SPOILERS WITHING FOR THE BOOK!!!

Starting this book I had ideas about the characters from memes I had seen and from fanart. Then I watched the first season of the anime and I got an even stronger impression.

When I say no one is as they seem in this book, no one is as they seem! Even Xie Lian!

I have talked about Jun Wu and Ming Yi in a previous post so I won’t do that again in this post.

Xie Lian however, wow. I really thought he was going to be like a Disney princess the way fans talk about him. He is sugar, spice and everything nice… and I guess he is after eight hundred years.

However, I also thought he was the calm type and collected and rational.

He is not, even after eight hundred years. Ok, he has a learnt a lot when we meet him and he has changed and he’s grown a thick skin. But White No Face is still able to get to him by targeting the one he loves, Hua Cheng.

Thinking about it I can’t fault him on that. When you care for someone your enemy can use that against you to control you or to get to you. So that is understandable.

In his past though he was so spoilt and prone to losing control of his emotions. He acted like a prince and whilst princes can be cool they are also annoying. He never did anything for himself except cultivate and martial arts.

He was entitled but as you know life humbled him and he really suffered.

It was so hard reading about him suffering. The part after the Xian Le kingdom fell got to me. Mu Qing leaves and then he sides with those thirty three officials. Then Xie Lian pushes Feng Xin away and then his parents… that got to me the most! His parents!

That was so sad! So heart breaking! I did not expect that to happen honestly.

Reading that scene it makes total sense why he lost his mind and almost gave in to the dark side. I’m glad he didn’t though. I’m glad he had Hua Cheng, the boulder breaking guy, the market guy, the chef guy and the guy who gave him his hat. I’m glad they stood up for him and gave him hope.

Next is Feng Xin. I expected to not like him as he did not have the best introduction along with Mu Qing. However as the story progressed I began to realise he truly cared for Xie Lian.

He was so loyal! I kept wondering what caused them to part ways and to find out that it was because Xie Lian pushed him away… that was sad. But it also made me happy because it made me realise Feng Xin never hated Xie Lian and was also 100% there for him.

He was such a good friend! And I love how straight forward he is. He has no pretences. A stand up guy.

So for once a character plot twist was a good one.

Side note: I did not expect them to be Nan Feng and Fu Yao and for Xie Lian to have known all along!

Mu Qing didn’t shock me. I did think he was jealous of Xie Lian and thought he was better than him but he also cared otherwise why would he create Fu Yao and try to help Xie Lian? Also it was clear he felt guilt for everything that he did.

I do like that Mu Qing is that friend who will be like, “Yeah let’s rob a house, we need money” whilst Feng Xin is like, “NO! What is wrong with you?” They balance each other out well and it makes me wonder what would have happened if Mu Qing had stayed.

However he also did intend to help them so he wasn’t all bad… right?

Pei Ming, I thought he would be the worst out of the terrible three. He was a hoe and a misogynist (btw what an awesome character is Rain Master Yushi, the hidden MVP, the one Jun Wu couldn’t harm! She’s a fav). He is the worst kind of guy to date.

However he is very open about his flaws and he stays pretty consistent. So I wondered why are Ling Wen and Wu Du friends with him and why are they called the terrible three?

Wu Du was a tyrant and there is what he did to save his brother. However as bad as he was and as bad as what he did was, he truly did love his brother. It’s a shame he didn’t think of another option.

Then Ling Wen I felt bad for her being lumped with those two only to find out bitch was the worst one! She didn’t do it for a sibling, nah she straight up murdered someone (and I don’t believe it was for her nation). Why does he help her? He murdered her and now he haunts clothing and he obeys and listens to her? Dude? Know your worth!

She was an honest shock. When she turned out to be bad, when Xie Lian exposed her I was so disappointed. That was when I realised, no one is as they seem in this universe which is a good thing I realised it as it prepared me for the Jun Wu reveal.

It was also shocking how connected everyone was, like the Green Lantern Ghost was Qi Rong.

He should have died. I’m sorry but why were they sugar coating it to the child. He is not your father! He is a bad man who has taken your father away!

Whatever way you can communicate that to a small child, do it! Because I was so fed up of him popping up everywhere and he served no purpose after his reveal, honestly. It would have been good for Qian Qiu to find his ashes and end him and learn to forgive Xie Lian.

I really liked the character Qi Ying. Again Yin Yu should have just said how he felt from the beginning. There’s a lesson in there, if you don’t like someone don’t fake it. You don’t have to be mean but just say how you feel because it will come out one way or another.

Like when Qi Ying asked, “Am I annoying?” That was the perfect opportunity! Say yes, you are annoying and explain to him why. Some people genuinely don’t know and are not doing it deliberately.

Qi Ying asked and he probably would have listened if Yin Yu had explained the conflict but nah he didn’t and that’s what happened. Good communication skills are just as important in friendships as they are in romances.

Then there’s Hua Cheng and he was great, a stellar character. I loved his sassy attitude, his confidence and intellect. He was just great.

Why did he think he was ugly as a child and why did he always wear bandages? I originally thought it was because he took his eye out but he did that much later. So yeah why?

Also I knew the story that was true was the one about him ascending and deciding to jump back down! Because man knew too much. Also, I am sure he smelt the bullshit Jun Wu and co. were laying so he was like, “Nah, peace out! Amma save Xie Lian from y’all.”

I did worry that he was too devoted to Xie Lian and it wouldn’t be a balanced relationship but Xie Lian encouraged him to get stronger and to become the man who could stand next to him.

Xie Lian also liked Hua Cheng back and Hua Cheng was able to give him strength and in a way taught him how to have mental strength so they turned out to be a good couple.

Now I’m just reading the bonus chapters.

I still can’t believe how some characters turned out. I am happy that Qing Xuan stayed wholesome though, if they turned out to be two faced I would have been so disappointed, more so than with Ling Wen.

However I did come out with new favs so yay!

Who are your favourite characters?