Sure, I'm losing out on deliciously refined writing because they're fan translations and not perfect—but in its equally appetizing stead are intriguing, likable, complex characters; and layered, meaningful, and fascinating character interactions. THE CHARACTERS. AAAAAAAAH. I care about all of them and they do horrible things to me.
The novel is about the princess Xiao Yao's life (which at first encompasses being the male town doctor Xiao Liu) in which she doesn't want much but to settle down in simple, boring happiness. Unfortunately, being a princess of godly blood and having the epic ties that she has means that her dream won't cooperate easily. She has three suitors, all of whom Xiao Yao and I both love dearly. I'm hard-fastened on a ship, but y'know, even if it doesn't end up sailing, I wouldn't throw a fit because the other two guys are worthy too. ^^ There isn't a single chapter that I haven't enjoyed so far (okay okayyyy, apart from the 1st one eheheh), regardless of who Xiao Yao spends her time with or whether it's action-packed, of sweet romance, or of quiet lyrical simplicity.
(In the other post, I referred to her as Xiao Liu because I found it a rough transition back to her life as a female and surrounded by gods and royalty, but now I've embraced that she is both Xiao Yao and Xiao Liu—lazy, blunt, ungraceful, mischievous, stubborn, unambitious, smart, and lonely all the same.)
(In the other post, I referred to her as Xiao Liu because I found it a rough transition back to her life as a female and surrounded by gods and royalty, but now I've embraced that she is both Xiao Yao and Xiao Liu—lazy, blunt, ungraceful, mischievous, stubborn, unambitious, smart, and lonely all the same.)
I should be careful not to spoil in case anyone plans to read it, so I won't reveal their identities—but the three men in Xiao Yao's life have struck me with pondrances about the different types of love, represented by each suitor.
The first being devotion. Maybe not the most exciting, but very sincere and persists.
The second being comfort. Someone who knows you really well and vice versa. You're glad just to be around them and can be whoever you'd like to be. Warm companionship.
The third being passion. Something fun, something that impacts you, something you miss—a bit like a soulmate. I'm reminded of the way someone described the character representing this—that his love and friendship with Xiao Yao would have no dependency on the circumstances. No matter how they met or how they were connected, they'd click as personalities and sparks would fly.
Which kind of love would you want?
Ultimately, I think I would want longlasting devotion, so it's no surprise that I'm such a stickler for the guy that represents it. He's so sweet, and I hope he can be happy whether this future includes a Xiao Yao in his arms or not. ;A;
Can I also mention that at work, I had to email a customer whose name coincidentally is Xiao Liu AND I TOTALLY SQUEEEEE'ed when I got a reply—
Can I also mention that at work, I had to email a customer whose name coincidentally is Xiao Liu AND I TOTALLY SQUEEEEE'ed when I got a reply—
Putting this on my to-read list ahaha and once I get to reading it, we can discuss mkay? >w<
ReplyDeleteAhaha I feel like reading translated works motivates me to learn more of the language it comes from ahaha like with the Japanese Vocaloid songs, I decided to start learning Japanese because I wanted to be able to understand the songs on my own and translate them on my own. So maybe this will turn into something like that!
Also, never apologize for not reading legit novels. Most romance novels nowadays are boring and filled with cliches anyways.
LOLOL I still actually don't feel motivated to learn to read Chinese even though I am.. I even have difficulties with pinyin and part of the reason I never got that into Chinese media is 'cause I have trouble differentiating/remembering words xDD (SO MANY CONSONANTS) but reading Lost You Forever helped and I can actually remember the names of different characters and places.
DeleteI kind of wonder if you'd like it?? The translations sometimes get a bit messy and I had to get over my slight OCD over proper punctuation. But I feel like you could appreciate well-written layered characters, so ;v;