I've been meaning to re-read this series now that all of the volumes are out and I've bought them; mostly because having to wait for each new release left me forgetting where the last volume left off each time. I'm happy to report that it's still entertaining on a re-read

and has some delicious re-read value as to why Lan Wangji acts the way he does around Wei Wuxian

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Unfortunately I can't rate it much higher because:

a) There's a lot of instances where the story flashes back to past events but the transition between past and present is clunky and left me scratching my head trying to figure out what happened where and when (even with a timeline of everything explained to me).

b) This is an extremely minor nitpick but there are so many instances Wei Wuxian is described as laughing or cackling in response to a lot of situations. This wouldn't be so bad if it was one or two situations but I feel like it's overdone to the point it feels like if anything mildly amusing happens, he'll be cackling like a hyena.

I love Lan Wangji so much. He's so precious 🥺💜💜

Him saying

"Mine" to Wei Wuxian when he was drunk was so cute! I didn't think we'd get that so soon.

The fact that Wei Wuxian keeps joking around about liking men early in the volume and then later ends up with a man is just so much fun lol. He was so funny throughout most of the volume. 

If you don't want a slow burn with a LOT of plot, this isn't the series for you! I love what's going on though. There's so much. 

I only had a couple of issues with this first volume:
- Wei Wuxian drinks Emperor's Smile and says he never got to have it when he was younger but in the flashback, he did? Not a big deal, but it irked me a bit.
- Lan Wangji tells this long ass story explaining a lot about a specific incident. I would have much rather gotten that information spread out. 

1500 page slow burn Chinese martial arts fantasy gay romance novel? It's like they set up a mouse trap and this bait was personalized just for me.

A lot of fantasy romance novels fall into the trap of either focusing too much on crafting their worlds, leaving the development of the characters and romance to the wayside, or the reverse situation where the focus on the romance leads to a shoddy story. Thankfully, MXTX manages to balance all of these well.

The plot and world building is genuinely interesting and well-crafted, both resting comfortably on the laurels of generations of well-established xianxia tropes and culture, and breathing  new life into them. The author's somewhat excessive use of time skips back and forth over the course of the story can sometimes stall the pacing, and confuse you when reading. 

I do think the translation has something to do with that occasional confusion - it’s been translated in a way that’s clearly very faithful to the original text, with plenty of foot notes and a glossary for context. I normally love that, and while I do appreciate it, I actually think they really could and should have localized this a bit more. Sometimes the prose and flow is just way too awkward sounding in English because they focused on preserving the exact original’s literal meaning a little too much vs focusing on communicating a clear meaning, and natural, better flowing style and prose. 

For readers unfamiliar with the tropes & terms of xianxia, combined with a large cast (each of whom has about 5 different names and titles) it means it takes some perseverance to get through the first volume and make sense of it all. But once the story hits its stride, it's a tense page turner: a murder mystery, high fantasy, martial arts action, high stakes thriller, family tragedy, and slow burn romance rolled into one.

The MC, Wei Wuxian, is the star that holds it all together. You can't help but fall in love with him - mischievous and trouble making, lackadaisically arrogant, and enduringly kind and loyal. Seeing his character grow over the course of the novel is a treat. He’s a well written character with a lot of depth. You see him start as a bright and promising young man who  spirals and implodes on himself, trying to reconcile his ideals within a corrupt society and to protect his loved ones. His self destruction is partly due to an actual conspiracy against him, but a lot due to a mess of his own making: his hubris, rash temper and emotional immaturity. He's also strongly situated as a main character within a larger cast  of characters who are all incredibly interesting, loveable and frustrating, in their own rights. They all have deep motivations and exist not just to fill out the world but to serve as interesting foils, foreshadowing and parallels of alternate outcomes. All the recurring characters are connected by a web of complex and unique relationships that the story takes its time nurturing (EEJU - Everyone Is Jin Ling’s Uncle). And of course the relationship btwn Wei Wuxian and his love interest Lan Zhan as their bond withstands death, betrayal, war, and time, is the one you root for the most.

Oh and a note - the extra chapters are mostly fun and nice additions to fill out some missing B side scenes and characters, but for gods sake skip that incense burner chapter where they bone. Gotta be some of the least sexiest sex I have ever read in fiction, second only to Murakami sex scenes. Christ almighty. 

So far it's an intriguing story filled with mysteries and unknowns. The main characters Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are on opposite ends of the character trait spectrum, which makes their interactions quite fun.

The cultivation is something new for me but the execution of it and worldbuilding in the story are compelling. What is difficult to follow at times is the usage of multiple names for the same character, so it can be hard to keep up with who is who and who is related to who. This is generally not too big of an issue since the book contains a glossary with characters and unacquainted vocabulary and concepts.

The text itself, especially the spoken conversations, feel a bit stiff and unnatural for an English reader. I presume this to be a peculiarity of the Chinese language and how it gets translated. While it can be a bit jarring at times you get used to it fast that it doesn't take you out of the reading experience.