Had the most difficult time of this year to finish this book. It makes me reconsider if I keep up with the series or not, as even though there's been some danmei I haven't vibe with, this one is also very rarely keeping my interest enough so that I don't fall asleep while reading it.

I don't like the characters, which is usually not a good sign as I usually need to have some kind of feelings towards them. Here it's just very meh. I guess Gu Yun is alright, but he's also a bit hard to follow and I feel like his investment in Chang Geng is wishy-washy. Their whole relationship is also uncomfy, way more than the usual master/disciple thing. At least in the previous volume, there were some flashbacks to fill us in about Gu Yun's past, but this book is just some war, some very dry politics and some almost-war stuff. I'm not a war girly from the start, but l usually I'm happy to have some court politics shenanigans. Here, I really don't care for it. The way it doesn't connect all that much with the "love" story also makes me lose interest over it a lot.

The steampunk stuff is also taking a bit of a backseat now that the "novelty" of it all has settled. Violet gold is the main ressource and there can be flying soldier and flying ships? Oh ok, what's new? It somehow doesn't affect the world that much, like replacing it with there equivalent would make that much of a difference.

I'm overall a little bored and kinda annoyed at how much this book made me struggle. 16 days to get through it?!??! I refuse. In any case, the next volume, if I find the courage, is going to sit on my TBR for a while, out of spite. There were maybe 2 times were I was more into what was happening, but I don't know if it was because of the story or because I was just more awake and able to stay that way at the time...