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薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] (Light Novel) #5
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 5
The political situation at court has changed: the birth of Gyokuyou’s son has seen her elevated to the status of Empress, and meanwhile Jinshi is no longer able to continue his pretense at the rear palace. Although all seems peaceful after the destruction of the Shi clan, threats continue to loom—not least a potential plague of insects—and Maomao, as ever, somehow finds herself caught up in them.
When Jinshi orders an expedition to Gyokuyou’s homeland, Maomao heads west. But is there something lurking in the shadows of the glittering city? And will Maomao be able to discover what it is before it’s too late?
When Jinshi orders an expedition to Gyokuyou’s homeland, Maomao heads west. But is there something lurking in the shadows of the glittering city? And will Maomao be able to discover what it is before it’s too late?
294 pages, ebook
First published April 30, 2016
1335 people are currently reading
2768 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 714 reviews
August 1, 2024
3.5/5
The fifth book was going so well, soo well, until the last chapter came. At first, it seemed to be heading in a good direction, perfect direction even, but then Jinshi did what he did, and everything fell apart. Honestly, I didn't think he had such a side, but oh well. I hope that in the next book, this situation won't be resolved in one page or forgotten in the worst-case scenario, and that Jinshi will regret it.
The fifth book was going so well, soo well, until the last chapter came. At first, it seemed to be heading in a good direction, perfect direction even, but then Jinshi did what he did, and everything fell apart. Honestly, I didn't think he had such a side, but oh well. I hope that in the next book, this situation won't be resolved in one page or forgotten in the worst-case scenario, and that Jinshi will regret it.
June 28, 2022
First 90% of the book was great. A good balance of sentimentality and humor showcasing the emotional growth of Maomao as the circle of the people she cares for expands. Then the epilogue comes along like it's an 80s film bully and I'm a child building my ship out of blocks, ripe for the ruination.
⚠️ Spoilers ahead: you have been warned ⚠️
Jinshi chokes Maomao out of nowhere before pining her to a bench after which Maomao "responded to him with the most refined techniques of the pleasure district" purely out of instinct. And before you go, "but DK, are you sure it was instinct and not the deep feelings we have thus far seen displayed?" I must also inform you that the narration out right says it is out of instinct and that Maomao wished Jinshi was looking hungrily at someone who could respond in kind. In fact, it goes out of the way to make it clear that she is either ace or aro/ace.
So all us fools who saw Maomao tuck Jinshi into bed and sing him to sleep when he asked because she was so worried he was over worked as a romantic gesture where in fact wrong. Literally all of the background characters implying and out right saying "when are you going to fortify and admit you caught feels?" Were wrong.
We thought Jinshi was a spoiled but ultimately well meaning individual and Maomao was doing her best Meg from Hurcules "I won't say I'm in love" impression but no. Jinshi is jealous and violent when he doesn't get his way, and Maomao doesn't care for him at all.
The epilogue was premature and disappointing in every sense of those words.
⚠️ Spoilers ahead: you have been warned ⚠️
Jinshi chokes Maomao out of nowhere before pining her to a bench after which Maomao "responded to him with the most refined techniques of the pleasure district" purely out of instinct. And before you go, "but DK, are you sure it was instinct and not the deep feelings we have thus far seen displayed?" I must also inform you that the narration out right says it is out of instinct and that Maomao wished Jinshi was looking hungrily at someone who could respond in kind. In fact, it goes out of the way to make it clear that she is either ace or aro/ace.
So all us fools who saw Maomao tuck Jinshi into bed and sing him to sleep when he asked because she was so worried he was over worked as a romantic gesture where in fact wrong. Literally all of the background characters implying and out right saying "when are you going to fortify and admit you caught feels?" Were wrong.
We thought Jinshi was a spoiled but ultimately well meaning individual and Maomao was doing her best Meg from Hurcules "I won't say I'm in love" impression but no. Jinshi is jealous and violent when he doesn't get his way, and Maomao doesn't care for him at all.
The epilogue was premature and disappointing in every sense of those words.
December 28, 2023
that ending ruined the whole thing
May 25, 2025
Update: THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOR THE EPILOGUE IS APPARENTLY WRONG! I've went down the Reddit & Twitter rabbit whole and found out that the original Japanese version of this scene is actually sexy and kinky. NOT abuse like the English portrayal. I’ve actually read about translations of multiple language and they all agreed it was fun and they were both into it. You shall proceed with my review now.
How can a book get the sequel curse by the fifth book anyway?
This book was dragging way too much, so it took me way too long to get through it. Nothing interesting was happening really, it felt more like a filler if anything. It was, at first, fun to have a chill book and see Maomao just vibe with her mundane life but it got boring at some point. Then she was dragged into a road trip and me, liking road stories in general, thought it would be fun. It wasn’t. Then they arrived at the destination and I figured we would have the big showdown where everything connects to each other. Nothing happened. Safe to say, as you can see, I tried my best to remain positive but was deeply disappointed in the end.
So all in all, I was already planning to give this book four stars even though it hurt me to do so, but the epilogue sealed the deal for me.
Spoilers ahead: Listen, this book had way too little Jinshi than I’d like, so I was psyched when he showed up for the epilogue! And we all know he gets freaky on the epilogues, so I was literally rubbing my hands together like an evil scientist who finally solved the puzzle for world domination. Tell me why, not only was I disappointed, but I was deeply disturbed.
Jinshi has his flaws, we all know that. But he let Maomao go even when he was given the chance not to, even when he had the power not to, because he figured she’d like to leave. He sulked for days, but he did let her go. He also scared the shit out of a few people and marched to a castle with a freaking army to save Maomao because he thought she was in danger. Not to mention, he had never laid a hand on a woman, and Maomao thinks he would never. The worst he did was to grab fake Loulan’s face when he was crashing out and was scared out of his mind about Maomao.
And you’re telling me this person not only kissed Maomao forcefully but also strangled her to the point that she had tears in her eyes? Really?
Really?
It was out of character, weird, and didn’t serve any purpose at all? It was almost as if it was put there to make us hate Jinshi for whatever reason. I know Maomao was kind of into it, matching his freak and all that, not to mention how she is one of the best written unreliable narrators, but still. What was the damn reason?
Anyway. Four stars. Would’ve given three, but I simply can’t because I love this world and Maomao. One more poorly written book like this, and I’ll find the author personally and have a word with her myself.
How can a book get the sequel curse by the fifth book anyway?
This book was dragging way too much, so it took me way too long to get through it. Nothing interesting was happening really, it felt more like a filler if anything. It was, at first, fun to have a chill book and see Maomao just vibe with her mundane life but it got boring at some point. Then she was dragged into a road trip and me, liking road stories in general, thought it would be fun. It wasn’t. Then they arrived at the destination and I figured we would have the big showdown where everything connects to each other. Nothing happened. Safe to say, as you can see, I tried my best to remain positive but was deeply disappointed in the end.
So all in all, I was already planning to give this book four stars even though it hurt me to do so, but the epilogue sealed the deal for me.
Spoilers ahead: Listen, this book had way too little Jinshi than I’d like, so I was psyched when he showed up for the epilogue! And we all know he gets freaky on the epilogues, so I was literally rubbing my hands together like an evil scientist who finally solved the puzzle for world domination. Tell me why, not only was I disappointed, but I was deeply disturbed.
Jinshi has his flaws, we all know that. But he let Maomao go even when he was given the chance not to, even when he had the power not to, because he figured she’d like to leave. He sulked for days, but he did let her go. He also scared the shit out of a few people and marched to a castle with a freaking army to save Maomao because he thought she was in danger. Not to mention, he had never laid a hand on a woman, and Maomao thinks he would never. The worst he did was to grab fake Loulan’s face when he was crashing out and was scared out of his mind about Maomao.
And you’re telling me this person not only kissed Maomao forcefully but also strangled her to the point that she had tears in her eyes? Really?
Really?
It was out of character, weird, and didn’t serve any purpose at all? It was almost as if it was put there to make us hate Jinshi for whatever reason. I know Maomao was kind of into it, matching his freak and all that, not to mention how she is one of the best written unreliable narrators, but still. What was the damn reason?
Anyway. Four stars. Would’ve given three, but I simply can’t because I love this world and Maomao. One more poorly written book like this, and I’ll find the author personally and have a word with her myself.
August 16, 2024
This is a great book as long as we pretend the epilogue never happened because…what the fuck?
February 22, 2025
I AM EATING THIS WHOLE SERIES UP AND I CAN'T STOP 😩
May 17, 2025
2.5⭐️ la puta que te parió, CUÁL ERA LA NECESIDAD DE LA ULTIMA ESCENA??? es que en serio, podrían haber expresado mejor la desesperación de jinshi, pero en serio? la ahorca y luego ella responder como “en el barrio del placer” ehhh????
yo he hecho la vista a un lado con algunos aspectos de jinshi de ser tan rogón pq la personalidad de maomao es compleja y a veces se difumina lo que quiere o lo que le importa que el tipo se le lance encima, pero en esta escena ella hace que se excite no porque quiera y aparte le hace daño, me voy a matar.
me estresa pq no tiene nada que ver con lo que han mostrado de jinshi hasta ahora. vi de que en ese momento la autora quería que odiaran a jinshi o algo asi, pero no se si es para justificar o que. pq yo era consciente que en su relación había una clase de sado, en el trato o lo que le gustaba a jinshi, pero en ese momento el consentimiento es nulo, maomao no lo disfruta, es rarísimo.
en sí la historia en general es rara y digo bueno será la cultura japonesa, pero no sé si seguir leyendo pq tengo entendido q luego de eso a maomao le gusta que haya hecho eso y me voy a estresar con esa narrativa. REALMENTE REZO para que el anime arregle estas cosas o mínimo q haya una discusión previa yo que se, LO MÍNIMO PEDÍA CSM
nos vemos en los lugares donde suena el rock 🤘
yo he hecho la vista a un lado con algunos aspectos de jinshi de ser tan rogón pq la personalidad de maomao es compleja y a veces se difumina lo que quiere o lo que le importa que el tipo se le lance encima, pero en esta escena ella hace que se excite no porque quiera y aparte le hace daño, me voy a matar.
me estresa pq no tiene nada que ver con lo que han mostrado de jinshi hasta ahora. vi de que en ese momento la autora quería que odiaran a jinshi o algo asi, pero no se si es para justificar o que. pq yo era consciente que en su relación había una clase de sado, en el trato o lo que le gustaba a jinshi, pero en ese momento el consentimiento es nulo, maomao no lo disfruta, es rarísimo.
en sí la historia en general es rara y digo bueno será la cultura japonesa, pero no sé si seguir leyendo pq tengo entendido q luego de eso a maomao le gusta que haya hecho eso y me voy a estresar con esa narrativa. REALMENTE REZO para que el anime arregle estas cosas o mínimo q haya una discusión previa yo que se, LO MÍNIMO PEDÍA CSM
nos vemos en los lugares donde suena el rock 🤘
February 1, 2023
OH MY!!!!
I was gonna give this book 4 stars but that epilogue bumped it right up. My heart was all the way in my throat.
I have to praise the delicate foreshadowing throughout this series. It’s just right. I feel satisfied when the suspicions I picked up due to the foreshadowing are confirmed.
The pacing in this volume was much better than the last as well. There was always something curious happening!
Oh Jinshi, Oh Jinshi! He’s a very interesting character and I like seeing the way Maomao provokes him. He’s got this side to him that just makes me kick my feet in the air and squeal.
Going DIRECTLY to volume/book 6 tomorrow morning.
I was gonna give this book 4 stars but that epilogue bumped it right up. My heart was all the way in my throat.
I have to praise the delicate foreshadowing throughout this series. It’s just right. I feel satisfied when the suspicions I picked up due to the foreshadowing are confirmed.
The pacing in this volume was much better than the last as well. There was always something curious happening!
Oh Jinshi, Oh Jinshi! He’s a very interesting character and I like seeing the way Maomao provokes him. He’s got this side to him that just makes me kick my feet in the air and squeal.
Going DIRECTLY to volume/book 6 tomorrow morning.
June 24, 2022
This novel has a line that basically says that MaoMao is aromantic (though not necessarily asexual), which both explains a lot about her and also serves as an interesting - and needed - bit of representation. Even the way she thinks about her lack of romantic attraction, that she's missing emotions that other people have, reads as very true to how it often feels to be aro, and while I feel badly for Jinshi, I definitely think this adds to the series.
The mystery this time was a bit lame, though.
The mystery this time was a bit lame, though.
May 4, 2025
post catching up on the apothecary diaries anime/manga, the only option remaining was to open up the light novels!
I am a huge fan of this series. I feel so invested in this story and I am so glad there are so many LN’s because I just wanna keep reading forever!
I did have one major gripe with this one… I genuinely have no idea what the heck the epilogue was… because WHAT?
Spoilers:
Jinshi’s behavior felt so so out of character for him. And unnecessary? It made me feel a bit uneasy but I’m hopeful still for the rest of the LN’s!
I am a huge fan of this series. I feel so invested in this story and I am so glad there are so many LN’s because I just wanna keep reading forever!
I did have one major gripe with this one… I genuinely have no idea what the heck the epilogue was… because WHAT?
Spoilers:
Jinshi’s behavior felt so so out of character for him. And unnecessary? It made me feel a bit uneasy but I’m hopeful still for the rest of the LN’s!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2025
3 stars. A little more "scattered" than the other books, and not quite as exciting as the previous installment.
October 26, 2023
not gonna lie i'm reviewing like this because i read volumes 5 to 9 in the middle of a long, long all-nighter lol. i need you to stay with me here.
like i said in another volume i'm tagging this 5 stars for the tea, but that doesnt mean i'm not going to bash the epilogue - like, i get it, kind of, it's supposed to show that jinshi isn't really as above it all as it seems because he can be selfish and he can be vengeful - but that went out of left field. honestly, man, if you want to go this route you can just not do that (ykwim). it would just make better sense that someone obsessively in love would kiss the object of their affections - this /whatever he does first/ took me away for a moment. if this was supposed to be a teaching moment tho ("dont do this to the person you love," etc) it doesnt quite hit that way
maomao most probably believes that love is not an emotion she feels, which is something i personally relate to as an aro/ace person. but what's interesting to me is that it slightly feels like for her it would be a waste "just" to be in a romantic relationship with jinshi, because she holds some familiarity to the way they exist together right now (there was something about how the hairstick/hairpin is the most familiar part of her outfit, and how their masks go down whenever they're alone together) even though she will never admit this to his face of course. he would be too smug.
let's talk about the hairstick tho. there's a moon because of course we know who the moon is but also the poppy because /that's what you use for opium/--- you really thought this out well, nice job A+ symbolism even though it IS pretty obvious
anyway i didnt expect to write this much about one scene when what i actually want to talk to you about is that i really love how consort lishu and former consort ah-duo's dynamic is written over here. ah-duo's part near the end is beautiful and heartwrenching imho.
like i said in another volume i'm tagging this 5 stars for the tea, but that doesnt mean i'm not going to bash the epilogue - like, i get it, kind of, it's supposed to show that jinshi isn't really as above it all as it seems because he can be selfish and he can be vengeful - but that went out of left field. honestly, man, if you want to go this route you can just not do that (ykwim). it would just make better sense that someone obsessively in love would kiss the object of their affections - this /whatever he does first/ took me away for a moment. if this was supposed to be a teaching moment tho ("dont do this to the person you love," etc) it doesnt quite hit that way
maomao most probably believes that love is not an emotion she feels, which is something i personally relate to as an aro/ace person. but what's interesting to me is that it slightly feels like for her it would be a waste "just" to be in a romantic relationship with jinshi, because she holds some familiarity to the way they exist together right now (there was something about how the hairstick/hairpin is the most familiar part of her outfit, and how their masks go down whenever they're alone together) even though she will never admit this to his face of course. he would be too smug.
let's talk about the hairstick tho. there's a moon because of course we know who the moon is but also the poppy because /that's what you use for opium/--- you really thought this out well, nice job A+ symbolism even though it IS pretty obvious
anyway i didnt expect to write this much about one scene when what i actually want to talk to you about is that i really love how consort lishu and former consort ah-duo's dynamic is written over here. ah-duo's part near the end is beautiful and heartwrenching imho.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2025
is every epilogue gonna be jinshi getting freaky
June 8, 2025
jinshi is hitting peak yearning levels with this one ☝🏽 maomao is so dense I wanna hit my head repeatedly against a wall
July 16, 2025
4.5∆ Maomao is the boss-b*tch of the Imperial Palace and we love that for her 🦁
September 27, 2025
the ending was questionable...i fear people will freak out/get mad when they see it in the anime
i saw people saying that the translation wasn't correct (?) and it was supposed to be a kinky scene, but knowing maomao isn't really into jinshi yet it doesn't make the situation better for me.
the "mystery" line was good, nothing jaw-dropping like in season 2.
i also read a review where someone said that if we expect a cozy mystery storyline or we only read it for the jinmao moments then we'll be eventually disappointed since the main focus is on politics and some people may be bored of it. we'll see, i can't say anything about that yet. for me it was a good read for time-passing, nothing too serious or brain challenging. i could finish it in like half a day (which is a big step for me, since i'm in a slump) and count sleeping into that 12 hours so for most people, even if they're a slow reader it would take like 4 (maybe 5) hours maximum to finish it.
i saw people saying that the translation wasn't correct (?) and it was supposed to be a kinky scene, but knowing maomao isn't really into jinshi yet it doesn't make the situation better for me.
the "mystery" line was good, nothing jaw-dropping like in season 2.
i also read a review where someone said that if we expect a cozy mystery storyline or we only read it for the jinmao moments then we'll be eventually disappointed since the main focus is on politics and some people may be bored of it. we'll see, i can't say anything about that yet. for me it was a good read for time-passing, nothing too serious or brain challenging. i could finish it in like half a day (which is a big step for me, since i'm in a slump) and count sleeping into that 12 hours so for most people, even if they're a slow reader it would take like 4 (maybe 5) hours maximum to finish it.
February 21, 2024
so what was up with maomaos cousin😭
Read
July 7, 2025the epilogue … 😨😨😨 for multiple reasons
December 28, 2024
me every time i read one of these light novels: i hope jinshi dies
it really truly sucks to have a character as unique and cool as maomao trapped in this slow train wreck of a romance with a character who is basically a violent entitled psychopath except the audience is so in thrall of him that we're just supposed to excuse his behaviour because he stops short of raping her and is "not as bad as he could be given his princely upbringing". i don't get how people are shocked by his behaviour when he's been pushing maomao's boundaries since very first book. i think a lot of people downplay what's happening in text because of maomao's muted emotional reactions - except maomao is the daughter of a prostituted woman who was raised in a brothel, so of course she has no reaction to it. she's grown to expect this behaviour from men like him. that doesn't make it right.
it seems to me the author hates jinshi as much as i do and resents having to make their romance canon because of the popularity of a guy who started off as a gag character and she's determined to do it in the worst possible way, except violation of women's consent is so normalized people keep reading it as romantic. nightware world.
it really truly sucks to have a character as unique and cool as maomao trapped in this slow train wreck of a romance with a character who is basically a violent entitled psychopath except the audience is so in thrall of him that we're just supposed to excuse his behaviour because he stops short of raping her and is "not as bad as he could be given his princely upbringing". i don't get how people are shocked by his behaviour when he's been pushing maomao's boundaries since very first book. i think a lot of people downplay what's happening in text because of maomao's muted emotional reactions - except maomao is the daughter of a prostituted woman who was raised in a brothel, so of course she has no reaction to it. she's grown to expect this behaviour from men like him. that doesn't make it right.
it seems to me the author hates jinshi as much as i do and resents having to make their romance canon because of the popularity of a guy who started off as a gag character and she's determined to do it in the worst possible way, except violation of women's consent is so normalized people keep reading it as romantic. nightware world.
July 21, 2022
Genuinely I have no idea what that ending was and who’s not actually related but I’m riding on the wave that mao mao is the asexual mc we deserve
June 24, 2024
I need to lie down for a while
October 29, 2025
this book is a prime exemple of why it’s important to have a good translation team. if you’re in the manhua/manhwa world and are following stories currently being translated, you know you can tell when a new team has taken the reins of translation or when the translation is poor.
it really sucks because i really like maomao’s introduction in the west and the underlying-not-confirmed aromantic allegations, rikuson’s character and the open jealousy jinshi showed so openly in the west but i literally cannot write about anything but the epilogue.
bcs what a shock, i had to re-read like four times because i could not believe my eyes. the translation team absolutely dropped the ball for that epilogue. the behavior he exhibited was so out of left field, it didn’t fit his character at all, especially coming to this novel fresh from the 4th where he was all about protecting her and asking her to make sure her injuries don’t become scars so it’s ….. omg????? i had to calm myself and find a guilty party and i’m pinning the translation team, especially after i read the fan translation on the apothecary subreddit, and it’s much better. like guys i didn’t even realize that there was more than one kiss in that scene. that’s crazy!!! and that is one of the pitfalls of writing vaguely for the sake of sensibilities paired with a bad translation. i’ll link in the comments the one i read — while the translation clears up a bit about the scene and the nature of the grip is much more of a sensual nature than an abusive one, there’s still lot of foggy spots.
anyways, these are the importance of being in community. and english translating team: don’t let this happen again….
it really sucks because i really like maomao’s introduction in the west and the underlying-not-confirmed aromantic allegations, rikuson’s character and the open jealousy jinshi showed so openly in the west but i literally cannot write about anything but the epilogue.
bcs what a shock, i had to re-read like four times because i could not believe my eyes. the translation team absolutely dropped the ball for that epilogue. the behavior he exhibited was so out of left field, it didn’t fit his character at all, especially coming to this novel fresh from the 4th where he was all about protecting her and asking her to make sure her injuries don’t become scars so it’s ….. omg????? i had to calm myself and find a guilty party and i’m pinning the translation team, especially after i read the fan translation on the apothecary subreddit, and it’s much better. like guys i didn’t even realize that there was more than one kiss in that scene. that’s crazy!!! and that is one of the pitfalls of writing vaguely for the sake of sensibilities paired with a bad translation. i’ll link in the comments the one i read — while the translation clears up a bit about the scene and the nature of the grip is much more of a sensual nature than an abusive one, there’s still lot of foggy spots.
anyways, these are the importance of being in community. and english translating team: don’t let this happen again….
April 19, 2025
Aha remember when the frog scene™ was the most scandalous thing that had appened? We've come a loooong way.
Everything was going amazing, we were getting the fluffiest scenes so far, Jinshi and Maomao were finally behaving nicely and having fun and everything, then right at the epilogue Jinshi did the most atrocious fuck up I've seen in a while.
While I do NOT agree with what happened and I don't want to excuse him, I've decided to see the scene as the climax of a very frustrated and stressed guy and a girl who struggles with her own feelings but ultimately cares about said guy. And they're both freaks. 100%.
They have so much in common and are far from flawless, and this scene showed another side of Jinshi's character.
On to the mystery aspect, I always love the medical facet of it and I can see the threads slowly coming together once again, I'm especially excited about the opium arc! Hooray for drug trafficking with a side of famine and war!
We got some confirmations on that cursed family tree, yay (the horrors are endless)
(It took me an hour and a half to form an opinion on this and if it gets adapted in any other form people will definitely cancel the whole thing, IT'S A VERY THIN LINE)
EDIT: PLEASE read the fan translation they're actually just making out in a freaky way, 10/10
Everything was going amazing, we were getting the fluffiest scenes so far, Jinshi and Maomao were finally behaving nicely and having fun and everything, then right at the epilogue Jinshi did the most atrocious fuck up I've seen in a while.
While I do NOT agree with what happened and I don't want to excuse him, I've decided to see the scene as the climax of a very frustrated and stressed guy and a girl who struggles with her own feelings but ultimately cares about said guy. And they're both freaks. 100%.
They have so much in common and are far from flawless, and this scene showed another side of Jinshi's character.
On to the mystery aspect, I always love the medical facet of it and I can see the threads slowly coming together once again, I'm especially excited about the opium arc! Hooray for drug trafficking with a side of famine and war!
We got some confirmations on that cursed family tree, yay (the horrors are endless)
(It took me an hour and a half to form an opinion on this and if it gets adapted in any other form people will definitely cancel the whole thing, IT'S A VERY THIN LINE)
EDIT: PLEASE read the fan translation they're actually just making out in a freaky way, 10/10
October 21, 2023
Qué carajos fue ese epílogo, ¿Hyuuga no tenía une amigue que le diga "che no da" o qué?
April 6, 2025
HELLO?? THE END???
November 2, 2025
Buddy read with thewhelmedlife!
Where the first volumes seemed to have had smaller stories lead up to the bigger events of volume four, this fifth instalment seems to be doing the same; we have smaller mysteries giving this volume a quieter feeling but they seem likely to come back to a larger issue at large.
Maomao is still back working as an apothecary and has taken Chou-u under her wing. Various hints lead her to believe there might be an insect plague in the making which is a running theme throughout this volume. We are also introduced to a few new characters as well as getting the chance to learn more about a few others such as Basen, Lishu and Lahan. Somehow, I am not the biggest fan of Lahan but the other two are growing on me. I also enjoyed the newly introduced characters.
As a whole, I found this volume to be a bit weaker compared to the previous four, but I'd argue that's largely due to this being a bit of a set up instalment. We have some big reveals in the final chapters and volume six could lead to interesting places. On the downside, although brief, there was an animal cruelty scene which I found hard to stomach. Additionally, the epilogue was very vague - I'd previously heard that there would be some questionable scenes but beyond that it was really also just very unclear at what exactly happened. A little research brought about that this was more likely a translation issue - fan translated versions have made it a lot clearer, so I will have to keep that in mind for future rereads.
January 21, 2024
The beginning of the book is different than the other books as we get glimpses of Maomao's everyday life before she started working in the palace. Our girl stands up for others - we love that. A new plot point is set up and I generally think that this novel acts like a big set-up for the following parts. As a result, the pacing is quite slow in some places and is loosened up with portions of fluff. The “visits” are very sweet. You get the impression that the romance is developing in the right direction. The middle part was fun (especially the drinking Part). Towards the end things get more serious again and cool characters get more attention. And then… then comes the epilogue…
💀Spoilers💀
Colossal oof. I can understand the character's frustration and I like it when characters aren't perfect and sometimes act irrationally, but that was just so random. I don't know why the author integrated it to this extent. It was really very very unpleasant to read, especially considering Maomao's description. It was kinda triggering and I can completely understand if some people don't continue reading the series at this point.
Here a smoll snippet:
„Maomao said nothing. Honestly, perhaps it would have been better to remain still and quiet, like a doll. (…) To say again: none of this was Maomao’s fault. This was beyond her control.“
Yeah, I'm curious to see how this part of the story develops…
💀Spoilers💀
Colossal oof. I can understand the character's frustration and I like it when characters aren't perfect and sometimes act irrationally, but that was just so random. I don't know why the author integrated it to this extent. It was really very very unpleasant to read, especially considering Maomao's description. It was kinda triggering and I can completely understand if some people don't continue reading the series at this point.
Here a smoll snippet:
„Maomao said nothing. Honestly, perhaps it would have been better to remain still and quiet, like a doll. (…) To say again: none of this was Maomao’s fault. This was beyond her control.“
Yeah, I'm curious to see how this part of the story develops…
May 20, 2024
While I loved the previous volumes, the main plot of this volume is okayish, but doesn't really have the satisfying sense of all the threads coming together that some of the previous ones did. It seemed a lot like they were trying to give Maomao things to do while also trying to spin this larger story, but it never felt organic.
This would be fine, but let's talk about the elephant in the room: the epilogue. I'll try to be as spoiler free as possible, but be warned.
The ending of this book turned really unpleasant out of nowhere and definitely should carry some hard trigger warnings. It really went against the previous characterization of a certain character and painted their entire relationship with Maomao in a really gross light. It brings up issues of violation of consent, willfully ignoring of identity, and a lot of other things that were so out of left field I had to reread it multiple times to be sure I wasn't mistaken.
I wasn't.
It even has a full illustration of this scene which was pretty horrible, tbh.
I even naively plowed through the next volume hoping that it would be addressed in a serious way, but it never did and awful things were treated as not a big deal or ignored entirely, and this caused me to drop the series.
This would be fine, but let's talk about the elephant in the room: the epilogue. I'll try to be as spoiler free as possible, but be warned.
The ending of this book turned really unpleasant out of nowhere and definitely should carry some hard trigger warnings. It really went against the previous characterization of a certain character and painted their entire relationship with Maomao in a really gross light. It brings up issues of violation of consent, willfully ignoring of identity, and a lot of other things that were so out of left field I had to reread it multiple times to be sure I wasn't mistaken.
I wasn't.
It even has a full illustration of this scene which was pretty horrible, tbh.
I even naively plowed through the next volume hoping that it would be addressed in a serious way, but it never did and awful things were treated as not a big deal or ignored entirely, and this caused me to drop the series.
June 27, 2025
I need more of Maomao out drinking men in a drinking contest. Humiliate those men! That’s my Maomao.
Also, Jinshi was switched at birth :o Now we know that he’s actually the Emperor’s firstborn son; not his brother like we’ve been led to believe. Jinshi and his fifty different identities.
Also, Jinshi was switched at birth :o Now we know that he’s actually the Emperor’s firstborn son; not his brother like we’ve been led to believe. Jinshi and his fifty different identities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2025
I read in an interview that natsu hated jinsin and wanted him dead and in the epilogue i thinks she wanted us to hate him to because now how can i look at my jinsin the same way eh?
Why the f will you do that, how am I supposed to feel now and I know you could write that scene better. I know you could make Maomao love him, act like a normal person and embrace him like normal love interest.
(Sigh)
I need two things from the animators this time
{Look at me making demands, ha!}
Change Maomao cloth
That scene where jinsin raped Mao should be changed.
Why the f will you do that, how am I supposed to feel now and I know you could write that scene better. I know you could make Maomao love him, act like a normal person and embrace him like normal love interest.
(Sigh)
I need two things from the animators this time
{Look at me making demands, ha!}
Change Maomao cloth
That scene where jinsin raped Mao should be changed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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