The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou, 肉包不吃肉, Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat

Mo Ran felt that taking Chu Wanning as his master was a mistake.

His Shizun was just so similar to a cat, while he was like a silly dog.

Dogs and cats were biologically different. The silly dog hadn’t originally intended to put his furry paws out towards that cat.

He originally thought that dogs should be with dogs, like his senior brother, who was beautiful and docile, like a cute Japanese Spitz. They would look so good together.

But after dying and coming back to life, after living two lifetimes, the one he’d brought back to his den both times was that snow-white kitty Shizun that he didn’t even have his eye on at first.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, China, Queer, Fiction, Historical

900 pages, ebook

First published September 21, 2017

About the author

Associated Names:
* Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
* 肉包不吃肉 (Chinese Profile)
* โร่วเปาปู้ชือโร่ว (Thai Profile)
* Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (English Profile)

Reviews

[rin · Rating 5 out of 5]

IM FREEEEEE!!!!!!!! WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY FUCKING LIFE

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I even begin explaining all the emotions that I went through reading Husky.

I can't.

But I will try.

This is me to shizun:



Me to Moran:



Me to RanWan:


Me to Nam Gongxi and some characters:


Me while reading:





Me when the novel ends:


Lastly, me, yes still retaining some of my rationality and have some criticisms to make: This novel is a rather big case of Deux Ex Machina, which is definitely a huge plot flaw. Rou Bao's writing is also a bit dramatic to my taste.

But.

DO I CARE? NO.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I READ THIS MONSTER ALREADY? TWICE.

WILL I EVER STOP LOVING IT? NO.

Thank you.

[anmol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start gushing over this book, I just wanna say that if you ever decide to read this novel, please read the content warnings before because there are MANY.

Also this review lowkey has spoilers sooooooooo

I'm so happy to be finally free from the agony this book was. Don't get me wrong- I am already missing RanWan and dying to go read the extra chapters but HOW MUCH PAIN CAN THE CHARACTERS HANDLE OHMYGOD THIS WAS HEARTBREAK ON HEARTBREAK AND I JUST WANTED MY LOVES TO BE HAPPY (it reminded me sooo much of ZA istg but at least this ended )

"Two lifetimes, they belong to you. No regrets."

AHHHHHHHH THIS BOOK OHMYGOD IT BROKE ME IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE TAXIAN JUN IM NEVER GETTING OVER YOUR DERANGED ASS

Chu Wanning, my little meow meow- he's so precious YOU DONT UNDERSTAND. (hes a leo too but thats not the point) Like moron said, he's so innocent, so fucking good, sooo perfect, so adorable and awkward plssss, no wonder everyone is in love with him. 😭 Plus, he was relatable asfuck. I love that man sm.

Hell is too cold.
Mo Ran, I'll accompany you.

The way he loved moron in both lifetimes. 😭 Pls I want what RanWan have without so much angst ofc

After Shi Mei left, there was no more Mo Weiyu in this world.
What about Chu Wanning?
After Chu Wanning left, Mo Weiyu didn't know what was in this world anymore.

Call me blind because I can't see the walking red flag that is our other main character- Mo Ran, my little woof woof (or moron as I like to call him)

The first is Moron 1.0 THIS LITTLE GREMLIN HES SUCH A LITTLE SHIT I LOVE HIM SM honestly he was the first moron we met, and I was hating him mostly bcs- first, he was going crazy over someone else WHEN HIS HUSBAND AND THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE WAS RIGHT THEREEEE

He was infuriating but I loved those moments when he would still doubt his feelings for Chu Wanning and remember and actually wonder why he was so fucking evil and fucked up and the way he tried to not be the same as before.

PLEASE THE WAY HE PROMISED HIMSELF HE WONT GO THROUGH THE DOOR TO TAKE CARE OF A SICK CHU WANNING, ONLY TO GO BACK THROUGH THE WINDOW BCS HOW CAN HE NOT TAKE CARE OF HIS WANNING A CLOWN I TELL YA

NOW- MORON 2.0 AKA SIMP Mo Zongshi- this dude he made me cry sm im not kidding the way he was devoted to loving chu wanning the way he didn't in the past lifetime, the way he wanted to be better for him, the way he was so ashamed of the way he was in the past, the way he did all that he could to not be like his past self again, the way he loved his family, the way he wanted everyone in this lifetime to have a happy ending and did everything he could to help them, the way he was ready to atone for the sins he committed but wasnt ready for people to ridicule his shizun, his wanning, the way he hated to be called taxian jun, the way he wrote letters to chu wanning every day for five years while they werent together, the way he rearranged the table so that wannings fave food is in near him, the way he made handkerchiefs for others because his wanning can make handkerchiefs for only him, the way he never drank wine after wanning died bcs it reminds him of the night he dies when he spent the whole night drinking, the way he cooks food for his wanning, the way he only wants to respect and love wanning, the way he sobs and breaks down bcs he doesnt want his family to hate him ohmg i love mo zongshi with all my heart

"Hell is too cold, Chu Wanning, you'll come accompany me."

"I want your person. I want your life. You want to be their fire, I want to take you to my grave. You can only illuminate my bones. I want you to rot with me."

Now *twirls hair* Moron 0.5 aka Taxian-Jun. Listen, this man should come with a warning sign BUT THE WAY FEMINISM EVAPORATES FROM MY SOUL WHEN HE COMES OHMYGOD He is so dark, so twisted, so fucked up, so fucking toxic istg but HE. HAS. DIMPLES.

"I wanted to say that after so many years, it seems that … I do miss you a little …"
He quickly added, "But I don't think too much, just a little."

HE WAS SO FLUSTERED OHGOD

I don't condone a lot of things he did. But my god, how can someone not like him after finishing this book. His character development is just *chefs kiss*

Words won't do justice to how much I love Taxian-Jun but these quotes ugh >>>>>>>>

The day after Chu Wanning died, he drank a whole jar of pear blossom white, and every day after that, he would fall asleep in the tomb of a living corpse called the Red Lotus Pavilion. From that day on, he had buried himself too.


"Chu Wanning, I hate you. You left me all alone."
As he said this, he raised his arms and hugged him tightly.
He was stung by the warmth he hadn't felt in a long time, and a deep sigh came from his throat. He clung to him, holding him, wishing he could rub him into his bones and blood and swallow him into his lungs and live from then on be either dead or warm or cold.


"I'm afraid I don't hate you. I want to hate you. Otherwise, I…"
"Wanning." He finally closed his eyes and sighed. "In the end, it's just you and me."


"He has a fever and is afraid of catching a cold."
"... So?"
This zombie, who was only left with a sliver of his soul from his previous life, lightly said, "With me holding him, he will be warmer."

and then him touching his chest and saying yes it is warm bcs his wanning touched him there ohmygod im sobbing


"Don't leave me a second time. The first time, I could die. But if you go away a second time. I can't even choose to die." Taxian-Jun frowned. His face was gloomy and crazy, while sadness and paranoia coexisted. "I will not be able to take it…"


"Chu Wanning. After I revived, I saw that there weren't even any bones left of you in the Red Lotus Pavilion… do you know how I felt?"
...
"Nearly ten years!"
...
"Ten years, Chu Wanning. He was reincarnated in the past, and this Venerable one was awakened on the peak of the world of the dead, in Wushan Palace. For ten years I have read letters of your joys and him. And what about me?!"
...
"From the beginning till the end, I've only cherished one person! When he left me, I didn't even have a handful of ashes!"

taxian jun here was just painful to read. "why didnt u just take my heart out?" shut up "if i had died like him before u, would u have protected me too?"


"Look, there's only you and me here now. There can only be you and me."

did i mention how much i love his possessive ass?


"When they return to the Demonic World, do you want to stay with me in this mortal world, or do you want to cross the gates of life and death to let me follow you back to the previous world?"

its the way he doesnt even think he'll be away from his wanning <3


"I used to think I had nothing else to ask of the world, and that I was not afraid of death."
After a pause, the man lowered his head.
"But I don't want to go now. He's still in the world, and I can't let him go."

Hua Cheng is that you?

No but seriously, these all versions are my moron and the way all of them loved Chu Wannning. But most importantly, my 15 year old moron from the past life- he was so pure, so innocent, gahhh WHERE WAS THIS BOOK ALL MY LIFEEE

There are actually a few things I didn't like in this book but honestly, idec bcs the emotions this made me go through I cannot give this book anything lower than 5 stars.

I haven't even said anything about the side characters but I'll just save them for the official translation's reviews ig. 🥹

________________


she was right 😭

i never do this bcs i think id forget what i was gonna say if i delay writing the review but i really need to gather my thoughts on this so rtc

________________


things my cousin texted me when i told her im reading this:
- prepare tissues
- its longer than tgcf (LIKE WTF THAT BOOK WAS 2K+ PAGES AND YOURE TELLING ME THIS??? IS??? EVEN??? LONGER??? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FINISH IT IN THIS LIFETIME?!?!?)

[Ning Xin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t be deceived by the title: The Husky and his White Cat Shizun. It sounds like a happy crack fic about animals, but the title's just about the fluffiest thing in the entire novel. This is a xianxia novel spanning two alternate universes, mysteries upon mysteries where nothing is as it seems, and a second chance to do things over.

It’s a heartwrenching, agonising story that keeps you up at night (bought an eye cream last night because this novel gave me even more dark circles), makes you distracted in classes (translation: sneakily using your phone to read the book during lessons……) and be a hermit just to read it as fast as you possibly can. I love this novel. It consumed my entire being in the last week. I couldn’t think about anything but it.

The overarching backstory that the author crafted explained a lot of unassuming details I took for granted in the first half of the book. With rebirth and do-over novels, it's pretty common for authors to take the easy way out and not explain how & why the characters were given a second chance and instead, simply present it as the novel's premise, but not in this novel.

The first half of the book is more character-driven, but the plot takes the center stage in the second half - twist after twist. When reading it, I felt as though I was peering through a microscope which was now slowly zooming out, so that my field of view widened and I could see, for the first time, the story in its entirety. I aged a century by the close of the book spanning 4-5,000 pages on my phone - I came! I saw! I felt!

Above all, I love the main characters – 墨燃，楚晚宁. This is actually the first book I’ve come across that is remotely similar to CS Pacat’s Captive Prince, and I’ve been searching for over 8 years. It’s amazing when I think about it, because they’re in different languages and genres, but there are fundamental similarities: the unreliable narrator trope (I have a huge weakness for this).

There’s so much to be read between the lines. The punch in your gut when you *understand* the characters intuitively, without the author spelling it out; the similarities between Laurent and CWN (y'know... cut glass; an icicle; a person whose words left unsaid are often more important than what they do vocalise); the contrast between the main characters.

There is so much I want to say, to ramble to the world how much I love this book. I love it! I love it so, so much. Please love it too! But I stumble over myself trying to find the words to express my jumbled thoughts. I’ve been pulled into their world for the last one week. It feels like I was there, with them, as a lone cloud drifting by from above, y’know? Quietly watching their stories unfold.

Edit/ so this book got a drama adaptation & while i usually have my reservations on adaptations, they've casted LYX for CWN which is literally a dream come true for all the fangirls out there. I think 99% of the fanmade MVs on bilibili (go watch them if you haven't!!) cast LYX as CWN for good reason - he really suits the role.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

(EDIT 20/1/22: edited for clarity)
Man, this is a mammoth book. It took me two whole weeks to read this and near the end I really started to skim by the chapter.


I really liked the character growth that the main character, Moran, underwent. He is a standard asshole lover type of character (scum gong for those who know the term) and the first 70% involves a thorough reworking of his character. He becomes more in touch with the actual facts and his own feelings and spends about 1.8k pages untangling his issues and gaining more and more clarity about himself. He begins to give up on superficial rewards (money, food, power), realizing that they leave him emotionally empty and even more grasping. It was very rewarding reading this.

As he came more and more in touch with the truth, he began to feel more guilt for his past violent, abusive, empty, grasping and power-hungry actions. I also really loved the tsun/shameless dynamic between the main two. It's hilarious at times. There were some really good tearjerker scenes. I loved the entire middle part where Moran learns everything that had been kept from him (the wanton scene).


I really didn't like the actual plot - all the stuff other than Moran and Chu Wanning's relationship development. I felt that some things were too coincidental, the book is way too long and I started to struggle to stay interested. The last one quarter's stuff just felt too gratuitous, too exaggerated, too melodramatic to me and I skimmed most of it.

Another thing that irked me was the underlying misogyny in the novel. Pretty much all the female characters were either weak, sluts, or bitches. Really frustrating.

I would have been very happy if the book had just ended with Moran's redemption. The first half of the book was easily a five-star, but the last one quarter was really not my cup of tea.

[Cherzelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going in I was warned this book was going to be painful and let me tell you this book does not pull any punches. It is all knives.

This novel is a master class in pain and through it, you will experience all the different kinds of pain 2Ha(another name for the novel) has to offer as the author finds more and more innovative ways to stab you

Heres a sample of what to expect:

- there is the longing pain that is slow and makes your heart clench.
- there is angsty pain, the levels of which have never been reached before. 90% of the novel is basically this.
- there is the pain of dread that creeps on you. It will make your eyes involuntarily shut as your primal reflex tries to protect your poor heart from the soul-crushing reveal to come.
- there is the pain similar to the sudden recollection of that embarrassing memory of tripping and face planting in front of your classmates; it is toe-curling, vivid and no matter how many years have past, it will still sting like a bitch
- there is the pain of your brain turning to mush as it tries to make sense of the latter half of the novel.


The first half of the novel is just the most heart wrenching solid thing ever. However, my main issue is how the novel starts spiralling in the second half and by the last major arc, it just feels like an exposition dump and a convoluted mess. It’s such a shame considering the sheer talent of the author. Meatbun can really write, she can make you feel emotions more vivid than your own, I just wished the latter half of the story maintained the same quality as book 1


The story has a lot of grey areas, it is hard to define what is good and bad so instead, I’ll talk about what I like/ dislike about it


Like:
• it is not a typical rebirth story. Whatever framework you have in mind just throw it away because the story will break all expectations. It is not cliche in the slightest and the characters can be frustrating but they stay true to who they are. Be patient, they follow their own paths and grow into their own character arcs in time. It is very rewarding
• I really love how the past is interwoven into the present. I previously read TGCF and MDZS and personally I wasn’t a fan of how flashbacks were dumped on you in huge chunks spanning multiple chapters. In 2Ha you never really lose sight of the main story and the past is revealed like puzzle pieces. The information is delivered at just the right time for maximum emotional damage.
•The main two characters are amazing. Seriously you get to experience so many facets them. Chu Wanning is such a precious bean and Moran, ugh, I love Moran. The story is so well written you will love and hate him in equal measure. The story does not skim over the heavy and emotional bits. The characters struggle and regret and torture themselves. It can get really dark at times. This is a story with stakes where every action causes ripples on the person enacting it and those around them. So far I haven’t read a Dan Mei that does emotional trauma as well as erHa.
• Speaking of Moran, I just love how messed up he was in the past. As strange as it sounds, not many authors can pull off a convincing evil character and meatbun really went all out with Moran. Taxian-jun was really a horrible cruel person. It is what makes his whole redemption journey all the more satisfying. It also makes you ponder some questions about morality- what is right and wrong? Who can judge and is atonement really possible? Even if the world forgives you, can you forgive yourself or are you just destine to grovel forever paying an infinite debt?
• I just really love book 1 and the initial part of book 2. The farming arc is just hot and adorable. Enjoy the happy bits because the latter part of the story is all knives


Dislike:
• Not a dislike per-say but fair warning, this book is extremely graphic. The amount of rape/non-con/dub-con/gore/sexual stuff is no joke. The author leaves nothing to the imagination and some of the descriptions will sear your eyes.
This is the reason that even though I really enjoy this book, it is not something I would recommend to any of my real life friends.
• The main issue I have with the book is the plot. While the characters are incredibly written and really do shine, certain plot points are kind of thrown together. I found it hard to link up the overarching storyline. Towards the latter half the story the author basically starts throwing random reveals at you. It needlessly convolutes the story and it was quite vexing to read. Some of the reveals really do come out of left field. I was left going WTF?! During the last arc, every page felt like it hurt my brain to read


This is a story that leaves me conflicted. Out of all the Danmeis I’ve read (actually out of everything I’ve read in these two years. Period. ) none have cut as hard as 2Ha. This is not a fluffy romance, do not be fooled by the cute title, this story will not coddle you, it will tear you apart and leave you bleeding on the floor. It can be really frustrating to read at times and very emotionally draining. However, it can be really rewarding as well.


The characters would stay with you for a long time afterwards. It is not a light or easy read but definitely one I do not regret reading. It is bloody long but I still wish it were longer.

[hiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

"two lifetimes, they belong to you. no regrets."

4.5/5

this book came close to destroying any semblance of mental health i still have remaining and i couldn't be more grateful.

some thoughts:
- ranwan is everything. i love them both so much, especially chu wanning.
- the side characters were all so distinct with such good fleshed out arcs of their own - xue meng and shi mei are my faves.
- the villains were chef's kiss brilliant.
- the plot was ANGSTY angsty - i thought i was mentally prepared but i really wasn't.
- read chapter 279 twice and my eyes leaked tears both times.
- but it's not just angst - there are plenty of sweet, hilarious, horny, weird moments too, pretty well balanced overall.
- the plot twists were genuinely insane - my mouth dropped open multiple times.
- i really enjoyed it but it's most definitely not a book for everyone - approach with caution.

[note: honestly, this novel comes with serious trigger warnings/problematic content, which you can find listed in the english fan translation, and i do NOT recommend it if that's not something you're okay with reading].

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW/CW : SPOILERS
suicide; abuse and stereotyping of sex workers; underage sex; children mutilated and abused; threat of raping someone to death; corporal punishment (whipping); past attempted peeping/voyeurism; human decomposition; mild self-harm; forced marriage; some vague noncon fantasies; sex between corpses; terrorizing/threatening a small child, forced feeding; cruelty to sister/daughter-in-law, freezing to death; bloodletting; fatphobic comments; blood, self-sacrifice; derogatory comment over dark skin; referenced child neglect; reference to false accusations, abuse, sexual assault; murder of a child; slave auctioneering of an underage and virgin girl; reference to genocide, cannibalism, sexual slavery; femicide; corpse putrefaction; parental death; hostage; (nonsexual) rough manhandling; possessive talk; allusions to past rape; a child starving and dying; graphic sexual assault; graphic rape; noncon substance use; gangrape and murder of underage girl; child incarceration; beheading; torture; mass murder; arson; sexism; whorephobic commentary; genocide; forced impregnation; homophobic slur

[I didn't realize this book would be that dark; in fact, these trigger warnings are something to be aware of.]

OFFICIAL TRANSLATION and MY REVIEWS :

BOOK 1- ⭐⭐⭐.5
BOOK 2- ⭐⭐⭐.5
BOOK 3-⭐⭐⭐.5
BOOK 4-⭐⭐⭐.25
BOOK 5-⭐⭐⭐.75

About half of the book is contained in the official translation (that is, up to book 5). And it took me two days to finish the second half after a month to finish the first.

This is something: the entire second half kept me on the edge of my seat. It is simply impossible to keep up with all the twists and turns since there is so much going on. Additionally, certain triggers should be avoided.

The novel really went to an extreme and was a complete trauma dump that happened back-to-back.

I have so much to write about right now, but I guess I'll wait till the individual volumes are available to discuss them. I believe the remaining volumes won't be released for another year. Anyhow, it will be worthwhile to reread them.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus Christ. You ever just read something and realise your brain will just never be the same again.

I’ll be giving my individual ratings and reviews for each volume as the translations are released (I’m excited to read the official translations to see if some passages read better because I’ve found the official translation has been lovely but the fan translation was a bit rough).

I can only assume it’s been broken up into 11 volumes cause the human mind isn’t equipped to deal with so much emotional and psychological damage being delivered in one go 🫠. My heart hurt so many times reading this, to the point where I had to take like a month long break at one point.

Just so amazing and so fucked up.

TWs: just fucking all of them



A small moment of silence for everyone who picks up this Danmei thinking it’ll be cute cause of the title ☠️

[jut · Rating 4 out of 5]

im crying. can the chinese novels stop doing this to me? please, at this point im just getting crazier lmao

[Minion Muncher · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at chapter 190 (it should have been chapter 100, but damn my pride).

- - -

SPOILERS



[Like Meatbun, my review is out of place, because I cannot be bothered to edit it.]

It seemed like the author had all of these grand ideas that she thought would impress everyone, and just dumped them in the book with really no reason. Some of the ‘plot points’ had little point, namely when the dumbass Shizun became a kid for what- three years? Then he dies, and it’s like ‘why, why did this need to happen?’. Was it an allusion to Wanning being smaller than MoRan, or him being a bottom- because that’s reigning in something I do not want to touch on.

Nearly every side character gets a whole, intricate backstory, then they die this tragic death that seems to be so detailed, it’s like it wants you to cry for these unimportant characters.

Another thing was MoRan kept things from the reader, especially when there were moments that the reader should have known about something, but MoRan was like “nah, you don’t need to know this really important piece of information despite it being a great time to tell you right now!”

The author also didn’t seem to know her characters. Both Shizun and MoRan had different ideals and mindsets every like ten chapters. Example; MoRan blamed himself for his past sins, yet in the next chapter he blamed unknown forces or whatever. Same with Wanning, he hates his ‘teacher’ ways and blamed himself for whatever shit he pulled on his disciples (mainly MoRan), then the next chapter he would, yes you guessed it, hold himself up on a pedestal for his great shizun ways! (That was slightly dramatic, mind you).

When Chu Wanning and MoRan finally got together, it was strange. Shizun was rather negative to their relationship- not really treating it as one (which could be explained with him having zero experience) and outright ignoring and running away from MoRan. They grew closer together, which gave off really strong Stockholm syndrome vibes, yikes. Especially when Shizun starting blaming himself for being the victim, that just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now let’s touch upon the truly disappointing part(s) of this book, sigh. Rape, shall I say anymore? Rape and non-con is in every single chapter of this book. Shout out to the translations that list the trigger warnings before each chapter, because authors usually forget those.
I’m not sure if the author listed any trigger warnings in the original Chinese version, so I won’t say anything about that.
MoRan is the type of person that should not be romanised. He thinks about raping somebody always every waking second (and every non-waking second, might I add), and doesn’t seem sorry that he does so.

The most —————— thing is people ‘shipping’ this literal rapist with an inexperienced and fragile man. Nowhere does it show MoRan feeling remorse, nor does he apologise for his past actions.
If MoRan did apologise, it can be taken as a form of manipulation. The fact that he did such unacceptable acts means his apology should mean nothing.


Read if you like:
- 10+ arcs that are pointless and or easily forgotten
- 90% of the characters are introduced, which is then turned around and you’re told that’s all false
- 50% of the characters who die, get introduced with intricate backgrounds that have no purpose whatsoever for the end of the story
- The MC (narrator) knowing everything, but hiding some things away from the reader (it’s more like he’s lying, as there were times it was probably best if he told the reader the truth and not come up with lies)
- A toxic and manipulative main relationship, with a sprinkle of Stockholm syndrome
- Characters running around in circles; and when you think they’ll close the circle, they end up opening it wider
- A lot of details about things that turn out to be false, or unimportant
- Information and details being repeated more than once, especially in the same chapter




Note: I do not care if you enjoy this story. I get the appeal, I do, but everybody has their own opinions, and Meatbun put too many no-nos in this story for me to like it.

[kay! ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎︎ ｡ ✧ ⋆ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 🍓｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

”two lifetimes, they belong to you. no regrets.”

i want to say i finished erha but it’s more like erha finished me. at the sake of my mental health, sleep schedule, and eye sight i read this bad boy in like 12-ish days and it was my best/worst decision ever

i don’t even know if i can eloquently lay out my thoughts about this book because i still have yet to sit down and process those 300+ chapters. like. what did i just read? the grip that the characters and plot and writing had on me was frightening because i’m not a fast reader girlie nor do i even care for angst and i almost always go for danmei’s that are under 100 chapters because my attention span is a wreck

and yet.

i couldn’t put this down. it’s all i thought about for those 12 days. erha is far from perfect and i actually don’t feel completely satisfied with certain plot lines or…the ending…i can’t deny that erha and ranwan rewired a big chunk of my brain. meatbun is equal parts brilliant and evil for the pain she inflicted on her characters and idk if i should be thankful to her for bringing ranwan into my life or silently cursing her for making me cry my eyes out over and over


erha is not for the faint of heart. please please please know that the very long list of triggers that ppl mention is not an exaggeration and that things are most definitely not sugarcoated. like. i’m not joking. i feel like i’m going to have a delayed reaction about a lot of messed up things that happened in erha after i take some time to process everything 😔


anyways!!!! my heart has a big gaping wound that is the size of ranwan and i miss them terribly already. their love was a roller coaster and i’m so happy i got to watch these two extremely flawed characters grow and develop as both individuals & in their relationship. and also xue meng!!! while i do love ranwan, i also love xue meng. so thankful for meatbun centering so many of the extras (which cured my heartache & restored my faith) around xue meng.


okay i know this review is a mess but erha just gave me very big feelings and emotions and i have no clue how to verbalize them without dropping a bunch of spoilers or just incoherently rambling. if you can handle the mile long list of triggers please consider giving erha a try!!! it has such a precious place in my heart and i just know the story & characters will stay with me for a long time 🫶

[Georgi Flintsilver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I start.....this is a very yikes premise but specifically the rape aspect. If you took that out, it would have gotten at least 4 stars from me. It is a similar vein to Captive Prince but somehow even worse because of all the shit going on and the many layers of the plot. Sometimes less is more but most importantly, the author's rape fantasy fetish or whatever ruined the story. It shouldn't even be labelled as a romance in any aspect. I'm so upset that I didn't heed the warnings and read it anyway. It really could have been a good story without (1) the rape plot (2) the age gap. There's my opinion. Wish fandom spaces of mxtx's novels would stop recommending 2ha. It paints mlm in a horrible light actually. I mean, the genre in an of itself is problematic so I shouldn't be surprised but I was so taken with mdzs and tgcf that I let myself get bamboozled.

[Marika Charalambous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn you chapter 279. You broke my heart and used a meat grinder to destroy those pieces even more. Meatbun definitely knows how to give us plenty of knives to play with. Pain has never been easier obtained.

For anyone who is deceived by the title into thinking it's a fluffy, light piece: Oh, you poor summer child.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not done but caught up with translation, Again, started this without realizing the main relationship used to be teacher and student which I really don’t vibe with. However, that is the least of these characters problems I hope they both get therapy lol

EDIT: 2.5/5 stars finished the mtl and tbh I didn’t like it very much... however the plot twists were very fun and over the top, and I adored chu wanning, but the excessive non con really ruined a lot of my enjoyment, unfortunately. I will probably watch the drama when it comes out though!

[lyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

wanted to kms several times... five stars

[Marureviere · Rating 5 out of 5]

["He was the one who brought you home; you were unconscious, and his spiritual energy was completely drained. He could only carry you on his back and climb up the stairs of Sisheng Peak, step by step...over three thousand steps..."

And when he couldn't do it anymore, couldn't stand anymore, he crawled on the ground, on his knees, dragging him, until his fingers were torn, and his hands were covered in blood.

All to bring him home. ]


PUTANGINA I DON'T NEED MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL STABILITY ANYWAY

[richa ⋆.˚★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐

--------------------------------------------------
Mama didn't raise no chicken and if I survive my current read I'll be reading this next 😚

[Julienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m grateful that I was art-baited and I got curious and read this novel. This novel is gold. For someone who has read hundreds of western-published fantasy books, this book to me is a captivating fresh read and a one hell of a ride. My novel standards are higher than ever after reading this. I dont think anything can top this as a “bat-shit crazy fantasy”. It’s a gold in its genre and it might take me a long time before finding something that can equal. There were trigger warnings, the book is dark and heavy and the cover will deceive. It’s brutal and it didn’t play safe. The writing was imaginative, the details creative. Even the gore was crafted in a descriptive way. The characters’ emotions, their journey, the development were all brilliant. The ending was bittersweet but it was wrapped nicely, not dragging, not rushed.

The premise looked simple: Mo Ran was a tyrannical emperor who slaughtered thousands but he got crazy at 32 and took his own life. Then, he was reborn, went back to his 15 year old self with the consciousness of his previous lifetime. Thought that’s just the plot right? Like he can redeem himself and that’s it? But what I thought was linear and predictable slapped me in the face with a long pile of conflicts and plot twists, the cultivation magic system made me feel like my mind was too bland. I had to read some paragraphs over and over to fully comprehend the magic system. It was complex and carefully stitched nicely to the main conflict. The foreshadowing of so many things was a genius. I find an iconic character in Taxian Jun and Chu Wanning. I even find the tragic Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si something that I will ponder on for a while.

1.3 Million word count and I finished faster than I did with some western-published novels that had less than 200,000 word count these days.

I had a couple of sleepless nights because of this. My weekends were full of reading too. The conflicts and the stakes were so high it kept me at the edge of my seat. I found myself not being able to stop. It’s addictive and it didn’t disappoint.

Will definitely wait for the live action drama to see how they will execute such a masterpiece.

[ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I possibly sum up this book in one review? I can’t. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I booed, I mourned, and I celebrated. 2ha puts you through 50 different emotions in the matter of ~310 chapters. I’m not sure I can handle another Meatbun novel since I’ve heard that 2ha is the easiest to digest (maybe this is incorrect. Feel free to change my mind).

When I first heard of 2ha I wasn’t interested whatsoever. I took one look at the tags and said “nope that’s too much for me to handle”. Then my friend kept raving to me about 2ha and how good it was. I grew more curious. How could I possibly like a story that pushes my boundaries? I contemplated reading it, but still wasn’t ready. Fan art and edits started to flood my timeline, and I grew more curious. Finally when I found out that I share a birthday Chu Wanning I decided I have to read this book. I’ve never seen a character with the same birthday as me, so this must be destiny. I have no regrets.

Patience and being open-minded to changing your opinions on characters is crucial for reading 2ha. So much happens in this lengthy danmei. It will give you a headache again and again. Reading more than half of 2ha for 8 hours/day in a week took a toll on me.

If you’re interested in starting 2ha, please be absolutely certain that you’re ready for it. It deals with heavy and dark topics that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Please be sure to read the content warnings, especially if this is your first novel dealing with such topics. It can be extremely emotionally draining.

For more in depth reviews check out my review for each volume published by Seven Seas:

Vol 1
Check out this review!

Vol 2
Check out this review!

Vol 3
Check out this review!

Vol 4
Check out this review!

Vol 5
Check out this review!

Vol 6
Check out this review!

Vol 7
Check out this review!

Vol 8
Check out this review!

Vol 9
Check out this review!

Vol 10

Vol 11

The reason why I took so long to finish reading 2ha is because of the extras. Maybe it was the translation or I wasn’t a fan of the content, but I struggled so much to get through them. I discovered a few of the extras were definitely MTL because I met the infamous Ink Burn. Boy was it a pain to read MTL. I’m willing to give the extras another chance once Seven Seas publishes all of them. Please don’t disappoint me.

[Shu Wei Chin]

I read the official Seven Seas volumes, and here are my unhinged low quality reviews:

2Ha Vol. 1: where Chu Wanning needs a hug more than any other.
2Ha Vol. 2: the volume with the most pastel, wholesome cover and the most deranged, horrible scenes that made me cry.
2Ha Vol. 3: where I am finally convinced and fully hopped on the ranwan ship.
2Ha Vol. 4: YEARNING
2Ha Vol. 5: lethal politics and a whole lot of kicking my legs at ranwan's shenanigans.

[Aleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

hello darkness my old friend

this was harrowing but very rewarding experience.

the embodiment of “read for pain”.

[Austin (Weird)]

bro I am tired of waiting for the official releases

[Ash(eaux) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know I said I wouldn't come back to this novel and I certainly don't plan to pick it back up, however I have come across some major plot information which coupled with the knowledge I've gained reading the first half of the book had me reevaluating my perception of this story (not that I thought very highly of it in the first place). Because I will be talking about the novel as a whole I will write down my thoughts here rather than on each separate volume. Detailed review will be up later :)


Ok so, this review won't really have any type of structure I'm just here to air my grievances. Spoilers ahead :

SO obviously having read a bit more than half this book I could very easily figure out who the big bad of this story would end up being, namely Shi Mei, and more so his more evil version of the first timeline Hua Binan. What I didn't know however is that Hua Binan is one of the rare descendants of the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast Clan. This clan is known for being raped killed and tortured en masse by cultivators because of their special abilities. Now does making your main villain a survivor of an oppressed minority fighting against their oppressor necessarily a bad thing ? No, but when you have no real intention to explore the political aspects you decide to include in your book and instead just make them a cartoonishly evil character mostly used as fodder to make your main couple go through hundreds of pages of hardship for the angst it's a bit... Just like the "child who suffers through trauma is bound to recreate the exact same patterns in their adulthood doomed cycle trope" I particularly dislike the "we're going to make the survivor of an oppressed minority not empathetic and really dislikeable for choosing violence to fight back" one, I'm not saying they should be blameless kind perfect empty molds either, but there are ways to handle certain topics.

Hua Binan and Shi Mei aren't the only reason I'm saying this was poorly handled btw, because let's not forget the disaster that was Song Qiutong as a character. Ignoring the fact that her only purpose of existence in the story was to create angst between the main couple in the first timeline and then between Nangong Si and Ye Wangxi in the second, she's also extremely villainized simply for trying to survive and plotting for her safety before all else because she has literally no agency and the entire world is ready to rape and torture her because of her ethnicity. Mo Ran who has committed atrocities and his past life is free to start over and strive to become a better person, Song Qiutong (who isn't even actually the same person as in her past timeline as Mo Ran is) does not have such opportunities, she's to be publicly shamed and killed off for practically nothing. Now obviously Mo Ran is biased when harming her, all he cares about is that she (not really her again, another version of her) harmed his beloved in his past life (nvm that he raped him countless time in the past also lol), but even so, as he "evolves to become a better person" he never questions once the prejudices he has against this person, nobody ever takes interest in the social circumstances of Song Qiutong's life, which is not only boring plot wise because she has very interesting parallels to the main character that could have been explored, but also goes to show that her background and what it entails doesn't actually matter to the author, she only ends up as an even bigger fodder than Hua Binan.

Speaking of interesting plotlines, going back to Mo Ran, when I first started this book, I thought the plot would go something like : we have this evil main character who is reborn, as he relives part of his old life he comes to see the people he used to hang out around in a different light and realize some past biases he had which in turn will lead to character development on his part and introspection on the sort of person that he is, that he wants to become and owning up and taking responsibility for his past mistakes (maybe, it's not necessary, a "bad" mc doesn't need to be redeemed), a great potential premise ! little did I know that I would be met with one of the most lazy and boring plot devices of all time instead.

Like seriously?? I did not become evil, I was under the influence of an evil flower planted in me by an evil guy so all my evil and awful actions were all done under influence and I was coerced the entire time...girl I have to laugh I'm sorry, not only because it is ridiculous but because it is obvious why it was written that way. The obvious rape kink aside, this trope is awfully convenient for our main couple's happy ending. Yes the mc raped the love interest several times but like, he was also forced when he did it, so it's really good angst material but ends up very much an excusable thing to develop the romance in the end, awesome ! Me personally, if you present me with a morally inexcusable character at the beginning of your book, I'd rather you stick to it and work on developing that character instead of whatever this is. It's even funnier when you think about the fact that Mo Ran has the perfect backstory to make the rough outline I described before work, he was treated horribly his entire childhood, has a great tragic backstory himself, who wouldn't a grow a bit of resentment (no evil flowers aid involved) if all that happened to them ? But I guess if we had actually used that backstory and gone the route of being rightfully angry at the classist awful society and the people rulling it and trying to do smth abt it with violent acts, then Mo Ran would have ended up very similar to another character..ohhhh..oh noo....oups.

That's most of what I had to say I believe, other than that as I've mentioned before in my previous reviews, the glaring misogyny and the lackluster way the plot was developing is what made me drop in the first place.
I can easily admit that my rating partly comes from the fact that this type of story just really isn't for me, but it's also largely because it's just badly written overall and uses some questionable tropes that I believe should be left behind for good.

[Roisin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy sh*t this book! It really impressed me.
I know a lot of people talking about this book focus on the non-con/dub-con factor and the general sexy stuff, which is a huge disservice to the book not because there's anything wrong with erotica (not a personal fave genre but each to their own I guess?), but because the book is not actually just about the sex and the r*pe stuff are actually:
1. Treated as something really bad, done by the bad guys and the characters falling on the darker side of the morality spectrum.
2. Physical and sexual agency and autonomy are both a part of the love interest's character arc and it is in exploring this that the non-con stuff find context and are explored. It'll make no sense if the story didn't have the conflict without actually having this nuance.
3. After everything, this is a work of fiction and one should not treat its content as a guideline for how to maintain relationships or how to treat survivors of traumatic situations. It's fiction. About characters who fly on swords. I mean...
(That said, if you are uncomfortable with reading about sexual abuse or interactions between former abusers and their victims in any capacity, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! Just don't do it! Seriously, read something else. Love yourself and take care of your mental well-being. )

And my personal takeaway from the book and its handling of the subject was that rape is bad and you are a fool to think it's hot because consensual, mutual relations are way hotter and more fun! Idk, maybe that's just me?

Anyway, now that I have dealt with that, I want to name some of the other themes explored in the book which are most unfairly undervalued and dismissed but are seriously well done in the book, and credit is due.

1.Xianxia/fantasy martial art world: the book is obviously xianxia and it's a damn good one! The world-building is rich and the fantasy elements are interesting. The world order makes sense and operates in a logical (magical ) way.

2. Classism, elitism, and the villains the social hierarchical order makes: both the main character and the main villain who operate as foils, are the results of a defective social system that repeatedly creates undesirable outcasts then abandons them to fester into little villains. Actually, quite similarly to mxtx's the grandmaster of diabolism, this book also represents and shows the aftermath of a highly classist system but takes it to an extreme. It's very well done and funny enough, that's something I think comes across even in the naming of the novel, but you'll only get that if you read it.

3. Agency/body and mind autonomy: on top of the thing I said about the main love interest, the other key characters, the main character, the main villain, and even some of the less prominent supporting characters, all struggle with agency to different degrees. They either have their control over their lives and themselves forcefully taken away or are put in tragic situations where it becomes inevitable. Moreover, the book takes the initiative to actually present this loss in nuanced ways; sometimes it's done without ill intentions but out of ignorance. It's fascinating and the book takes a roundabout, subtle way to do it but oh boy is it effective.

4.Redemption/guilt/forgiveness: the book asks a lot of questions about a lot of things. One of those is asking about what it takes to redeem oneself. It asks, what if, there was a different life, and during that, you were evil and did really unforgivable things to your loved ones, and then those things became known by those loved ones. Are responsible for those actions? What does it take to redeem oneself? What about personal guilt? Is it enough if those loved ones forgive you and what happens to one's own feelings here? Does redemption only include what one owes to others? What about what we owe to ourselves? It's just...SO GOOD! the book really goes for it. It just really asks the hard questions but what answers you give to them and what answers the book gives to them don't have to coincide for the effect to be fully experienced. I just loved how the book explores the concept of forgiveness. What we are willing to forgive and forget and if that's enough. *chef's kiss* truly.

5. Judge, jury, and executioner: this relates back to a lot of the formerly mentioned themes. The book explores what it means to punish a criminal, who is allowed to do this, and to what extend. It questions motivations and inherited punishments and fair judgment. This is a serious theme in a lot of religious stories and this book brings it to an almost secular situation (almost being the operative term). The hypocrisy of the masses, personal biases, and gains, the unfair punishment traditions of conventional societies, etc. all of these are considered and factored in which create a nuanced experience in reading the book and really make the reader think.

Honestly, these are just some of the great stuff in the husky and his white cat shizun which when people bring up this book don't mention. It's such a controversial and daring act to tackle these themes and I really applaud the author for braving it.
At this point, these nuanced and complex storytellings are becoming expectations for me when I read Chinese novels though I have heard this one is the most complex one.
There are less thought-provoking themes in it too which are still fun: time travel, doppelgangers, dragons, farming, weddings (though the weddings are kinda like the ones in asoiaf so don't get too excited...), lots of food descriptions that make you hungry, and so on.

I'm gonna be fair, there was still stuff I didn't like. For example, after chapter 279 (a most traumatizingly memorable chapter) the plot really slows that to the point that certain actions keep repeating and I was bored a little. There were also certain narrative choices that were not my personal favorites but I recognize that the writer chose to tell them like this and that is valid.

Overall, I loved this book and I only recommend it to people who have very high tolerance for reading upsetting, heavy, triggering content. With critical reading abilities. Because there's a lot of separation from reality required in enjoying this novel and absorbing what it has to offer.

[Valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 6/5
Calling this a favourite of all time of mine might just be a massive understatement.

“Running water never breaks, only steel blades do.“ (Chapter 113)

- I don’t think I have ever had a more difficult time choosing a single quote from a book.

About 10 chapters into this 350 chapter-masterpiece, I was already convinced that this was going to be amazing, 20 chapters in I knew that this would become a best of the year, 40 chapters, I knew it would be a favourite of all time AMD THEN IT JUST KEPT GETTING BETTER UNTIL THE VERY END.

Also, chapter 279 BROKE me... Just kidding, the entire novel broke me and that chapter ENDED ME!


Before I will go on raving about how much I love this novel (these novels, I mean, technically 2ha consists of three books), I have to warn you. Before you decide to read this PLEASE read through the content warnings, the synopsis and make sure that you know what you are getting yourself into, this book does NOT go light on anything. I was completely deceived by the title of this book that this would be a cute little (read: long) story, but oh my I very quickly learned how foolish it was of me to believe that. There is NOTHING cute about this story, it is actually very dark, gore-y and emotional and I am a fan of Grim Dark Fantasy and there is little that really affects me when reading but there were moments in this book where even I found myself thinking that this was a lot.

What probably describes that the best are the characters. I hated every single one of them at the start. And I had no idea how I would ever come to root for them, especially Mo Ran and Chu Wanning’s relationship. Nothing seemed more impossible than those two getting into a loving, consensual, functioning relationship. However, our characters go on a journey that I have rarely seen before. Every single one of our main characters gradually changes, motivations are revealed and their situations are explored.
Mo Ran is probably one of the most interesting characters I have come across in a long time. He is so evil to the point of feeling unredeemable at the start of the book. The way be basically destroyed everyone who wouldn’t accept him as emperor and made the rest mindless slaves to the point where he cannot even live with himself anymore (not a spoiler, this is explained in the first few pages) did set him up as a character who is impossible to root for. Yet we go on a very long journey with him after being sent back into the past, discovering that many things might not be the way he thought in his previous life.
Chu Wanning is Mo Ran’s very reserved, yet intelligent and resourceful Shizun (basically meaning teacher), who we mainly get to know through Mo Ran’s eyes at the start and again he appears to be little more than ruthless and heartless. And while an expert at what he does he is easily angered to the point where most disciples fear and avoid him at all cost. But again, we are taken on a journey with his character as well to learn that maybe Mo Ran is an incredibly unreliable narrator. Which by the way, is a tool that is expertly used in this novel. In short, I ended up absolutely loving Chu Wanning, he might just be my favourite character, ever.
As per usual, I will not go into detail about more of the main characters but the rest of the cast is also absolutely brilliantly developed.

The romance is the part where I see most people criticising this novel. Now here is the thing, while I do not consider the age gap to be problematic, Mo Ran is indeed by far of age by the time he gets together with Chu Wanning there are certain other aspects that were a bit… much. There was certainly a rape scene or two too much and described in too much detail. Also, this novel is very explicit, gore and sex wise. If the in fact very consensual relationship that does ensue between Mo Ran and Chu Wanning eventually, does not get you hot and bothered, I do not know what will… And it does also have its very sweet moments (Mo Ran hugging a tree after a certain scene will never be forgotten and if they don’t put that into the drama, I am going to be angry). In fact, RanWan might just have entered the competition with WangXian for my favourite danmei couple.

Plot? Oh yeah, there was plot, lots of it in fact. So much that I do not think that there is a single filler chapter amongst these 311 main ones. Meatbun has created a world that feels very much alive and complex. This book does not only incorporate the cultivation world but also very much normal people, oppressed people and people who think they are above everyone else. The plot is great, it is heart breaking, filled with twists and turns and it made me cry oh so many times. I will probably have to reread this (in case this is ever officially released in Japanese I will be the first one in line).

If I have ever needed anything to convince me to learn Chinese then this book has done the job perfectly. While I must say that Suika and Rynn’s translation is extremely high quality, I would love nothing more than to experience this book in its original language.
The writing is stunning. Meatbun expertly contrasts the violence and hatred that has engulfed this world with the beauty of the scenery, her descriptions of people and their emotions. I am not exaggerating when I am saying that some of her metaphors made me cry. I have an entire list of beautiful quotes from this book and picking only one that works best for this review was a very difficult task. I found myself stunned by the vivid descriptions of all these very unique, yet very xianxia feeling places.

I never expected this when I started but I think this novel and especially its message will stick with me for a very long time or how beautiful and heart wrenching this story would get and I am already starting to reread chapters and passages. My review has not done this novel any justice.

HOWEVER, I am very hesitant to recommend this book to anyone because of the content. Make sure you can stomach it before you go in and take the warnings seriously, they aren’t exaggerating.

“Do not be encouraged by the world’s praise; do not be discouraged by the world’s slander.”

[lin (hazard's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Objetivamente: 4⭐
En mi corazón: 5⭐

The Husky and his White Cat Shizun suena a una novela de chibis con chistes un poco malos, o/y una de furries.

Oh, amigos. No se dejen engañar. Nada más lejos de la realidad.

Esta es una novela que cuenta la historia de Mo Ran y Chu Wanning. El primero siendo el discípulo del segundo. Es decir, Chu Wanning es el shizun de Mo Ran. Y la verdad es que solo diré eso. Si venías buscando una especie de sinopsis, lo siento. Pero siento que es mejor ir a leer esta novela sin saber qué esperar, aparte del hecho de que obviamente te va a gustar mucho.

Bien, hablemos más profundamente de lo que opino.

La novela en china es otro NIVEL de novela. Esta es como mi 5ta novela china danmei leída.

El argumento es muy interesante, no puedo dejar de estar OBSESIONADA con todo el mundo de la cultivación, así que esto me encanta. Aunque en esta historia, pienso yo que el foco no está precisamente en eso. Al menos no como en Mo Dao Zu Shi o The Legendary Master's Wife, en los que la enseñanza del mundo cultivacional es mayor. Pero aún así me gustó mucho.

El diseño de personaje es EXQUISITO. Los llegas a conocer tanto, tanto, que llega un punto de la novela en que sabes quién está diciendo qué cosa SIN leer específicamente quién lo dijo. ¿Me explico? Los personajes principales son profundos y tienen tantos diferentes matices. Conocemos sus miedos, sus alegrías, sus gustos, sus preocupaciones, sus debilidades y sus fortalezas, sus expresiones, sus humores, TODO diría yo. ¡Es envidiable la capacidad de Meatbun de crear personajes! Y no piensen que solo conocemos de esa manera a los principales, porque los personajes secundarios también están increíblemente diseñados. Cada uno tiene una historia, una personalidad, una forma de ser ÚNICA. Temo que estoy un poco enamorada como de 13 personajes.

La trama es muy ágil y aunque me leí más de dos mil páginas, no me sentí cansada de hacerlo. Y a diferencia de otros, por lo que leí por ahí, me gustó mucho que la autora metiera pequeños flash-backs y flash-forwards en la historia y no que tuviéramos todo un arco del pasado o del "futuro" (como en tgcf). Aunque tengo que decir que me tardé TANTO en terminar esta novela (creo que unos 3 o 4 meses) porque hacía pequeños breaks y leía otras cosas más simples, todo para poder descansar del DOLOR que estaba sintiendo. Porque una cosa les puedo asegurar, queridos amigos, otro de los talentos de Meatbun, junto con diseñar personajes
increíbles, es HACERNOS SUFRIR.

¡No se imaginan lo que lloré! Nunca había llorado tanto. ADEMÁS, todo el tiempo Meatbun está metiendo el dedo en la llaga. Por el amor de Xie Lian. Esa señora es cruel.

EN FIN

La recomiendo mucho. Van a sentir que su corazoncito
se rompe en mil pedazos para luego volver a reformarse unas 9 veces, pero vale la pena. TOTALMENTE.

[Pixie's Book Den · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I never again read anything about Chu Wanning's phoenix shaped eyes it will still be too soon.

This mammoth of a book was way too long and full of off-putting pacing and structure issues. It's filled to the brim with inconsistencies in plot and characterization. Personalities shifted from chapter to chapter for plot convenience and key information was withheld from the reader just to add some more dramatic revelations towards the end, that was already overloaded with them.
I felt very little compassion for the characters due to the way they were presented and found the love story to be unconvincing and dragging. It was annoying and made me eye roll so many times.

The main outline of the plot has potential and the story had its moments, but the individual parts of the book felt very disjointed to me and it was too stretched out with what felt like every genre trope in existence shoved in. So many irrelevant plotlines amounted to nothing and there were endless repetitions of everything. Be it melodramatic internal monologue, just reliving the same story parts over and over again or smut that read like straight off of Wattpad, you never got to hear the end of it.

[bea ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely fucked up. made me want to die at least 12 times (5 stars)

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has completely and utterly destroyed me. I loved every second of it.