Status
Available
Call number
Description
"Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity. His years of dedicted study and noble deeds allowed him to ascend to godhood. But those who rise may also fall, and fall he does--cast from the heavens and banished to the world below. Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears...What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?"--Back cover.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member clrichm
Oh, it's gorgeous. This story--I just love it so much. My heart breaks for both Hua Cheng and Xie Lian for the hurts that they experienced that shaped them to the men they are at the time of this book, and I am so happy that it took so little for them to fall into such easy companionship with each
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other. There may still be secrets and stories left untold between them, but most of this story is of the "there is no pain and nothing hurts" sort of fluff I adore. Show Less
LibraryThing member Familiar_Diversions
This first volume of the series introduces Xie Lian, the former crown prince of the Kingdom of Xianle. When he first ascended and became a god, he had many worshipers and was loved by his followers. Unfortunately, his caring nature and desire to save the common people turned out to be his downfall,
In order to pay off his debts, Xie Lian agrees to look into reports of a ghost groom who's been kidnapping and likely killing brides in the Mount Yujun area. He is reluctantly assisted by Nan Feng and Fu Yao, two junior martial officials.
In the second half of the volume, Xie Lian meets a mysterious young man named San Lang and journeys to Banyue Pass to investigate attacks on travelers in the area.
I have things I like and dislike about each of MXTX's stories, but this one is probably my favorite overall (granted, I've only read up to about 75% of a fan translation of this series, so that could change). Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are my favorite of MXTX's couples, and the slow-burn aspects of their relationship are lots of fun. The characters interactions, in general, are really enjoyable. The series' weakest aspect is probably its overall plot, which takes forever to start coming together and then requires you to remember things that happened hundreds of pages ago. That's how I felt while reading a fan translation - we'll see how I feel about all of it now that I'm reading an official translation.
It's a good thing I like the Ghost Groom arc, because I've now gone through it at least five or six times, either in novel form or via the animated TV series. It comes across as a fairly self-contained supernatural mystery (I now know that there are a bunch of little details that will be important much later on ::sigh::) and is a nice way to ease into some of the basic characters, their world, and the way things work.
I'm not as wild about the Banyue arc, but San Lang's existence made it more enjoyable than it might otherwise have been. I loved San Lang's mischievous yet helpful interactions with Xie Lian and the way he openly thumbed his nose at Nan Feng and Fu Yao. Then there was the Sinner's Pit scene - sure, it had all the revelations about the downfall of Banyue, but it also had San Lang showing off a bit while princess carrying Xie Lian.
Now on to the next volume!
Extras:
Seven Seas' usual extensive and helpful character and name guide and glossary, although for once I didn't need to consult any of it. Also, black-and-white illustrations throughout, which I generally enjoyed, plus a couple full-color illustrations.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
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and at the start of this story he has ascended for the third time and is mostly powerless, penniless, and unlucky. Good thing he's pretty much used to it by this point.In order to pay off his debts, Xie Lian agrees to look into reports of a ghost groom who's been kidnapping and likely killing brides in the Mount Yujun area. He is reluctantly assisted by Nan Feng and Fu Yao, two junior martial officials.
In the second half of the volume, Xie Lian meets a mysterious young man named San Lang and journeys to Banyue Pass to investigate attacks on travelers in the area.
I have things I like and dislike about each of MXTX's stories, but this one is probably my favorite overall (granted, I've only read up to about 75% of a fan translation of this series, so that could change). Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are my favorite of MXTX's couples, and the slow-burn aspects of their relationship are lots of fun. The characters interactions, in general, are really enjoyable. The series' weakest aspect is probably its overall plot, which takes forever to start coming together and then requires you to remember things that happened hundreds of pages ago. That's how I felt while reading a fan translation - we'll see how I feel about all of it now that I'm reading an official translation.
It's a good thing I like the Ghost Groom arc, because I've now gone through it at least five or six times, either in novel form or via the animated TV series. It comes across as a fairly self-contained supernatural mystery (I now know that there are a bunch of little details that will be important much later on ::sigh::) and is a nice way to ease into some of the basic characters, their world, and the way things work.
I'm not as wild about the Banyue arc, but San Lang's existence made it more enjoyable than it might otherwise have been. I loved San Lang's mischievous yet helpful interactions with Xie Lian and the way he openly thumbed his nose at Nan Feng and Fu Yao. Then there was the Sinner's Pit scene - sure, it had all the revelations about the downfall of Banyue, but it also had San Lang showing off a bit while princess carrying Xie Lian.
Now on to the next volume!
Extras:
Seven Seas' usual extensive and helpful character and name guide and glossary, although for once I didn't need to consult any of it. Also, black-and-white illustrations throughout, which I generally enjoyed, plus a couple full-color illustrations.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
This is the third series by Chinese author Mo Xiang Tong Xii. After loving the other two (Scum Villain's Self-Saving System & Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), it was really only a matter of time before I started this one, even though it is eleven-floppity-jillion pages long.
Listen. Is this the
Listen. Is this the
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best writing ever? No. There is a ton of info dumping and the phrasing is sometimes clunky (though that could be translation, Seven Seas translation is kind of infamously poorly edited) and MXTX is rarely great with female characters. BUT IT SUPER GAY and had me giggling even in the waiting rooms at the passport office and the dentist and I am just so helplessly charmed by the characters. The world feels like it has an incredibly rich history and it's all interconnected and I just love it. Show Less
Publication
Seven Seas (2021), 544 pages
Original publication date
2017-06-16
Language
ISBN
1648279171 / 9781648279171