Reviews
★★★★☆ [4/5 stars]
wen kexing <33333
I came for the banter between the leads, and I stayed for ...the banter between the leads :) The dialogue, character development, the poetic references, and the main theme of redemption and chosen families drew me in. However, I found the plot pacing to be uneven and was disappointed about a few arcs being resolved off-page or in a few lines (pray show, do no tell!).
Reread review…. Why am I writing this again you ask?? Because I just love it ♥️♥️ Also upping it to 5 star this time 🤩 To be honest, I don’t know why I decided to reread it. A reading slump is definitely one reason, but I guess I was also missing ZZH and reading the book is definitely less painful than watching my favorite drama Word of Honor. I think I really loved and appreciated this book more this time around. When I first read it few months ago, it was during the broadcast of the show and my goal was to just rush through the book because I needed to know what was gonna happen. Despite the many differences between the source material and the adaptation, one major event towards the end of the book remained the same and it probably helped reduce my anxiety as well as tears when the relevant episode aired. Now however, I knew everything that was gonna happen, so it was time to just enjoy the dialogue and banter and get throughly entertained. Because I’m reading this now after having read Qiye, I think I really got to understand Zhou ZiShu’s character better. He is someone who doesn’t really regret the actions he has taken for what he thought was the betterment of the country, but is tired of it all because the people he cared about are all gone. The author really captures this loneliness, exacerbated by his condition, and while we might consider his past questionable, it’s also easy to sympathize with him now. Wen Kexing on the other hand is so over the top that I couldn’t help but giggle at his antics, and sympathized even more with ZZS because who could really handle WKX without feeling like hitting him a little. But it’s the small moments of vulnerability that made me love him more, when he shows his sincere feelings or when he feels distraught at seeing ZZS suffer and his impending death. Chengling, Gu Xiang and Cao Weining are all equal parts brave and sweet and their stories will never not make me feel bittersweet. While we did get to see more of ZCL’s thoughts and grief here, I thought my beloved side couple didn’t get enough page time here - atleast not as much as in the drama. On the opposite side, Beiyuan and WuXi had more of a presence in the book and it was such a delight from the moment they appeared. Their plotline in the book and ZZS’s reaction to Beiyuan are much different here and I think I had forgotten that. But Beiyuan’s calculating but sweet nature, and WuXi’s jealous but extremely competent personality make this book even better. I definitely enjoyed the drama much more the first time around but this book is brilliant in its own way and I have to say hats off to Priest for creating many memorable character moments that will always be etched in my heart. This reread only made me wish more and more for a Qiye adaptation but I know that will never happen after the recent crackdown, which is just unfortunate. But I’ll keep this wish in a small corner of my heart. First Read I ofcourse discovered the cdrama Word of Honor because I saw so many on my Twitter timeline gushing about it. I was completely hooked within just a couple episodes, and decided to read the novel as well. I’ve heard so much about the author Priest but having never read any of her works and only seen one other adaptation of hers, I was very excited to dive into this one. I’ve heard quite a few people mention that Tian Ya Ke is an older and not very popular work of hers, but I think I really liked that it was straightforward and relatively simpler. The characters of Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Kexing are very memorable and I loved how the author starts them off being flawed and having done regrettable things in the past, but trying to be better. The banter between them is super fun, the relationship development is slow and sweet and I also adored their found family bond with Zhang Chengling and Gu Xiang. I ofcourse kept picturing the actors while reading, as well as recollecting some of the cool action sequences, which made for a very fun reading experience. There were some twists which I did not see coming at all and considering how emotional I felt while reading, I’ll probably be a sobbing mess if they happen in the show. In the end, this was a cool wuxia adventure but I definitely loved it more because of the wonderful characters. The translation on novelupdates was also extremely well done and I could follow along very easily. Now I just want to enjoy the drama and see all my favorite scenes on the screen, but the episode schedule is horrible and I hate waiting for every episode. Thankfully, it’s all worth the wait.
