Tag Archives: TBR Challenge Review

TBR Challenge Review: 被嫌弃的童养媳是锦鲤 (The Abandoned Child Bride is a [Lucky] Koi) by 尹云白 (Yin Yunbai)

被嫌弃的童养媳是锦鲤 (The Abandoned Child Bride is a [Lucky] Koi) by 尹云白 (Yin Yunbai)
Historical romance

The Wang Family’s child bride Su Wan is a lucky koi.

After Su Wan entered the Wang family, her future husband Wang Luo Sheng passed the imperial examination and the Wang family became increasingly wealthy.

But the Wang family believed that everything they had was thanks to the well-educated concubine Yang Yunyan and that the legal wife Su Wan was ignorant, clumsy, and could only bring shame to the Wang family.

Su Wan, who transmigrated into the book, was furious. She had the luck of a lucky koi but still suffered such a humiliation.

So before she married Wang Luo Sheng, Su Wan packed up her things and went to find Shen Lin, who treated her like a treasure in the book after she was divorced.

Wang Luo Sheng got rid of the ignorant child bride as he wished and made Yang Yunyan his legal wife.

However, why did his family become more and more destitute? Where were the fame and money he had in his previous life?

Wang Luo Sheng looked at the big house and the new shop that the once poor Shen family had bought in the city, and fell into confusion…

So the prompt for this month’s TBR Challenge is “New Year, Who Dis?” and I felt the last book I read, 被嫌弃的童养媳是锦鲤 (The Abandoned Child Bride is a [Lucky] Koi), where our heroine gets rid of her trash ass ex was the perfect choice. I’m a staunch supporter of “die with regrets, asshole” and this book embodies it. Look, it’s not a good January, and in the states we’re only looking at worse and worse, thus finding joy where we can is key, and this is my joy. A glow up man, a good life, calling out people for their shit, and winning in life. It’s a bit of a “turn your brain off book” and we all need that sometimes. The “who dis” vibe is strong where the toxic people are cut out of their lives completely. Continue reading

TBR Challenge Review: 逐玉 (Zhú Yù, Chasing Jade) by 团子来袭 (Tuán Zǐ Lái Xí)

逐玉 (Zhú Yù, Chasing Jade) by 团子来袭 (Tuán Zǐ Lái Xí)
Chinese historical romance published in 2023

Chasing Jade book coverAfter her parents passed away, Fan ChangYu faced a string of hardships—her childhood sweetheart broke off their engagement, greedy relatives wanted to seize her inheritance, and with a sickly five-year-old sister to care for, she decided to take a matrilocal husband in name only.

Her plan centered on a man she had saved: wounded, with nothing to his name but a strikingly handsome face. They quickly reached an agreement: she would take him in to recover, and he would pretend to marry her, helping her hold on to her family assets.

Once the family business was secure, Fan ChangYu prepared to write the divorce agreement, as promised. However, a war erupted, and soldiers were recruited; her “husband” was conscripted and vanished without a trace.

The next time she saw him, he was drenched in blood, lying in a wounded soldiers’ tent. His handsome face was smeared with blood, while his simple soldier’s uniform was torn to shreds. Seeing the hardship he had endured, Fan ChangYu’s eyes reddened with tears.

“Don’t be a soldier anymore,” she whispered, her voice choked. “Come back. I’ll slaughter pigs to support you.”

He barely opened his eyes, coughing up blood. “You… wanted a divorce…”

Her eyes filled with tears. “No divorce, no divorce!”

[Mini Theater]
Xie Zheng, the Marquis of Wu’an, became renowned at a young age, his achievements in battle granting him the title of marquis before he even turned twenty. His methods in military command were famously strict and ruthless, making him unmatched across the entire Dayin dynasty.

Recently, however, the soldiers noticed something peculiar about their marquis. He no longer resided in his spacious command tent, preferring instead to squeeze into the cramped and shabby tent designated for the wounded.

Though he’d taken a serious injury—a wound deep enough to bleed through his armor—under normal circumstances, he’d be back on his feet within a couple of days. Yet this time, he’d been lying there for over ten days with no sign of improvement.

The camp’s grizzled strategist clicked his tongue after visiting him. “Hmph. If someone is by your side to wipe your brow and feed you medicine, of course the wound takes longer to heal!”

It wasn’t until the marquis’s mysterious wife—who had never shown herself before—snuck into the barracks, wearing her husband’s tattered soldier’s uniform, and took his place on the front lines, fearing her “delicate, sickly husband” might die on the battlefield. Only then did the “gravely wounded” marquis leap up from his bed in shock, hastily don his armor, and rush to chase after her.

As the blood-red sun set, a lone goose cried across the vast sky.

With a butcher knife in hand, Fan ChangYu hacked off the enemy general’s head and squinted toward the distant friendly troops kicking up clouds of yellow dust as they approached. She pulled over a nearby soldier and asked, “The one charging at the front, wearing that bright armor with the Qilin shoulder guards and riding that big horse… why does he look a bit like my husband?”

The soldier: …Isn’t it possible that he actually is?

Naive but fierce Little Sunshine (Female Lead) vs. “That woman is so crude” to “Why doesn’t that woman like me?” Marquis Xie (Male Lead)

Just reading the book blurb/description made me chuckle again. Does it give a lot away? Sure – but actually not that much. (These books are long though this book wasn’t that long at 180 chapters including the extras, and a lot of these cnovel chapters are shorter than you’re used to.)  The author, 团子来袭, is a new favorite for me. In fact immediately after finishing this book I read another fully translated book by [her], and am eagerly waiting for the others in the works to be finished. (And hoping if she has a larger backlist they get picked up!) Anyway the theme for December’s TBR challenge is “it’s a party” and … I guess … there are parties in this book? Nothing is jumping out at me but there are various celebrations and it’s one that feels like it most fits out of my recent reads. (And yikes my reading seems to have really slowed since November which … let’s not get into why 😒.) Continue reading

Belated TBR Challenge Review: 深藏不露 (Beneath the Surface) by 退戈 (Tui Ge)

深藏不露 (Beneath the Surface) by 退戈 (Tui Ge)
Ancient Chinese historical romance

Song ChuZhao, who grew up in the border area and is unrivalled in her skills, exchanged “souls” with Gu FengJian, who lived in seclusion due to an injury in his childhood. Since then, the weak scholar Gu Wulang can ride a horse and draw a bow, and the unrestrained Song Sanniang can debate with scholars. Gu Fengjian was thinking about how to deal with it when he heard something knocking on the window pane from outside. The sound was very light and varied in pitch. It must be a stone. He walked out of the door silently, turned to the side, and sure enough, he saw the person who had been muttering just now on the high wall not far away. The two of them, one tall and one short, looked at each other from a distance, and showed extremely complicated expressions at the face that was extremely familiar to each other. Song Chuzhao’s voice trembled, and he tentatively asked: “Gu…Gu Wulang?” Gu Fengjian nodded quickly. Song Chuzhao was obviously relieved and adjusted [her] posture to make himself more stable. Gu Fengjian: “…” In his life, he never thought that his face would appear in a place like the top of the wall. – Translated from the original book page 

Or the blurb on NU:

On such a day, the fifth young master, known for his secluded scholarly pursuits and refined demeanor, accidentally revealed his mastery of martial arts and was now capable of effortlessly piercing a target with an arrow from a hundred paces.

The third young miss, raised in the untamed borderlands and unbound by convention, revealed a hidden talent. She could now debate with a room full of scholars, her wit and knowledge matching theirs blow for blow.

To everyone’s astonishment, these two had been hiding their true abilities. They were both forces to be reckoned with!

​November’s prompt is “it came from the 1990s” and … knowing absolutely nothing about the author let’s just pretend she was born in the 90s. That’s my prompt connection. I already skipped October’s “Spooky (Gothic)” because I felt nothing matched as much as Carrying a Lantern in Daylight so, yeah. Anyway, Beneath the Surface was an absolute delight. It might just come in second as one of the softest sweetest books I’ve read in my c[romance] novel journey, and that’s really saying something. If not clear, we’re talking about a body swap romance. And the most perfect delightful one. Imagine if you swapped bodies with the person most suited to fill in all your “deficiencies.” That’s what we’ve got going on with our pair. And they overall have the most wonderful, loving families – which also (sadly) isn’t something you see too often in cnovels. Anyway I loved this book and I know I’ll absolutely be re-reading it. I also keep clicking on the author’s name in NU hoping there will be more books for me – another historical, but no such luck yet. Alas. Another important thing is I think this book would be a great introduction or onramp to reading cnovels – nothing too difficult to accept culturally. Continue reading

Belated TBR Challenge Review: 九重紫 (Jiu Chong Zi) by 吱吱 (Zhi Zhi)

九重紫 (Jiu Chong Zi) by 吱吱 (Zhi Zhi)
Historical romance published in 2022

九重紫 book cover - it has the letters in calligraphy on it - the cover is in blues, with a moon a smidgen right of center. The bottom quarter to third is water with flower water lanterns, and a type of boat with the back of FL and ML pictured.She is the legitimate daughter of the Dou family who lost her mother at a young age. Her status is noble, yet she is like a floating duckweed in the wind, with a pitiable fate. Her past karma remains unfinished, and in this lifetime, she returns to the bustling world, leaving behind the past of the mortal realm, seeking only a peaceful and enduring life like a gentle stream flowing endlessly. But unexpectedly, fate plays tricks, the more she tries to escape, the more she becomes entangled in the mortal world.

In a single encounter, she intruded into his heart, and in the mysterious realm of destiny, their love bond was already fated.

He is the highly esteemed heir, elegant and noble, yet trapped by his birth father’s schemes, facing difficulties at every step.

Amidst a faint fragrance floating, in a fleeting moment of brilliance, he dares to touch the forbidden, abandoning the prestigious and beautiful branches for the sake of a sincere heart, secretly pledging himself to the beloved.

Love has already blossomed, but the inner demons are hard to quell. The harder it is to attain, the more relentlessly it is pursued.

He takes the beauty as his own, experiencing the joys and sorrows of life together, never parting even in old age. She gives him genuine affection and lends him a helping hand; he offers her devoted love, helping her shed all hostility. Through all the ups and downs of life, she and he weather the storms together.

Can holding each other’s hands bring a lifetime of peace and stability? – lightly edited from NU

So the prompt this month was “drama!” and honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what book to choose. I’ve read a few I enjoyed but didn’t love (or super hate…) … but this one is the basis of a drama I’m looking forward to, so we’re going with 九重紫. The upcoming drama title is Blossom – fingers crossed it’s good. I’m very curious how they condensed a 523 chapter novel into just 34 ~45 minute episodes, so we’ll see. (I mean of course there was filler in the novel that could be cut … but not that much.) All that being said, our heroine here isn’t someone you love right off the bat, but she grew on me and I really loved her and felt she and our hero were a perfect pair. (Which of course is the point, but it’s extra here.) Continue reading

TBR Challenge Review: 凤凰游 (The Phoenix Once Roamed) by 朝露何枯 (Zhāo Lù Hé Kū)

凤凰游 (The Phoenix Once Roamed) by 朝露何枯 (Zhāo Lù Hé Kū)
Historical Romance

In my youth, to save the crown prince, I became a demented princess, only knowing to follow him every day.
I once lost control of my bladder in public, causing him great shame.
The crown prince never showed disdain for me in public, but in private, he gripped my wrist, full of anger.
One day at a palace banquet, the emperor wanted to bestow a marriage upon me and asked which young man I fancied.
The crown prince’s jaw tightened.

Everyone thought I would ask to marry him.

Who knew I would bypass the crown prince, pointing to the Lord of Changguang in purple clothes, “I want to marry him.”
Ah-Man, though demented, has but one heartfelt desire.

I could not for the life of me find a cover of this book. I don’t even know how much the language barrier mattered – there wasn’t on on Novel Updates or on the translation site. I’d actually seen this story before but avoided it because it had a “tragedy” tag, and now I know why because I sobbed like a fucking baby while reading it. There were two things that pushed me to read it – first of all I’d read a few other shorts on this translation site, then one of the comments where it said FL likely has [some form of] “anterograde amnesia” not that she’s “demented” – I don’t know if the latter term is on the translator, or the author … and there’s a bit of a reason for why it isn’t made clear, at least not initially, but oof. I also read it because I was on a roll with heroines who were like “man fuck this guy” and had relationship glow ups, or at least didn’t chase after a [trash ass] man who didn’t want her. This story delivered on so many levels.

I don’t … know how to get into this book without spoilers, but I think even with some it’s worth reading? So anyway our heroine/female lead (FL) “Ah-Man” (I don’t think it ever gives her full name? Which this could be her name but I don’t think it is?) is a 郡主 (Jùn zhǔ) – basically a county princess, often the daughter of a second rank prince, but it’s also a title that can be bestowed upon a noble’s daughter or a meritorious woman. Due to an injury that caused brain damage, she can’t remember things, and is basically stuck at her twelve year old self. Her only friend is the crown prince. Initially people were kind and sympathetic to her. Seven years have passed since the incident. People then got impatient with her… and now they disdain her or are disgusted by her. The crown prince still stands by her, but… not entirely. He’s very constrained by status and society. Some of the cultural aspects I don’t understand, but basically he cares for her, but mostly to protect both her and himself tries to hide her away. She was bright and lovely, a genius, a “pearl of Luo Yang (the capital)” … but now she’s … this.

Our hero, male lead/ML thankfully is NOT the crown prince. He is the Lord of ChangGuang. His name of Yin Che and he’s the … uncle(?) of the crown prince. I really wish I could’ve found the raws (original text) because I wanted to know what words the author used for him, and also for the times in the translation it says Ah-Man is “demented.” Anyway, based on what I know of ancient culture and such, and from what very little is in the book, I’d say that Yin Che is a vassal king. He’s likely the younger brother of the current emperor, or some distant relative of the emperor who inherited his fiefdom. The Lord of ChangGuang basically gives zero shits about making friends or not offending people in the capital. He’s got his own status, and generally lives in Yan Zhou where he rules. He loves Ah-Man exactly as she is, and treats her well. He’s not going to smooth things over – if someone is shitty to or about her, he’s going to shut them up.

While writing this review I was browsing the story again, and came across these lines which made me cry:

In truth, I did not remember who the Lord of Changguang was.

Nor did I know if we truly had an agreement.

I only knew that in my daily record book, one sentence was highlighted in red, written on the first page, so I saw it every day.

“One day, if the Lord of Changguang comes to propose, go with him. The Prince of Changguang wears purple, don’t mistake him!”

I wrote that when I was fifteen.

If one day he truly comes, that is when Ah-Man should go!

There’s so much sweetness in this story, and so much that’s heartbreaking. Ah-Man has bursts of lucidity, but she can’t hang on to them. I can’t imagine having to deal with her condition – either as Ah-Man, or the people around her. Very few are kind to her. I know it must be frustrating, but also people are assholes. Hence my difficulty in describing this book. I loved that Yin Che gives Ah-Man a moment to shine, and sees the good in her. Ah-Man gets frustrated with herself too, but also every day is new because she literally can’t remember.

This is one of the times I really wish the story was longer – it would be so good developed further! But also it’s the perfect length. Readers are heartbroken, given sweetness, stabbed in the heart, given more sweetness, and you just have to read it yourself.

One thing – I don’t know how much of what the crown prince felt towards Ah-Man was genuine affection or love, vs. guilt and entanglement. Personally I felt it was more of the latter, or maybe just the author didn’t bother to explore what love there is. And … honestly it wasn’t needed either. He’s not our hero.

The Phoenix Once Roamed is an example of where I don’t know how much is due to translation – again, the use of “demented.” Because otherwise I felt the author dealt with Ah-Man and her condition very respectfully and beautifully. It’s realistic about her struggles, for her and the people around her. But also highlights her sweetness. One of the parts of Yin Che seeing the good in her, is also that she’s “pure” in that everyone and everything changes, but she remains the same. Instead of being annoyed or frustrated, he treats her condition as a delight – every time they “meet” is a wonderful experience. And I’m crying again.

There are of course more complicated plot points, but I really do hope you read this story. It took me less than thirty minutes to get through – and that’s counting all the time I spent grabbing for tissues. You might not be as affected, but that means you have no soul. Heh. I’m kidding … but not really. I know I’ll definitely be re-reading this story in the future, and that it’ll stick with me for a long time.

Grade: A

You can read the story here.

Belated TBR Challenge Review: 白日提灯 (Carrying a Lantern in Daylight) by 黎青燃 (Li Qing Ran)

So ALBTALBS was down for a few weeks which I didn’t even know it was down until I tried writing the July TBR Challenge review. 🫠 I tried contacting my host and everything and I guess there was some massive DDoS attack … and the site finally came back a few days ago. As my body and the universe hates me … I didn’t get to writing this review till now – cuz also procrastination is something I do excel at, unfortunately.
Anyway, to the actual substance! A review!

白日提灯 (Carrying a Lantern in Daylight) by 黎青燃 (Li Qing Ran)

Carrying a Lantern in Daylight Book CoverHe Simu used to pick up people on the battlefield to earn her a living, but was unexpectedly picked up by someone.
The young general who picked her up seemed to see her as a weak woman orphaned by the war, and took great care of her.
So He Simu conscientiously and dutifully played the part of the weak woman.
— “Oh my, blood! I am most afraid of blood, I faint when I see blood !”
——”This water basin is so heavy and I have so little strength, I can’t move it at all!”
——”You guys fight and kill all day long, how scary!”
The female general who had an unrequited love on the young general angrily said, “Brother Duan certainly doesn’t like such a delicate young girl like you!”
He Simu tilted her head: “Really?”
One day, the young general made a mistake on the battlefield, after being tricked by others.
He Simu, who couldn’t lift her shoulders nor her hands and would faint at the sight of blood, loosened up her muscles, and lit up a ghost lamp: “I wanna see who dares to bully our General Duan, little fox Duan ?”
Duan Xu then thought, he shouldn’t have provoked the Ghost King.
It took him several months to learn that her real name was He Simu.
But maybe even with a lifetime, he still couldn’t let her remember his name in her four hundred years of long life.
“My name is Duan Xu, Xu like in ‘Feng Lang Ju Xu’*.” (*a famous chinese idiom)
—————
The super strong female Ghost King female lead faking weakness daily and the cunning special soldier young general male lead blurb from NU

I actually picked up this book because I saw a melon that the book has been adapted, and the cast was Dilraba and Arthur Chen FeiYu and I thought “well that’s an interesting pairing” so I went to look up the book and was like “that blurb sounds fantastic!” And while I found it a bit misleading, I did really like the book, and think if the actors bring their A game it has the potential to be an excellent drama. So yay! I was also ready for some morally grey and/or trickster characters. Continue reading

OH DAMN Y’ALL! Team TBR Challenge Review: Miss Mystery

“Blurb”: 18 years ago a young and innocent Xue Tong witnessed her family being brutally murdered. Since then she has hidden herself quietly and patiently, waiting for the day she could put her revenge plan into action. Well that day has come, and Xue Tong has finally returned to her hometown as Miss Lin Bao Er, the daughter of a wealthy Nanyang businessman. Now an adult, Lin Bao Er is clever, cunning, good with a gun, and skilled at understanding the depths of human nature.

When she meets the charming young master Zhu Guan Wen, the two decide to pose as couple in order to progress their own interests. Neither can help but grow feelings for each other, but will their love be their greatest strength or their downfall? [– from MDL]

You. Guys. I am giddy as I write this review. Revenge, a kickass FL, and THE most supportive ML. I was constantly *STAR-EYES* and *HEART-EYES* while watching this drama. Honestly, I think you “need” both trailers to get an idea – it’s definitely got it’s dark moments (nearly all presented in trailer two), but there’s a lot of romance too. The TBR prompt for October is “Danger Zone” and … Miss Mystery really fit the bill here because our FL (female lead) Lin Bao Er/ Xue Tong is throwing herself into unknown dangers in order to avenge her family. She’s got a plan, but in life you never quite know how things will turn out. Lucky for her she has ML (male lead) Zhu Guan Wen who could be labeled “Mr. Supportive.” (ETA: I forgot to add that as a potential bonus, each episode is only 5-10 minutes long, so it’s not a big commitment.) Continue reading

A Drama to Delight Your Cold Little Black Heart. Team TBR Challenge Review: What’s Wrong With My Princess

General Murong Qiu Yu was infatuated with the second prince Li Mo, she aided him in seizing the throne. However, she was betrayed and killed by Li Mo and her sister Murong Xin Er. After being reborn, Qiu Yu found herself back on her wedding night with the seventh prince, Li Jian. Qiuy Y decided to join forces with Li Mo’s rival, Li Jian, to ensure that Murong Xin Er and Li Mo face the punishment they deserve… – source, MDL


I followed the TBR Challenge Prompt for “once!” This is a new to me scriptwriter (Luo Man Ying) – which isn’t something I usually check, but I did here. It’s also fitting because the story is the best part of the drama. What’s Wrong With My Princess is one of the most satisfying revenge stories I’ve seen. It’s a short drama so definitely not big budget, but definitely worth watching. I think I’ve seen both lead actors in other dramas previously, but ironically the one who I’d be most interested in seeing again was a character I hated – the SFL. (I chalked it down to the directing and good acting – her character is awful.)

When it comes to Chinese dramas the way lead characters are discussed are “Female Lead (FL),” “Male Lead (ML),” “Second Female Lead (SFL),” “Second Male Lead (SML),” and occasionally there’s a third FL and ML. Although ML and FL are always the hero/heroine, it’s not the case for SML, SFL, etc. – just they also get the more developed stories and longer screen time. There are some trigger warnings needed for the beginning – although it’s so unrealistic and absurd seeing it at least for me wasn’t that big of a deal – in fact I kept thinking and even said “that’s not how this shit works” but it was so awful it’s one of those “I don’t mind it’s wrong” things. The evil characters kill FL’s child in utero… right as she’s going into labor. It’s deeply fucked but that’s the point and why she comes back so angry and determined to exact justice. There’s also the dark history (or purported history) of consorts and concubines doing this sort of thing in the palace in order to grab power for themselves or preserve power … so it’s slightly less “what the FUCK”/more common to see to a native audience than to a Western audience.
Continue reading

What if the “Villains” Were the Heroes? A belated TBR Team Challenge Review of Dong Lan Xue

“Summary”: The maid in charge, Shen Yan, has assisted the Seventh Prince Chu Ning Yuan in seizing the title of crown prince. The two, who also had tragic experiences, became cold-hearted in order to seek revenge and seize power. They are used to seeing the dark, and the little warmth is only left to each other. Chu Ning Yuan gradually fell in love with Shen Yan who was always by his side, but Shen Yan was indifferent to his love, and even took the initiative to match Chu Ning Yuan to marry the daughter of a powerful minister in order to destroy the current crown prince’s plan to stabilize his power by taking the prime minister’s daughter as a concubine. Chu Ning Yuan saw Shen Yan’s intentions and became more determined to keep Shen Yan by his side. [Lightly edited by me, initially taken from MDL]

Trailer:

Dong Lan Xue is a short webdrama that is obviously low budget but doesn’t look like it at all. The costumes are gorgeous, as are the actors, the sets are well done, the script is excellent, the acting is good, there’s great fight choreography, and even nice background music. I think it was the first super short I’ve seen – as in each episode is only 2-3 minutes, and I was impressed with not only how much gets packed in, but how well the story is told. Continue reading

She dies the first time they meet. He dies the last time they meet. Team TBR Challenge Review: An Ancient Love Song

JUST WATCH THIS TRAILER

This is one of the rare times I’m “in line” with the TBR Challenge prompt – July is “opposites attract” and while this maybe isn’t what one would think … I feel it fits here. I might also be a little off with the second sentence of the post title, but it’s pretty safe to assume. So this is a love story but it is NOT an American genre romance. Obviously.

The premise is … what if you and your soulmate were trapped in reverse timelines.

I want to talk about the details of this drama for once – because the way An Ancient Love Song came into existence is SO COOL. As far as i know it’s a short, low budget “low production” series. However, I saw some interesting buzz about it, and had liked the FL (female lead) in another drama I’d watched before. Initially I saw a trailer and was like “while the visuals are beautiful it looks sad, so pass” but then I heard about the origin. So apparently someone made a random but intense fan music video (FMV) years ago. They took clips of different dramas and put them together (very impressive – they made the visuals seamless and it really looked like it could’ve been one show) –  and even hired voice actors for new dialogue/a story. It went viral, and eventually someone decided to turn it into an actual series. The original creator was even brought on as a scriptwriter. I believe someone said it’s the first time this has ever happened. Continue reading