Today I finally re-read the whole book and am finally able to write a comprehensive review. I saved this book in my library a while ago but just recently had the time to pick it back up, and to be honest it didn't disappoint at all (not that it did before). The start was a bit slow but it quickly progresses to my favourite part aka the romance and harem/political intrigue. The plot is sedate yet exciting, even the other POVs give way to a foreshadowing or puzzle pieces without being boring. YZ and LY are the best part of this novel, hands down. Unlike most romance novels of historical genre, the romance is not that slow like watching water drip from a tap or so fast there is no chemistry build-up. The romance is just right and hits the spot, atleast for me. Their background and angst is just the cherry on the top and helps us understand them better. I like all the aspects of this book which is rare for me in this genre (historical) as I get bored with too much one thing (politics/harem intrigue or romance) but you maintain the balance perfectly. Thank you so much for this book. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward for updates. Your work is amazing and I know the research that goes into this so double kudos for that. P.S. Just a favour(not like the one YZ asked LY lol) but the only thing I had a problem with is keeping up with the names, especially, the Scum gongs and the 6 noble families. If you could make a list of them and any vital character that is important in future without giving spoilers, I would be thankful. I want to know who the fifth gong is lol😂
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LIKEOh my, thank you so much for this lovely long review! <3 I'm really honoured that you reread the novel and appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into writing thorough, constructive feedback like that! I'm glad that the novel has worked for you so far and that the pacing has been suitable! I was really worried about this and had attempted to revise the start multiple times in the past but had been unable to make it any quicker without compromising on the setting and the laying the foundations for the character development. Hence, I'm really comforted that you didn't think it too draggy to continue on to all the salacious harem-y bits (heheh). I will continue to work on ensuring that the multiple PoVs stay interesting and that all the pieces of the puzzle slot together later on, I'm so happy for the support I've received from you and other dear readers and will do my best to provide some continuity with updates as I understand it can be frustrating to have to wait for chapters with no definitive end in sight! As for the favour, this one is incredibly doable and I should really have thought about it beforehand given the ridiculous number of characters in the novel, so thank you very much for the suggestion! It might be difficult to avoid spoilers but I will think about ways that I could possibly do so. I will try to get this set up over the weekend and it will be published under the auxiliary chapters once completed. Any further feedback that you might have in the future on improving the novel would be greatly appreciated!