- #1
Spoiler of the heroine, Sheng An...
SpoilerShe was the leader of the superpowers and was very patriotic and had the total support of the leaders of China...
But for a large chunk of the book, she didn't even have her powers despite according to the prophecy she possessed the strongest superpower, the psychic power: time...
but she spent most of her time coordinating the team and devising strategies instead of directly fighting. Sure, it was important, but I wanted more action, more of her leading the charge of fights, not just strategizing behind the scenes. She only got her powers back after two-thirds into the book, around chapter 200 or so, which felt a bit late for me.
[collapse]The romance and male lead...
(ღ ･ิ◡･ิ) ε ･ิ ღ)
SpoilerThough the story it started with the heroine already with the male lead, the powerful leader of the elite soldiers of China Qi Lingwu, the romance didn't really do much either.
The male lead barely spoke, I think he couldn't even be considered a main character... their romantic interactions were really creepy sometimes too... she asked if she turned into an alien what should she do? He answered that he would always support her... he grabbed a bullet and said he would kill her and then kill himself... really romantic, I guess? (￣﹃￣)
He mostly followed the heroine around, watching her back. It lacked the spark I was hoping for. So, I would say, the novel had a subplot romance...
[collapse]Another thing that bothered me was the nationalism woven into the plot...
SpoilerChina discovered the impending apocalypse before the rest of the world and used this information to secure power by selling the information right at the door of the day of the apocalypse, not giving other countries time to prepare for the end of the world...
They literally sold the information in exchange for supplies, and in the end refused to accept foreign refugees.
The heroine's unwavering loyalty to her country made me uncomfortable and annoyed too.
She was willing to sacrifice her loved ones for the greater good, which felt cold and detached.
It raises the age-old question: what's more important, the lives of a few or the survival of humanity? While logically it makes sense, I couldn't get behind it emotionally. Personally, I couldn't sacrifice the people I care about, even for the survival of the world. The protagonist's patriotism left me conflicted.
[collapse]Then came the heartache... (づ-̩̩̩-̩̩̩_-̩̩̩-̩̩̩) づ
SpoilerSo many great characters were killed off... and I kept waiting for a twist where she'd go back in time and save them—like she had done before—but that didn't happen. I'm torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars. Despite its flaws, the story did manage to tug at my emotions, and I found myself crying at several points.
[collapse]Here comes the big spoiler...
SpoilerNow, onto my favorite character: Hao Jingye...
Hao was the heroine's trusted assistant, incredibly intelligent despite having no superpowers. He turned out to be a half-alien, and everyone assumed he was the big bad. But he was actually a pawn, manipulated by the true villain—a powerful alien that fed on life to grow stronger. Hao was torn between his alien instincts to destroy humanity and his human side, which still cared for the people he loved, especially the heroine and her group. His ultimate sacrifice in saving humanity was one of the highlights for me.
Zhang Jialiang, another character, had a particularly tragic end. He was just an ordinary guy, full of hope and positivity, eager to join the heroine's team in hopes of gaining powers. But instead, he became an immortal alien. He tried to end his life eight times but didn't succeed, so in the end he was killed by the heroine. It was heartbreaking, especially since all he wanted was to protect his family and not disappoint the heroine.
[collapse][collapse]In the end, while it wasn't the best apocalypse novel I've read, it still left an impact. It made me feel deeply, and for that, I'd still consider it a good read ٩ (｡•́‿•̀｡) ۶.