- #1
I usually lower the bar for urban/fantasy/romance bc I like reading fun and entertaining novels in between more serious ones but this novel made me rethink about "indulging" in the genre. Specifically, how an author can depict a manipulative and sociopathic as*hole (which can be a selling point for me) to even have the narrator itself justificating for him!?. Seriously?This novel delivers the fun right away from c1. And kept me reading until the last available chapter. Very fast paced and an MC who becomes too good and too fast at being a gao fushuai villain Imho (but we're here for that anyway) I've read my share of novels with hypocrisy, racism, r*pe, etc and appreciate them for what they're for but this novel twisted picture of rooting for a MC who rewards goodwill with manipulation and love with emotional dominance and expects total submission left a very bad taste.I wouldn't complain if it was done to characters who deserve it but he does it to everyone. It usually is due to necessity since he can't let main girls approach the "protagonist" and has to be ruthless but then came the downhill turning point for me when we are "rewarded" with the MC's inner thoughts, like the author was afraid we would think that the MC was apologetic about treating people like a dirty rag. He does it out of necessity AND bc he likes it.I can withstand this no problem but the nail in the coffing is that the faceslapping/showing off scenes are mediocre, outlandish (which can be fun at times) or the author relied too much in telling instead of showing (the most critical flaw). Even my suspension of disbelief, trained under years of reading both the good and bad, was broken numerous times due to characters not reacting like they should've to the god level skill of MC. I understand strangers but the parents as well!?There's some good moments but while reading you have the nagging feeling that the MC must have a hidden debuff aura draining IQ from other chars. Smh