(The fact that Jinshi reminds Maomao of Luomen, THE PERSON SHE LOVES AND RESPECTS MOST IN THE WORLD, speaks volumes!!! Also, her realization that Jinshi protected Luomen for HER? Don’t tell me her heart didn’t melt a little at that!!)

EXHIBIT C

“She discovered, though, that there was something else behind her boiling anger. Her hands went to Jinshi’s cheek. “You’re only human, Master Jinshi. You’re not some mythical immortal who can save everyone.” She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. “You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human.”

Who was she talking to? She knew Jinshi was standing in front of her, but for some reason she kept seeing Luomen’s face.

No wonder I’m so upset.

The principle that drove Jinshi’s behavior seemed very similar to Luomen’s. She was afraid that if he went on like this, he would end up just as luckless in life as her old man. Just like Pops... He’d spent himself trying to rescue everyone and everything.”

(LIKEEEE SHE WORRIES ABOUT HIM LIKE SHE WORRIES FOR LUOMEN ITS OFFICIAL SHE DOESNT REALIZE IT BUT JINSHI IS THE ONE FOR HER!)

EXHIBIT D

“Fine. Close your eyes.”

“Thank you.”

Maomao pulled her hand back and whacked Jinshi across the face. It was not quiet.

Jinshi sucked in a breath and was about to open his eyes, so Maomao placed her hand gently over his eyelids. “Let me see it,” she said. Even her hand hurt, so Jinshi’s cheek must be burning. She could see the flush rising in it.

Suiren will never miss this. Whether the old lady got upset would depend on how Jinshi reacted.

“Pain, pain, go away,” Maomao said, recalling a rhyme her older sister Pairin had often used on her. She kissed the reddened cheek ever so gently. Her lips were colder than her fingertips, and made the cheek feel that much hotter.

I know a children’s verse can’t actually work. It was funny, though: somehow the cheek looked less red than before. Nah, that can’t be. And it wasn’t: rather, Jinshi’s entire body was redder than it had been.

Maomao lifted her hand off his eyes. He couldn’t quite look her in the eye, but his hands clasped hers firmly.”

(Jinshi asking Maomao to slap him and wanting it? 🤣 Maomao saying yes but immediately being gentle right after and wanting to heal him and kiss it away? 😭💜💚💜 She is so tender with him, like if it were anyone else, she would NOT have kissed them. She’d probably tell them to suck it up and leave them with some dry quip - but not when it’s Jinshi. It’s soooo official. EEEEEKKKK)

[Momo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has barely been an ounce of coursework that I've done since I've started reading these damn novels. I cannot put them down for the life of me and my fixed sleeping schedule has now been reversed. I am so glad that we are seeing some advancements in Mao mao's professional life and her love life (well as much as it can progress in a book with these two).

[Amalea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jinshi’s a freak lmaooooo

[Sophie Armatas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly liked the slap

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The political is overwhelming the mysterious in this volume, which isn't a bad thing, and there is one very classic mystery chapter (one of the longest in the book) to make up for it. Jinshi seems to be wearing Maomao down at least a little, too, which is interesting. The real fly in the ointment is new character Choue, who is such an annoying "quirky girl" that I just wanted to skip every page she walked on to.

[Jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed maoamo’s medical journey and wish there was more of that and less political intrigue. but i loved the cast of weirdos, especially as we leave yao and en’en behind. i loved lahan’s analysis on women in medicine. and maomao is starting to have more emotions (though if she recognizes it in herself is still to be seen).

also that last chapter…i KNEW jinshi was like that 😏

[ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maomao can stomach dissections way better than I can. I showed myself out of the room when we had the opportunity to do dissections in jr. high. I’d be like the other apprentices who were nearly vomiting while Maomao was doing just fine.

Gaoshun’s family seems quite out there, to say the least. Chue has quite the eccentric personality, which makes it all the more difficult to believe that Baryou is her husband. Stick Baryou in any social situation and he may end up rolling over dead.

What a masochist Jinshi is! First this guy gets a little too excited when Maomao tends to his self-inflicted burn wound, and then literally gets on his knees begging for her to hit him. Jinshi is a class A freak, but he’s Maomao’s freak.

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The slow-burn romance of the century! More like the 8th century. Maomao is usually too hyperfocused on solving mysteries with her apothecary skills to acknowledge Jinshi's sparkly eyes for and advances towards her. Any other palace attendant would go out of their way just to look at Jinshi, yet he only has eyes for Maomao. Their relationship so far has been Maomao avoiding Jinshi in a very playful cat/mouse for an extended will they/won't they scenario. In book 9, Maomao's experiences bring her in very close proximity with Jinshi, providing an opportunity for a sense of intimacy between them. Maomao has to assist Jinshi with medical care--changing bandages, and while it is very slow burn, she is starting to develop some feelings for Jinshi. The will they/won't they character-focus is the delishiousness that keeps me coming back to Apothecary Diaries. Maomao is my girl all the way. She'd make a great Empress ;)

[❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
this volume took me the longest to finish, probably because it had a lot more politic aspect to it and way less mystery. there were times when my eyes wanted to skip a few paragraphs, but instead of forcing myself to read the whole volume in just a few hours i took more breaks so i could really focus on everything. it's easy to get lost even if it's a few pages you miss. you can never know what the next plot will be based on.
the last chapter was cute and suprising. it seems like maomao is starting to catch feelings for jinshi, even if she herself hasn't realized it yet.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
should i read something else, now that it seems i'm successfully out of my slump? maybe.
will i? absolutely not

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much of a mystery in this one. It felt more like an in-between book, but that isn't too say it isn't interesting. We see Maomao progressing in her career as a court physician, though maybe not in the direction she wanted it to go, we have some traveling to the western capital again, a deeper mystery to uncover (read: impatiently wait for more to be released ugh), and a chance to understand Maomao a bit better! Jinshi does not do anything weird towards Maomao in this book! Hurrah!
I like the conversations they had around their society's attitudes towards dissection and the division of labour between husband and wife. The latter didn't feel too forced, which is a welcome change from stories set in a historical period that try to shove 21st-century western society mindsets into the setting without proper worldbuilding first. The former, I did get a bit uncomfortable at the very brief descriptions of dissected humans mainly because of a couple of characters' reactions to it when the topic was introduced to Maomao. Otherwise, it's probably fine unless you're particularly squeamish. Most mentions are in the first half of the book.

[aurei · Rating 5 out of 5]

LETS GO !! ???!!!

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

another favorite❤️

I love seeing maomao’s medical journey it was the highlight of this book. The different perspectives and morals that came with practicing surgery was interesting to read about, I wasn’t expecting to see a lot of the conflicting thoughts and opinions on the practice of surgery so that was nice. That last chapter though? maomao definitely cares A LOT and not just for jinshi. In the previous novels, we may not see her act on it but she’s thinking about shisui(especially this one whenever insects are mentioned) and xiaolan in the most random of times and i love that we’re seeing more of that from her.

[Sophie Alb · Rating 5 out of 5]

ES WIRD IMMER BESSER

[javiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

maomao esta avanzando en su vida y su carrera!!!! ella es tan bacan la adoro
also en este volumen hubo puro misterio chiquito independiente entre si, como q siento que el siguiente se viene mas brigido que la cresta en ese sentido y tmb en el sentido jinshi-maomao (casense rapido porfa)

[Velta Gūtmane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grāmatu sērijas kuras sastāv no ļoti daudz grāmatām lasīšanai ir kā skatīties seriālu. Netiek sagaidīts, kā vienas grāmatas ietvaros notiks ļoti daudz notikumi, kas mainīs visas grāmatas sižeta līniju. Vairāk grāmatā attainota grāmatas tēla ikdienas dzīvi, kura laikā notiek dažādi pavērsieni - brīžiem nozīmīgi, brīžiem nenozīmīgi. Grāmata sižeta līnijā ir norādīti dažādi mērķi, kas parasti tiek sasniegti vienas vai divas grāmatas ietvaros, un tad atkal tiek uzstādīts cits mērķis. Stāsts ir lēns, ļoti ļoti lēns. Var arī pamanīt, kad grāmatu ietvaros autore ir uzlabojusi savu rakstību - tiek vairāk izvērsts viens notikums , nevis katrā nodaļā jauns notikums. Struktūra ziņā 1 grāmata bija vissliktāk uzrakstīta, kas varētu daudziem lasītājiem likt neturpināt šo grāmatu sēriju.

[Imane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[kkomorebi౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆.˚✮ 5/5 ✮˚.⋆

⋆˚࿔ 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 ࿔˚⋆

You're telling me I have to wait until the FIFTH season (if it ever comes out) TO SEE THIS ANIMATED? I'm, once again, speechless, but I can say I loved every page I read. Three words: beautiful, funny, and... weird.

"sana sana colita de rana" moment?! WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE 😭🩷

ᵎᵎ ˚. ୭ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

They fed me "well" with Jinmao moments; I didn't go hungry. Each moment was better than the last.
A few things to highlight:

- Chue, the best character. I loved her from the first time she was mentioned. She cracked me up every time she appeared.
- The entire Ma clan, I pray to you.
- I won't deny that I like Lakan; I actually feel sorry for him. And although it's unlikely to happen, I really like the interaction between him and Maomao (even though she can't even see him).
- JINSHI AND MAOMAO, LET'S SEE YOU GUYS... I feel like hitting both of you for who you are, but I understand everything, why you are the way you are. Also, notice how Maomao slowly falls for the Moon Prince.
- Jinshi is a masochist, a masochist, and more masochist. From the time he likes being hit to the time he gets turned on because the apothecary was treating his burn.

"𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒈𝒐 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚," 𝑴𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, "𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒌. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓."

────────── ·𖥸· ──────────

⋆.˚✮ 5/5 ✮˚.⋆

⋆˚࿔ 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏̃𝒂 ࿔˚⋆

Me estas diciendo que voy a tener que esperar hasta la QUINTA temporada (si es que sale) PARA VER ESTO ANIMADO? Estoy, nuevamente, sin palabras, sin embargo, puedo decir que ame cada página que leía. Tres palabras: hermoso, divertido y... extraño

el "sana sana" déjenme sola, voy a llorar

ᵎᵎ ˚. ୭ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

Me alimentaron "bien" de momentos Jinmao, no pase hambre. Cada momento superaba al anterior.
Unas cositas a destacar:

- Chue best personaje, la ame desde la primera vez que la nombraron. Me mató de la risa cada que aparece
- Todo el clan Ma, yo les rezo
- No voy a negar que me cae bien Lakan, me da mucha pena en realidad. Y aunque es complicado que se dé, me gusta mucho la interacción entre el y Maomao (por más que ella no lo pueda ver ni en figurita)
- JINSHI Y MAOMAO, A VER CHIQUITOS... me dan ganas de zamarrearlos por como son, pero entiendo todo, del porqué son como son. Nótese igual como Maomao de a poco va cayendo por el Príncipe de la Luna.
- Jinshi es masoquista, masoquista y más masoquista. Desde que le gusta que le peguen hasta que se excita porq la boticaria le estaba curando la quemadura.

"𝑫𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓, 𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓, 𝒗𝒆𝒕𝒆" 𝒅𝒊𝒋𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒐, "𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒐́ 𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒋𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒂. 𝑺𝒖𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒔 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒂́𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒊́𝒐𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒔, 𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒋𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒂́𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆"

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.2 ⭐️

We're really getting into the flow now!

My earlier gripes with the series mainly revolved around how the tying together of the episodic chunks could be a bit choppy and sometimes the subtlety combined with the translation could produce some spots of confusion, but I think those issues have largely been resolved. A good rhythm has been established.

If anything was lacking here, it comes from my personal opinion that the whole dissection and ethics of medical discovery discussion is less unique and interesting than other ideas explored through this story and its world. I guess it felt a little too familiar and like it wasn't adding anything new to that conversation, but it is done well and I'm just acting spoiled.

Some characterization in this volume felt like a response to my critique on the lack of depth for some of the more caricature-like characters. Not in a "here's all that depth you asked for" way but in a "yeah, that was intentional and befitting of the tone" way. To which I say...fair. Bit characters have their place.

Jinshi and Maomao's relationship development is carrying on nicely with some more communication and more openness from Maomao (and acknowledgment of Jinshi's positive qualities and perspective?!) Their interactions are becoming more integrated into the story again, making them feel more natural and less heavy (still much to unpack but less weight on each line!)

The whole "missing quack" storyline was a little silly, but it is so good to have the continued return of familiar faces. So much has changed while also staying true at the core–Maomao's shifting focus from poison to medicine being one very specific example.

The continued expansion of the world and build-up of the over-arching plot/intrigue are great. This insect plague is like an even slower burn than Maomao/Jinshi! Feels like it will tie together a lot of threads and I'm anxious to see how it all plays out.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite book in the saga up until this point.

I love how in this book in particular I could feel Maomao's growth as a character. Most of the time, she tries to play nonchalant, acting like she doesn't care and only helps people because she feels forced to do so. We all know it's not like that at all. Still, here she accepts, to herself and to Jinshi, that she doesn't want to see him get hurt—not because it would be inconvenient to her, but because she cares about him. Even though I'm still not happy about the abuse in previous books and how it was handled, that scene was beautiful.

Apart from that, the morality and exploration of surgery at a time where spiritualism and religious beliefs were more valued than scientific exploration (and thus the latter being misunderstood) was fascinating. Maomao discovering her father's past in the West, the inclusion of the witch hunts, etc., were all great additions. Plus, the general sexism of the era and the medical field, and lastly, the political intrigue, only elevated the stakes and greatly enhanced the story for me.

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun entry in the series. I preferred the first half to the latter, given how focused it was in Maomao improving her medical knowhow despite societal and political barriers. The supporting cast in this portion of the light novel is also top notch, with Yao and En'en being two of my favorite characters in the entire series. The second part is a bit more dry, with much political exposition and moving pieces around to set the stage for the next entry in the series, as well as probably the least exciting conclusion to one of these I've read so far. I'm ok with the Jinshi-Maomao relationship developing but I don't think the way it's handled here merits its end-of-book role. Chue is also great btw, I do appreciate us getting more hyper competent goofballs.

[Maria Drago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite volume, with the majority of it taken up by physician work and learning how to do surgery. But once we got on the trip about 2/3 of the way through, things get a little more interesting.
Also I'm starting to get a bit dejected realizing that even with 6, maybe even 7 whole volumes left for me to read (as of now), I don't think I'm getting the royal wedding I was hoping for...

Notes (spoilers!!):
- The way Maomao, despite all her cynical talk, still manages to empathize with Jinshi. Girl genuinely cares about him and pretends not to.
- Obsessed with Jinshi choosing to bite Maomao over a rag while he's getting a wound disinfected. That whole cleaning scene is probably way more romantic from any outside POV, but Maomao is our clinical narrator.
- I love every time they mention the "freak strategist" starting a civil war if anything happens to Maomao.
- I actually love Lahan. He's just silly and weird. And it's so fun when he teases Maomao about Jinshi.
"Just see that you're more accommodating than that to the Moon Prince," Lahan said, rubbing his foot even though Maomao hadn't stepped on it. What a drama queen.
And then:
Lahan chose that moment to whisper in her ear, "And when can we expect the pitter-patter of little feet?" His glasses flashed.
Not him already asking them about children!! XD
- Maomao: "If that little man (Lahan) looks like he's going to do anything inappropriate, please run away. Do you have a cleaver to protect yourself with?" This question was directed not at Yao, but at En'en.
"I certainly do. Right here." She produced something like a crowbar from the luggage.
"I like the form factor. Short. Useful."
DYING, BAHAHAHAHAHHA. Who run the world? Girls.
- Oh I KNOW Jinshi secretly enjoyed getting chewed out by Maomao for injuring himself a second time. Even if he's also sad that she flees his side as soon as she's done cleaning him up XD
- I will say, I'm getting a bit fed up with En'en. At first I thought she was silly and relatable, but now I fear she is taking "useless lesbian" to entirely new levels. Also, she comes off a bit creepy.
- I'm sorry: [Lakan]'d tried to carry her off several times when she was little, but each time the old madam had beaten him with her broom and freed Maomao.
!!!! Jesus!
- BRUUHHHHH NOT MAOMAO TRYING TO GET A LOOK AT JINSHI'S BARE ASS TO ASSESS HOW WELL A SKIN GRAFT COULD WORK. Poor dude...
- Maomao learning about the witch trials feels so strange to me.
- Hello?? What is this about some young doctor guy that has been repeatedly asking Maomao out? Well, he's got good taste, I'll give him that. I've got my eye on you, Tianyu. (And so does Jinshi, probably.) (Actually, no, if Jinshi was aware he would have quickly disposed of this guy.)
- Okay, I misunderstood the Tianyu thing; he's got the hots for En'en, not Maomao. Which makes sense. But I still stand by my prediction that Jinshi will get jealous somehow. Tianyu is the only guy close in age hanging around her.
- JINSHI CALLING MAOMAO A CAT, MY HEAAARRTTTTT
- En'en coercing Maomao into helping train Yao by using food hahaha.
- Jinshi asking the weirdest person possible (Baryou) about falling in love is the craziest thing in this book, I think. Like, please. Sir. What could you possibly expect from A Case Study Social Anxiety Disorder himself?
- I still don't understand why nobody ever lets Maomao drink. Is it, like, a cultural thing and women shouldn't be doing it?? Is she underage?? Are they just concerned about her high tolerance?? You can't have a high tolerance without regular exposure, though...
- Alright, there have been one too many references to Joka having the royal "Ka" character in her name, and apparently her father was "someone very important." Is Maomao's brothel-working older sis Jinshi's half-sister??
- The more I learn about Gaoshun's household, the funnier it gets. Just a bunch of weirdos lmao.
- Lowkey love Maomao getting stuck solving a case of a missing person with her deadbeat dad tagging along.
-Woah, Maomao comparing Jinshi to Luomen?! That's like the highest form of praise to her.
- It makes me foam at the mouth when Maomao casually discusses Jinshi's feelings for her. But at least she recognizes everything he's done for her! Sweet, if not misguided.
- Ending with another painfully brief romantic scene, as per usual... sigh
- "You're only human, Master Jinshi. You're not some mythical immortal who can save everyone." She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. "You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human."
HOLY BALLS WHY IS THIS SO SWEET AND ROMANTIC MY HEEEEEAAAARRRTT--!
Maomao was surprisingly sweet to him in this scene, and I love how she's always advising him and looking out for him. Girl is already his right hand.
- Jinshi. Literally. On his knees. Begging to be slapped. By Maomao.
I--
HOLY FUCK SHE ACTUALLY DID IT BAHAHAHAHA! AND THEN KISSED HIS CHEEK. AND SANG "PAIN, PAIN, GO AWAY." AND HE ASKED TO BE SLAPPED AGAIN.
Bro is so pent up it is manifesting in the weirdest ways.
(He later claims it wasn't done in a masochistic way, he just needed a waking-up, but I beg to differ.)

[Priyanka Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like: 4.5 ⭐️ but leaning more to 4 than 5.

Every time I think I know what’s coming in this series the author manages to surprise me.

Truly from ten pages to the next the pace and topic change and keep giving me such whiplash.

It’s true that this one was again a bit slow for me in the middle but just as I thought I was going to step away from the series for the next couple of reads, there was a JinMao crumb and I’m left running to the next book.

Masterful, truly.

All this said, this one was much slower than the previous one. I’m looking forward to the next one in the hope it picks back up again.

[Mitha Septiandari · Rating 5 out of 5]

what an ending, but i still want to know more about their journey to the western capital and how it will unfolds. and... this maomao-jinshi relationship is killing meeeee.... can't wait for the 10th book to come out on January 24!!!

[nobody · Rating 5 out of 5]

بعد سه جلد‌ بدون جین‌مائو سر کردن بلاخرهههه!!!! جلدی که کلی مومنت داشت.
دوباره داریم می‌ریم western capital و مشتاقم ببینم اونجا چه اتفاقی می‌افته. این روزها هیچ‌کاری جز خوندن و ادامه دادن داستان نمی‌کنم. خیلی وقت بود همچین حسی نداشتم.

[mudslug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most peak volume so far for character development I’d say. And, boy, are there a lot of characters. They’re portrayed very cartoonishly but in a way that still makes them seem like actual fleshed out people. Mad JinMao development too. Also Chue is the love of my life.

[Irsula · Rating 4 out of 5]

De los 9, el que menos me ha gustado. Muy poco drama en la historia 🥲

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still love MaoMao and her interactions with everyone.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally this one is my favorite it’s hilarious

[Stefania · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
vedere in diretta come Maomao stia effettivamente accettando tutto quello che succede attorno a lei (dai sentimenti di Jinshi al fatto di essere in una posizione politicamente pericolosa per lei) è bellissimo