This is the first translated work I've read that wasn't for school.  I enjoyed it a lot.  It is a Chinese Fantasy novel.  We follow Wei Wuxian, a powerful Cultivator who went down a very dark path and was eventually killed by those he'd once considered friends and family.  Sixteen years after his death, his soul awakens in the body of a disturbed young man who wants Wei Wuxian to exact revenge on his behalf.  But the past refuses to stay buried and he must unravel this mystery with the help of his friend Lan Wangji, a very proper and powerful cultivator himself.

This is the first book of five and I loved it.  The characters are well rounded, and even the more antagonistic characters are enjoyable.  For a story with many dark twists and turns, it is suprisingly lighthearted and funny.    The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating is simply that the first chapter was not very enjoyable to read and I almost gave up on the book very early because of it.  However once that smaller part of the larger story was finished the book picked up pace and it was very hard to put down.  A definite recommend, cannot wait to read the next book.

Wei Wuxian causes problems on purpose and honestly that’s very iconic of him

While this book did have issues, like using the word "crippled" on 1 page for example, I still really enjoyed reading it! 
I know that people have been saying the translation isn't great, but I think I'm just too dumb to pick up on that... I didn't have an issue with the translation and I thought it had quite fast, but again that might be because I'm just too dumb to pick up on any issues.

Also side note: Lan Wangji seems way less autistic coded in the book than in the live action series and I don't know how I feel about that... He definitely still feels autistic coded, but yeah just less. Kinda makes me sad because I was really hoping he would be even more autistic coded in the book.

Anyway Lan Wangji is autistic and Wei Wuxian has ADHD. Nobody can change my mind about it!

Really enjoyed this book and I think the translation is pretty well done, all things considered. It is cool to get the full story after watching the show adaptation, and I'm excited to read the rest of them!

These books are a lot of fun upon rereading, after the flashbacks reveal more and more about the characters and their relationships and unique motivations. The mood whiplash between lighthearted to suddenly heart-wrenching emotional beats are super interesting, but also exhausting. 

 I decided to give the novels a try after watching the drama, CQL.

And after reading just volume 1, I will say, I appreciate the novel for expanding and clarifying the lore, but I think my "canon" will be the drama. 

MXTX truly struggles to relay exposition in a smooth manner, instead choosing random info dumps that derail the plot and make it very unclear who knows what. I have no idea what information Wei Wuxian knows (or how he knows it, after coming back) and what information is included just for me, with him unaware. 

This story is a diamond in the rough. Knowing what I know about how this ends (and also how much has been changed from original text to adaption, as I have also read the manhua and also several posts comparing the drama to the novels), I think the drama improved this story which lays down an amazing foundation. Great ideas, intriguing characters, but so much mess in between.