- #1
I never quite forgot this story out of all the historical and cultivation novels I read because of how atypical the MC is. She is, by far, someone who fits into the 'villianess' archetype very well and lives up to it by her actions. Not because she's black bellied or inherently violent but because she would literally be those white lotus and green tea types that people would hate if she was a supporting character in any other novel.MC is a bad b*tch and she knows it. She doesn't make excuses for herself as she's pretty self aware and astute at times. She knows she is beautiful and will seduce or use others for her goal and really lives up to title of being the 'beauty who brings calamity to cities.' The MC only really cares about herself and her parents in the beginning. They truly love her and you could tell by her upbringing that she was spoiled rotten by them. However, she is extremely filial to a fault and tries to reciprocate every bit of that love back to them. It was such an interesting paradox to read in a character and made her redemptive in my opinion. At her core, she is not really a bad person. You see that she tries to treat the people close to her very well and with respect throughout her journey whenever she can afford to.ML is the typical, low EQ, cold and ruthless guy. I would say he's alright and would act in expectations to his character if it wasn't for the FL. The real highlights are their interactions. Like another reviewer said, it's a pretty toxic relationship. He knows how she is but can't help be attracted to her. Like a bug to a poisonous flower or a moth to a flame. And she is using him for the benefits he brings but doing it for her survival and also for her parents' sake. You know she is being shameless but can't hate her for doing what she could with the cards she was dealt with.Spoiler
Both characters have their faults in the relationship. Mainly, because he is constantly trying to deny his feelings for her because he couldn't admit to himself that he loved a woman with that sort of nature and as for her, she had unintentionally put him on a pedestal as some flawless hero god who is suppose to do no wrong due to her perceiving him as the 'main character' of her visions. Their relationship is deeply flawed but once the two parties realize this revelation, it becomes a beautiful thing. They both accept one another, faults and all. To me, this makes their relationship deeper and more realistic compared to other romances I've read in this genre.
[collapse]This novel I had MTLed to the end but I'm really looking forward to reading it cohesivly and properly translated so I come back for updates every year or so.