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The Jade Phoenix Saga #1
Reborn
Corrupted.
This is the word that has defined Yu since her infancy. Her God Sign is corrupted and so she is a cultivator without cultivation. Frail and sickly, Yu is the only descendant of her mighty warrior lineage to live without strength, without purpose. She is a stain on the honor of her family, an embarrassment to her prestigious clan.
Hidden away, Yu comes to live with the constant scorn and ridicule of her peers. She is bullied, beaten and bloodied. But she is never broken.
She dreams of one day proving herself worthy.
Defying her father’s wishes, Yu trains with her twin Jian swords, using her flawless memory to perfect their complex forms. Working in secret she builds her martial skills to a level unheard of for her young age. But her skills mean little without cultivation.
Until she is given a chance – a chance to be reborn.
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This is the word that has defined Yu since her infancy. Her God Sign is corrupted and so she is a cultivator without cultivation. Frail and sickly, Yu is the only descendant of her mighty warrior lineage to live without strength, without purpose. She is a stain on the honor of her family, an embarrassment to her prestigious clan.
Hidden away, Yu comes to live with the constant scorn and ridicule of her peers. She is bullied, beaten and bloodied. But she is never broken.
She dreams of one day proving herself worthy.
Defying her father’s wishes, Yu trains with her twin Jian swords, using her flawless memory to perfect their complex forms. Working in secret she builds her martial skills to a level unheard of for her young age. But her skills mean little without cultivation.
Until she is given a chance – a chance to be reborn.
Read less
630 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2022
787 people are currently reading
1170 people want to read
About the author
D.I. Freed
5 books164 followersHey readers! I'm author D.I. Freed. Thank you for looking into my books. I'm a computer and gaming geek who loved epic fantasy, sci-fi books from the moment I could read. I've also loved playing video games and that got me into the LitRPG genre. And so I decided to give writing it a shot. I hope you enjoy my books. I wish you the best. Stay safe and healthy!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
June 28, 2022
I loved this book!
We have a strong female lead in Yu aka Jade. Watching her struggles at the start was heartbreaking, and then oh my goodness... I got the feels, when she was telling her family about what happened with her transformation. I can't wait to see what comes next.
We have a strong female lead in Yu aka Jade. Watching her struggles at the start was heartbreaking, and then oh my goodness... I got the feels, when she was telling her family about what happened with her transformation. I can't wait to see what comes next.
March 22, 2023
I didn't get past the prologue before realizing this would be an epic fantasy with LitRPG elements. Also, the author was going to poke the scales of "fate" like it was his favorite toy as a toddler. I mean, we have a mysterious woman overriding the fate of a child for mysterious reasons using mysterious means and zero impediment or push back. That's more mystery than a prologue should contain and makes me tired for how the story is going to be similarly manipulated. So dnf and one star for how clunky this start is.
July 20, 2022
This is my first book by this author, and he hit it out of the park.
I won't pretend to know much about Wuxia and xiansia, but I enjoy reading the books. Here we have Yu, the first daughter of the head of a clan far from the center of the kingdom. On her name day, there is an attack by spirit beasts and she doesn't grow the way she should.
She ends up without qi, mana or an aura, and is a mortal compared to cultivators. Young members of the clan attack her when they can, beating her down and forcing injuries upon her.
Yu doesn't stop learning how to use her jians and kung fu, and she practices harder than the cultivators because she has no other option.
Then comes the fateful day where she is caught by a boy from another clan, who uses other boys to hold her down while he beats her black and blue. A spirit beast appears and she crawls over to protect it from the boys who are attacking it.
I'll stop the recap there. This is a long book, with a number of different plot threads all surrounding Yu. All the characters are well drawn, and I found it easy to fall into this new world and become engrossed in the story.
The editing is okay. There are a number of errors but not enough to take me out of the story. The stat sheets are frequent enough that you can follow Yu's progress as she grows and learns.
Beware of Chicken is still my favorite book so far this year, but this one isn't far behind. Highly recommended. 5/5*
I won't pretend to know much about Wuxia and xiansia, but I enjoy reading the books. Here we have Yu, the first daughter of the head of a clan far from the center of the kingdom. On her name day, there is an attack by spirit beasts and she doesn't grow the way she should.
She ends up without qi, mana or an aura, and is a mortal compared to cultivators. Young members of the clan attack her when they can, beating her down and forcing injuries upon her.
Yu doesn't stop learning how to use her jians and kung fu, and she practices harder than the cultivators because she has no other option.
Then comes the fateful day where she is caught by a boy from another clan, who uses other boys to hold her down while he beats her black and blue. A spirit beast appears and she crawls over to protect it from the boys who are attacking it.
I'll stop the recap there. This is a long book, with a number of different plot threads all surrounding Yu. All the characters are well drawn, and I found it easy to fall into this new world and become engrossed in the story.
The editing is okay. There are a number of errors but not enough to take me out of the story. The stat sheets are frequent enough that you can follow Yu's progress as she grows and learns.
Beware of Chicken is still my favorite book so far this year, but this one isn't far behind. Highly recommended. 5/5*
July 1, 2022
Fantastic
This was undoubtedly a highly enjoyable and very well written novel, the game elements were fantastically balanced with the cultivation elements. I very much enjoyed the main character as well, because she continuously evolved throughout the story. She very much stayed true to her immense loyalty to her family and clan, but she also learned how to put her own interests first at times as well.
I am very much looking forward to how the main character grows in the future, because what has been shown already shows a fantastic foundation to how she will become in the future. The use of her new swords was also highly entertaining, considering such a weapon is very rarely seen, at least for me.
I admit, I am excitedly waiting for the release of the second book, because the first one was undoubtedly a highly fun and enjoyable read. If you are reading this review to make a decision on whether or not to give the book a try, I highly recommend it. The game elements did not detract from the world at all, and actually blended in incredibly well, with actual reasons given throughout the book. Once more, I highly recommend this read.
This was undoubtedly a highly enjoyable and very well written novel, the game elements were fantastically balanced with the cultivation elements. I very much enjoyed the main character as well, because she continuously evolved throughout the story. She very much stayed true to her immense loyalty to her family and clan, but she also learned how to put her own interests first at times as well.
I am very much looking forward to how the main character grows in the future, because what has been shown already shows a fantastic foundation to how she will become in the future. The use of her new swords was also highly entertaining, considering such a weapon is very rarely seen, at least for me.
I admit, I am excitedly waiting for the release of the second book, because the first one was undoubtedly a highly fun and enjoyable read. If you are reading this review to make a decision on whether or not to give the book a try, I highly recommend it. The game elements did not detract from the world at all, and actually blended in incredibly well, with actual reasons given throughout the book. Once more, I highly recommend this read.
June 16, 2022
I received a free copy of this book from Portal Books.
This book is fantastic. I liked it so much that after I finished reading it I immediately picked up Freed's other two books from KU. They're good but nothing like this. Yu, the main character in Reborn, really comes alive. Now this is a cultivation book so it ends just when a typical book would be starting, with Yu leaving home to make her way in the world. Given how intense Reborn is, I can't imagine what the next novel will be like. In this book we initially find Yu to be bullied and ignored by most of her family. A poignant contrast to her accomplishments later on and a great way to bond with the character. You really, really want her to succeed. Freed's writing is transcendent. This is a perfect Cinderella story if you want a truly badass Cinderella. Yu is really put through the proverbial wringer--in fact a series of them--and perseveres, then triumphs. It's a very emotional journey and well worth reading and rereading. This is one hell of a book.
This book is fantastic. I liked it so much that after I finished reading it I immediately picked up Freed's other two books from KU. They're good but nothing like this. Yu, the main character in Reborn, really comes alive. Now this is a cultivation book so it ends just when a typical book would be starting, with Yu leaving home to make her way in the world. Given how intense Reborn is, I can't imagine what the next novel will be like. In this book we initially find Yu to be bullied and ignored by most of her family. A poignant contrast to her accomplishments later on and a great way to bond with the character. You really, really want her to succeed. Freed's writing is transcendent. This is a perfect Cinderella story if you want a truly badass Cinderella. Yu is really put through the proverbial wringer--in fact a series of them--and perseveres, then triumphs. It's a very emotional journey and well worth reading and rereading. This is one hell of a book.
April 24, 2025
surprisingly engaging. minimal litrpg elements
June 29, 2022
This is a good start.
The setting is pretty standard fare for a cultivation book, nothing special there. The "villians" are the same, just your standard dross. The MC is where this shines. She has a certain naivete and slavish desire to support her clan that plays off wonderfully with her backstory. Her parents, on the other hand, are quite useless. They are ineffectual and failures on multiple levels. This makes her devotion difficult to fathom, but it works in the overall story. The "hidden hand guiding things" can be a fun way to drive a story of used with a light touch. This one is done with a heavy hand. This is a good story with some rough edges and a few useless characters, but I can not wait to see a second book.
The setting is pretty standard fare for a cultivation book, nothing special there. The "villians" are the same, just your standard dross. The MC is where this shines. She has a certain naivete and slavish desire to support her clan that plays off wonderfully with her backstory. Her parents, on the other hand, are quite useless. They are ineffectual and failures on multiple levels. This makes her devotion difficult to fathom, but it works in the overall story. The "hidden hand guiding things" can be a fun way to drive a story of used with a light touch. This one is done with a heavy hand. This is a good story with some rough edges and a few useless characters, but I can not wait to see a second book.
June 30, 2022
KU Review
My new favorite cultivation story. I always love the underdog becoming powerful trope, but this one held me enthralled. I couldn’t stop turning pages.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
My new favorite cultivation story. I always love the underdog becoming powerful trope, but this one held me enthralled. I couldn’t stop turning pages.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
February 19, 2023
Really great cultivation novel! At times it reminded me of Zhu Hong Zhi’s books but with a fresh twist and not translated so it read easier. Everything was done really well. I liked the MC, the cultivation system and the plot. It felt like a complete book when I finished and I am going to dive into the sequel right away.
September 11, 2022
Holy wonderful… review in process
July 3, 2023
this took me so long to read but it was worth it aaaaahhh. the book literally never got boring and i loved every page. looking forward to reading the second installment!
February 15, 2025
Būdama atvase Fan Wang klana galvai un spēcīgākajai no tā sievām Menšui (par cik klausījos audio versiju, tad attiecībā uz personu un arī vietvārdiem, kā esmu tos saklausījis) Yu bija jābūt tikpat, ja ne vēl spēcīgākai. Bet klanam nezinot, kāds cits no malas iejaucas tieši viņas un citu zīdaiņu Čī zīmes noteikšanas ceremonijā, kas viņas gadījumā to korumpē un nolemj turpmākiem nožēlojamiem 13 dzīves gadiem.
https://poseidons99.com/2025/02/15/d-...
https://poseidons99.com/2025/02/15/d-...
November 22, 2023
This book slaps
Im going to download the audiobook of the second one immediately
Im going to download the audiobook of the second one immediately
May 8, 2023
Wow, just wow. This is an exceptional cultivation saga. Five stars for sure!
From crippled to powerful the MC survives and even thrives against tremendous adversity. She withstands bullying, beasts, the corrupted, power plays within and externsl to her clan, assassins and even mighty ancestral beasts. She suffers greatly in her cultivation quest, choosing to take the hardest road, but the one with the most potential. At the same time, she learns how to learn not just what is apparent on the surface, but parses the hidden plots, plans and dangers that surround her.
Once again, this was an exceptional story. It is well written with excellent world building, interesting characters and lots of drama both interpersonal and political. I especially loved the ongoing martial and cultivation training required to grow, as well as that the status screens reflect growth, but are not used as a cheat to facillate unrealistic growth by assigning points into stats. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next installment as well as search for other works by DI Freed.
From crippled to powerful the MC survives and even thrives against tremendous adversity. She withstands bullying, beasts, the corrupted, power plays within and externsl to her clan, assassins and even mighty ancestral beasts. She suffers greatly in her cultivation quest, choosing to take the hardest road, but the one with the most potential. At the same time, she learns how to learn not just what is apparent on the surface, but parses the hidden plots, plans and dangers that surround her.
Once again, this was an exceptional story. It is well written with excellent world building, interesting characters and lots of drama both interpersonal and political. I especially loved the ongoing martial and cultivation training required to grow, as well as that the status screens reflect growth, but are not used as a cheat to facillate unrealistic growth by assigning points into stats. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next installment as well as search for other works by DI Freed.
May 21, 2023
Seriously enjoyed this novel. It’s my first Lit RPG style book and it was such a treat to read. Cannot wait to dig into the next!
March 3, 2023
I don’t really write reviews, but this book deserves it. I really loved reading this book, and it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed reading a book this much.
**Disclaimer: This was the first litRPG book I have read, so please keep that in mind when reading this review**
This book has a great main character (imo), who’s both strong willed and smart. She grew up being weak, but that didn’t stop her from being determined to become strong. Eventually her hard work gets recognized by the gods and she goes from being The Corrupted to The Blessed. She continues to work and train hard to get stronger, building more connections, and showing those who believed her to be weak how wrong they were.
I thought that all the world building was pretty well thought out. It has a great story that kept me invested the entire time, which hasn’t happened in a while.
The only thing I can think of that would deter readers is how, instead of one big problem that leads up to the climax, it feels like each chapter was a new episode or it’s own mini adventure, so if you don’t think you would enjoy reading something like that, then maybe this isn’t for you.
Regardless, I thought that this book was a fantastic read, and highly recommend it.
**Disclaimer: This was the first litRPG book I have read, so please keep that in mind when reading this review**
This book has a great main character (imo), who’s both strong willed and smart. She grew up being weak, but that didn’t stop her from being determined to become strong. Eventually her hard work gets recognized by the gods and she goes from being The Corrupted to The Blessed. She continues to work and train hard to get stronger, building more connections, and showing those who believed her to be weak how wrong they were.
I thought that all the world building was pretty well thought out. It has a great story that kept me invested the entire time, which hasn’t happened in a while.
The only thing I can think of that would deter readers is how, instead of one big problem that leads up to the climax, it feels like each chapter was a new episode or it’s own mini adventure, so if you don’t think you would enjoy reading something like that, then maybe this isn’t for you.
Regardless, I thought that this book was a fantastic read, and highly recommend it.
June 3, 2023
[EDIT June 3rd 2023] A few months ago, book 2 in this series was released and I gave that book 1 star because it is much worse than this novel. WHile this does not change the fact that I enjoyed book 1, it basically killed the series for me. Book 1 is basically a good take on the cultivation genre with sensible characters and decisions. Sadly book 2 fails at those things and feels a lot more like a clichê cultivation novels. That is why, at this point, I cannot recommend this novel anymore.
2/5 stars now instead of 4/5.
[OLD REVIEW!]
Best novel I have read in 2023 so far. While the premise might sound clichê, it is very well executed.
The protagonist is likable, the cultivation training is believable, and the family/clan, city and world-building make sense and are coherent.
Contrary to other cultivation novels, this was obviously written in English straight away. As such it does not suffer from any translation issues and is great to read. I devoured it within a day.
I just wish I had 10 more books of this series to read, it is that good.
2/5 stars now instead of 4/5.
[OLD REVIEW!]
Best novel I have read in 2023 so far. While the premise might sound clichê, it is very well executed.
The protagonist is likable, the cultivation training is believable, and the family/clan, city and world-building make sense and are coherent.
Contrary to other cultivation novels, this was obviously written in English straight away. As such it does not suffer from any translation issues and is great to read. I devoured it within a day.
I just wish I had 10 more books of this series to read, it is that good.
June 20, 2022
Wow awesome
I'm normally not a huge fan of cultivation but this book was quite the exception. This book in the series I assume is A progression fantasy in cultivation. The protagonist starts out beyond weak. Crippled even within The eyes of her culture. She must persevere through a childhood of torment before stepping on to the path of cultivation and power. Obviously there are other shenanigans at work. Forces outside of her control And knowledge Attempt to make events happen. Some of these forces were even responsible for her kryptonite. But That's all unbeknownst to her. She is as much a leaf in the river at this point. That said she is talented and very driven. This is her journey. And it's awesome. The book of self is well written and long. And if you enjoy the story like I did it's not nearly long enough. That of course means I have to patiently wait for the next one. I look forward to it eagerly.
I'm normally not a huge fan of cultivation but this book was quite the exception. This book in the series I assume is A progression fantasy in cultivation. The protagonist starts out beyond weak. Crippled even within The eyes of her culture. She must persevere through a childhood of torment before stepping on to the path of cultivation and power. Obviously there are other shenanigans at work. Forces outside of her control And knowledge Attempt to make events happen. Some of these forces were even responsible for her kryptonite. But That's all unbeknownst to her. She is as much a leaf in the river at this point. That said she is talented and very driven. This is her journey. And it's awesome. The book of self is well written and long. And if you enjoy the story like I did it's not nearly long enough. That of course means I have to patiently wait for the next one. I look forward to it eagerly.
June 24, 2022
This book came as such a surprise. For the genre, this book is exceptionally well written and edited. The quality of the writing and story speaks for itself. I see this becoming a pillar of the cultivation genre like Cradle and Iron Prince.
This story follows a typical hero's journey, but it is more character driven than I'd originally expected. The mc, Yu, reminds of Rin from the Poppy war, but unlike Rin she is a truly likeable and laudable character. Yu also has lots of agency and actually affects and shapes her journey, which is kinda rare in traditional fantasy (at least at the beginning stages). The world building is immaculate. The blending of cultivation and litRPG is so seamless and enjoyable. Seriously, this is a must-read if you like the cultivation genre. It is a gem and a half!!! 💎
This story follows a typical hero's journey, but it is more character driven than I'd originally expected. The mc, Yu, reminds of Rin from the Poppy war, but unlike Rin she is a truly likeable and laudable character. Yu also has lots of agency and actually affects and shapes her journey, which is kinda rare in traditional fantasy (at least at the beginning stages). The world building is immaculate. The blending of cultivation and litRPG is so seamless and enjoyable. Seriously, this is a must-read if you like the cultivation genre. It is a gem and a half!!! 💎
June 30, 2022
I need more!!
OMG! This was amazing!! Amazing story telling, amazing action, amazing character building. Everything was just superb. Here take my money! As a matter of fact you the person reading this- you should give him your money too. It was that good! Someone cursed Lu’er on her naming day. And her life has been one of misery ever since. As she prays to the gods to die and be reborn a miracle happens and her cursed is lifted through the sacrifice of another. How she has a chance to be as great as she was always meant to be. But she has to fight a clan that doesn’t respect her, family that hates her, a city that wants her dead and of course the spider in the shadows that targeted her to begin with. It’s an amazing journey that kept me riveted to the edge of my seat the whole time!
OMG! This was amazing!! Amazing story telling, amazing action, amazing character building. Everything was just superb. Here take my money! As a matter of fact you the person reading this- you should give him your money too. It was that good! Someone cursed Lu’er on her naming day. And her life has been one of misery ever since. As she prays to the gods to die and be reborn a miracle happens and her cursed is lifted through the sacrifice of another. How she has a chance to be as great as she was always meant to be. But she has to fight a clan that doesn’t respect her, family that hates her, a city that wants her dead and of course the spider in the shadows that targeted her to begin with. It’s an amazing journey that kept me riveted to the edge of my seat the whole time!
October 15, 2022
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book. On the one hand, it’s very entertaining and it kept me busy for a while. On the other hand, I struggled with the characters.
It was difficult for me to accept that the most mature person in the story is a 13 year old girl. The adults in her family structure are centuries old, and yet she outwits them, making a few of the plot points in the story fall flat for me.
The plot relies heavily on child abuse.
I enjoyed this book, but would have appreciated more realistic characters.
It was difficult for me to accept that the most mature person in the story is a 13 year old girl. The adults in her family structure are centuries old, and yet she outwits them, making a few of the plot points in the story fall flat for me.
The plot relies heavily on child abuse.
I enjoyed this book, but would have appreciated more realistic characters.
September 28, 2025
One of the better cultivation stories
The female MC was chosen by the Gods but was crippled as a baby. As a child she stays an underdog bullied by her own family and clan. Once she is saved by fate she works to overcome her disadvantages by determination and hard work to be useful and bring honor to her clan..
The MC has no real personality. She only trains to become stronger and to support her clan that treated her badly. Her parents seem rather incompetent in many ways and don´t act like they are powerful ancient beings. I liked the grumpy but wise character of Grandma Huan and the wise animal spirits. The secret mysterious all knowing arch nemesis who wants to see her dead seemed a bit over the top though but rather unbelievably ineffective.
The female MC was chosen by the Gods but was crippled as a baby. As a child she stays an underdog bullied by her own family and clan. Once she is saved by fate she works to overcome her disadvantages by determination and hard work to be useful and bring honor to her clan..
The MC has no real personality. She only trains to become stronger and to support her clan that treated her badly. Her parents seem rather incompetent in many ways and don´t act like they are powerful ancient beings. I liked the grumpy but wise character of Grandma Huan and the wise animal spirits. The secret mysterious all knowing arch nemesis who wants to see her dead seemed a bit over the top though but rather unbelievably ineffective.
July 16, 2022
okay
After the first few chapters, I expected to skim and move on to the next book on my list, but the story turned out okay. Okay characters, mediocre litrpg elements, okay world building. if food, it’d be fast food.
After the first few chapters, I expected to skim and move on to the next book on my list, but the story turned out okay. Okay characters, mediocre litrpg elements, okay world building. if food, it’d be fast food.
August 16, 2022
Don't cripple your character and then handwave their crippled status away plus give them overpowered traits in the first act of the book.
A complete waste of time--if you want a cheat character just make a cheat character.
A complete waste of time--if you want a cheat character just make a cheat character.
April 11, 2023
(Dnf, and that has never happened for me)
Frustrating MC and the most horrifically trashy wuxia plot you could imagine. Every word hurt to read. 5 hours in, and I had to stop torturing myself. I have no CLUE how this is rated so highly. Royal road ratings have this solidly marked as mediocre, and they're right. Check those out, these reviews are definitely faked. Minor spoilers below to back up my claims:
1. The plot is generic trash.
The prologue is a 40min exposition dump, but it easily could have been skipped and not affected the story at all. Likewise, the first 2 hours are a useless pity party until (surprise) her handicap is addressed. And it's not even addressed in a smart way: her hardships are meaningless, an event just randomly happens.
The description calls it "a chance to be reborn," but that is SO misleading. She isn't even "reborn", that's just a metaphor for instantly getting over-powered potential instead of having a handicap.
Also, it's a "chance" encounter, not a risky gamble or anything earned. She doesn't have any input on whether to be 'reborn' or influence on the outcome, nor does she even understand what is happening - just a big massive deus ex machina that the entire premise of the book is based upon.
Then we find out she actually had a loving family and NEVER once told them about how she was being abused? Worse, she actively hid it? Half the premise of the book is a MISUNDERSTANDING of her own making?
So now both parts of the premise that took hours to set up are immediately brushed away. The only point of the premise is to make readers feel bad for the main character, but the only problem with that is...
2. The main character's personality is trash.
You would think that spending her life at the bottom would teach her some humility? Nope. She constantly switches between being defiant (borderline angsty superiority complex) and throwing an angsty victim-complex pity party.
She internally complains to the gods when not immediately making progress, even though they JUST addressed her lifelong handicap.
She was supposed to have been bullied all her life to the point of wanting to die, and trained super hard to hone her body despite her handicap, yet she acts like her tough instructor is her mortal enemy? She curses internally over jumping 30 times in water even with enhanced strength? That should be the equivalent of doing 30 jumping jacks. What kind of "harsh training" did she even do?
Then, almost immediately after crying and cursing her teacher and the gods over her learning setbacks, she confidently thinks
"What was pain and cruelty to her?" before diving headfirst a new training technique... then screaming until she passes out.
Insane. It's honestly just pure stream of conciousness garbage. I've read a lot of wuxia, some even machine translated, and this by far hurt the most to read.
Frustrating MC and the most horrifically trashy wuxia plot you could imagine. Every word hurt to read. 5 hours in, and I had to stop torturing myself. I have no CLUE how this is rated so highly. Royal road ratings have this solidly marked as mediocre, and they're right. Check those out, these reviews are definitely faked. Minor spoilers below to back up my claims:
1. The plot is generic trash.
The prologue is a 40min exposition dump, but it easily could have been skipped and not affected the story at all. Likewise, the first 2 hours are a useless pity party until (surprise) her handicap is addressed. And it's not even addressed in a smart way: her hardships are meaningless, an event just randomly happens.
The description calls it "a chance to be reborn," but that is SO misleading. She isn't even "reborn", that's just a metaphor for instantly getting over-powered potential instead of having a handicap.
Also, it's a "chance" encounter, not a risky gamble or anything earned. She doesn't have any input on whether to be 'reborn' or influence on the outcome, nor does she even understand what is happening - just a big massive deus ex machina that the entire premise of the book is based upon.
Then we find out she actually had a loving family and NEVER once told them about how she was being abused? Worse, she actively hid it? Half the premise of the book is a MISUNDERSTANDING of her own making?
So now both parts of the premise that took hours to set up are immediately brushed away. The only point of the premise is to make readers feel bad for the main character, but the only problem with that is...
2. The main character's personality is trash.
You would think that spending her life at the bottom would teach her some humility? Nope. She constantly switches between being defiant (borderline angsty superiority complex) and throwing an angsty victim-complex pity party.
She internally complains to the gods when not immediately making progress, even though they JUST addressed her lifelong handicap.
She was supposed to have been bullied all her life to the point of wanting to die, and trained super hard to hone her body despite her handicap, yet she acts like her tough instructor is her mortal enemy? She curses internally over jumping 30 times in water even with enhanced strength? That should be the equivalent of doing 30 jumping jacks. What kind of "harsh training" did she even do?
Then, almost immediately after crying and cursing her teacher and the gods over her learning setbacks, she confidently thinks
"What was pain and cruelty to her?" before diving headfirst a new training technique... then screaming until she passes out.
Insane. It's honestly just pure stream of conciousness garbage. I've read a lot of wuxia, some even machine translated, and this by far hurt the most to read.
June 25, 2023
Before we begin, I want to let everyone know there is mild cursing in this book, along with a great deal of violence. Further, demonic beasts in the form of large cats are subjected to types of injuries which some might find disturbing. It is not a child-friendly book, and I would suggest it be read by adults. The author himself states: “I don't write kids or even YA books. I write novels where the visuals are real and tangible … the world isn't a nice place, because the worlds I create aren't nice.”
Our book today Reborn, is the first in the series of The Jade Phoenix Saga. The author is D. I. Freed, a self-professed computer and gaming geek who loved epic fantasy and sci-fi books, from which he became interested in the LitRPG genre and began to write.
The story follows Fenghuang Yu who lives in a world controlled by gods. For most in her world, this would mean living either as a mortal as one who does not have access to Qi, or as a cultivator who does. Our protagonist, Yu, was born as a cultivator but lives as a disabled mortal due to her “god sign” being corrupted at the age of 10 days old.
This means that, although she has the physical capacity to hold and control Qi, she has no access to it. Despite being weak, small and prone to injury, and so delicate that the slightest thing could easily kill her, Yu continues to practice martial arts on her own somewhat supported by her older brother and her father's third wife.
During one of her practice sessions within the forest, 13 year old Yu is attacked by four enemy cultivator teenagers from a rival clan. They beat her near to death when a giant wounded demonic beast in the form of a tiger approaches the group, and the four cultivators turn their attention away from the dying Yu and onto the injured beast.
The tiger bonds with Yu, sacrificing himself to assist her in undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation in the form of a lightening storm. If she survives, it will give her everything she ever dreamed of in her rebirth. She wakes up enhanced and healthy, and with the corruption of her god sign gone. Thus begins her adventure, fully empowered with all three forms of Qi and sets out to bring honor to her clan.
When I stumbled upon this book during an Amazon hunt, I had never really seen anything like it. I had no idea what cultivation stories were nor had I really considered how much I would enjoy this type of fantasy sub-genre. Add to it the book was the right price and the premise sounded fun, so I picked it up and thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did!
My first thought about this story is, well, it is very different, yet it was strangely compelling to me.
There was a ton to love about this book in my opinion, and, as I have said before, I love me a well written book. Further, while it doesn’t have to be perfect to catch and keep my attention, I greatly appreciate time being put into the editing so my reading experience is smooth and enjoyable.
This author insured the book was well-edited and carefully created a world which became something beyond fantastic in my opinion.
At a length of approximately 630 pages, the read might be disparaging to some, but I was so enthralled with the story, it could have had another 600 pages and I still would have been hooked.
I also enjoyed how every single character had to work extremely hard to progress forward in their goals, their cultivation, and in everything within their lives. Relationships, for example, built between Yu and the more powerful demonic beasts, grant her tools and knowledge which are critical to her journey of cultivation. She learns that not all of them loved her. Some altered her life in an incredible beneficial manner, while others just wanted to eat her.
The characters were believable and well thought out and the setting for the book gave me a glimpse of a created culture so outside of my usual norm of fantasy that it added another layer to my own imagination.
To me, one of the most appealing parts of this book was the perseverance of the main character. Beaten down throughout her formative years, her duplicitous family loved her, but failed her on a fundamental level by wrapping her in cotton wool and denying her birthright. Left to the silent torture of emotional torment, her world began to kill her a tiny bit at a time. Despite it all, though, Yu finds her strengths, overcoming horrendous pain.
The author strove to understand life from the angle of a girl backed into a physical and psychological corner. Because of this, the book takes me into a world which I have never experienced but which I could intrinsically empathize. Furthermore, the protagonist Yu, while capable of generosity and forgiveness that is almost saintly, she doesn’t allow herself to be taken advantage of without awareness. She understands that her family is using her, but allows it because her clan’s honor is so important to her.
Honestly, it was a true struggle to find anything to complain about this book, other then that there were portions which felt slow. For me this wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it slowed the process of the story and allowed the addition of depth to the world and characters. While this story certainly utilized that at times, there were also moments I felt myself fighting through the progression.
March 3, 2023
It’s a typical wuxia/xianxia novel trying to incorporate litrpg elements. I’ve read/listened to my fair share of Wuxia/xianxia and I can honestly say this one (though enjoyable) is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s not the best I’ve read, nor the worst.
I liked the pacing of the story, the power system the book tries to implement (the layers of which are very intricate and detailed), and the training regiments. I’m also a huge fan of weapon choice… Haven’t seen the hook blades used before for a main character. I didn’t care for the randomness of the event that changed our protagonist, how everyone with power is typically an arrogant loser (typical wuxia), how cringe the dialog can get*** especially the informal tone the mc takes with those whom have stations way above hers (really breaks the immersion for me), how Mary Sue the protagonist can be (also breaks immersion as she is completely unrelatable), how everyone who crosses the MC seems to lose face and hold a grudge even without knowing her clan or rank (typical wuxia), how no clans seem to get along (typical wuxia), how our mc has a perfect memory, how many of the other characters of higher station seem to be a bit dimwitted (constant need to explain her actions over and over and over again) ….. as I type them out, the list is pretty long. I do also find the Gods and where the system came from to be lacking. I listened to this story via audible and though the narrator did a fantastic job at it, I feel that that platform made more noticeable the minor things I had gripes with.
Again, I enjoy the story and will continue to read through the series, but it’s not one I would give a glowing recommendation to another.
I liked the pacing of the story, the power system the book tries to implement (the layers of which are very intricate and detailed), and the training regiments. I’m also a huge fan of weapon choice… Haven’t seen the hook blades used before for a main character. I didn’t care for the randomness of the event that changed our protagonist, how everyone with power is typically an arrogant loser (typical wuxia), how cringe the dialog can get*** especially the informal tone the mc takes with those whom have stations way above hers (really breaks the immersion for me), how Mary Sue the protagonist can be (also breaks immersion as she is completely unrelatable), how everyone who crosses the MC seems to lose face and hold a grudge even without knowing her clan or rank (typical wuxia), how no clans seem to get along (typical wuxia), how our mc has a perfect memory, how many of the other characters of higher station seem to be a bit dimwitted (constant need to explain her actions over and over and over again) ….. as I type them out, the list is pretty long. I do also find the Gods and where the system came from to be lacking. I listened to this story via audible and though the narrator did a fantastic job at it, I feel that that platform made more noticeable the minor things I had gripes with.
Again, I enjoy the story and will continue to read through the series, but it’s not one I would give a glowing recommendation to another.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2024
Probably closer to 3.5?
I do think it slathered on both the (i) bullying/everyone hates me for reasons out of my control and (ii) look how special I am I have multiple affinities/mana types/highest meridian numbers ever a little high. Also the prose was weak (especially at the beginning, I did think it got better as it went along) and had that mildly annoying 'everyone who likes the MC is a good person and anyone who doesn't is stupid and evil' thing going on. Also I am mildly skeptical of an antagonist who can see the future and pull strings precisely, as they are very difficult to do right/in a convincing way.
All that being said, I still inhaled this like crack. I liked Yu well enough, and the numbers going up, and her joy when she made friends, and the crotchety mentors (especially grandma) and sentient animals and other tropes done well. Her joy when she (kinda) made friends was both sweet and sad, and her destroying everyone at the tournament and being revealed as the former-crippled daughter was cathartic. I also thought it was both sweet and sad how attached she was to her family despite a lot of pain.
I look forward to her experiences at the sect, where I assume she will experience more arbitrary bullying and cruelty but triumph nonetheless with determination, grit, and sheer amazingness, and I will shovel it in like crack once again.
I do think it slathered on both the (i) bullying/everyone hates me for reasons out of my control and (ii) look how special I am I have multiple affinities/mana types/highest meridian numbers ever a little high. Also the prose was weak (especially at the beginning, I did think it got better as it went along) and had that mildly annoying 'everyone who likes the MC is a good person and anyone who doesn't is stupid and evil' thing going on. Also I am mildly skeptical of an antagonist who can see the future and pull strings precisely, as they are very difficult to do right/in a convincing way.
All that being said, I still inhaled this like crack. I liked Yu well enough, and the numbers going up, and her joy when she made friends, and the crotchety mentors (especially grandma) and sentient animals and other tropes done well. Her joy when she (kinda) made friends was both sweet and sad, and her destroying everyone at the tournament and being revealed as the former-crippled daughter was cathartic. I also thought it was both sweet and sad how attached she was to her family despite a lot of pain.
I look forward to her experiences at the sect, where I assume she will experience more arbitrary bullying and cruelty but triumph nonetheless with determination, grit, and sheer amazingness, and I will shovel it in like crack once again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2024
Rare tale of female cultivator
Alternate universe, LitRPG cultivator, magic, fantastic beasts
Dense and intense tale of political intrigue surrounding the birth and childhood of a potential OP girl cultivator in over 600-plus pages, her adventures, struggles, and challenges to when she leaves home at fifteen to study with her second master. And the intelligent beast rulers were an interesting addition to the east Asian (Chinese) themed milieu. Plenty of grinding as well.
Personally, I like stories about strong women, and cultivator tales starring a female are as rare as hen's teeth; they may be supporting characters, but hardly ever the main protagonist. The average woman isn't as strong as a man, but they can have faster reflexes and have greater endurance. Women warriors were rare historically, but they most definitely existed, and do today. Most people have heard of Mulan, but far fewer know about pirates Anne Bonnie and Mary Read, or the greatest pirate of all, the pirate queen Jiang Tze, who once commanded 80,000 ships along China's SE coast, and was bribed into maritime retirement where she lived as an upscale brothel madam.
First time reading this author. Better than average editing. Enjoyed. Will most definitely check out the next book.
Alternate universe, LitRPG cultivator, magic, fantastic beasts
Dense and intense tale of political intrigue surrounding the birth and childhood of a potential OP girl cultivator in over 600-plus pages, her adventures, struggles, and challenges to when she leaves home at fifteen to study with her second master. And the intelligent beast rulers were an interesting addition to the east Asian (Chinese) themed milieu. Plenty of grinding as well.
Personally, I like stories about strong women, and cultivator tales starring a female are as rare as hen's teeth; they may be supporting characters, but hardly ever the main protagonist. The average woman isn't as strong as a man, but they can have faster reflexes and have greater endurance. Women warriors were rare historically, but they most definitely existed, and do today. Most people have heard of Mulan, but far fewer know about pirates Anne Bonnie and Mary Read, or the greatest pirate of all, the pirate queen Jiang Tze, who once commanded 80,000 ships along China's SE coast, and was bribed into maritime retirement where she lived as an upscale brothel madam.
First time reading this author. Better than average editing. Enjoyed. Will most definitely check out the next book.
December 4, 2023
Ok, I should start by stating that i generally do not enjoy Wuxia as a genre, mainly due to sects. Both here and in Cradle I felt the urge to slap almost every sect member we encounter hard enough to hit a wall. What kept me reading here is a fascinating mix of classic litRPG and Wuxia and several of the Characters, namely her first teacher and a certain feathery character we meet later in the book. To the authors credit, you really will hate characters you are meant to hate, seriously I was screaming at my eBook at times to please let me slap the twins. You can however very much tell that a lot of this Book is Setup for payoff down the line, and we get comparatively little payoff in this book (the second one has a lot more and it is satisfying). I would highly recommend this to people who like litRPG and/or are not that into Wuxia.
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